Doug Cox

Not so long ago and not so far away, near the mountains in a place the Canadians call Alberta, a young man fell in love with the blues. Bottleneck slide blues, to be precise, maybe the most soulful and haunting music to ever come out of life in the Deep South.

Slide is all about the notes between the notes, the ones just this or that side of the frets that hold so many kinds of music together. It's an ancient thing, going back thousands of years and it's a familiar thing, something we hear in the cello, the violin, the oud and the voice of a great singer.

As fate would have it, one night that young bluesman saw Jerry Douglas play the Dobro and on that night everything changed. The next morning, he went out and bought a Dobro, and started teaching himself how to play. Twenty Five years later, that Dobro is still on his lap and if you were to ask Doug Cox today, he'd tell you he's still learning.

Depending on where and when you hear Doug these days, he might be sitting cross-legged with Indian slide guitarist Salil Bhatt and tabla player, Cassius Khan,  creating an intricate musical dialogue that weaves centuries of tradition into something contemporary and beautiful in their group,  'Slide To Freedom.'

He could have been on a stage in Texas or Chicago, or stops in between with Austin artist ,  BettySoo as a member of her band or in their duo, 'Across The Borderline.' 

Or maybe somewhere with Hawaiian Guitarist,  Anela Kahiamoe in the duo ' The Pacific Poi Boys.' 

Or, teaching someone something at a music camp in Alaska or England, or adding tracks to someone else's record, or out on the road with friends like Steve Dawson and Jim Byrnes or a long-time mentor and road buddy like Amos Garrett.

One doesn't find ones'self in such esteemed musical company without some serious chops, and Doug's got those - on the Dobro, for sure, and also on the guitar, the mandolin, the Weissenborn and the National Steel. Less often remarked upon, but every bit as important is the fact that Doug Cox has 'big' ears.

Everybody says so,  newspapers like the Toronto Daily Star and the Boston Globe, music magazines like Folk Roots, Guitar Player and Acoustic Guitar, national broadcasters like Jurgen Goethe and all kinds of other folks. They use words like "brilliant",  "stunning", "ground-breaking",  "virtuoso" and "a musician's musician" , but it adds up to the same thing. His journey is worth watching.

Musically, he covers the waterfront, the wild mountain thyme and well up the valley. From Blues to New Acoustic Music to World Music and Americana, Doug has made music with the likes of people from the late iconic British Blues master Long John Baldry to India's musical royalty Vishwa Mohan Bhatt, from America's great songwriters like Chuck Brodsky & BettySoo to Austrian Dub band Dubblestandart. as well as dozens of other musical admirers.

Doug's music has been featured in many soundtracks and movies from documentaries to feature films such as Terry Gilliam's 'Tideland.' He even earns a cameo appearance (as Doc Coggs) next to Amos Garrett in the Sci-Fi Robert Heinlien/Spider Robinson novel 'Variable Star!'

In a musical combination, or as a solo artist, Doug's played every major roots music festival in Canada, usually more than once- as well as many of the fascinating ones a little further off the beaten track. He has toured numerous times in Canada and Europe. 

He's played for ship sinkings in Victoria, BC (where they sink old ships for underwater diving adventures) and at the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York. He's busked on airplanes (back in the day when that was allowed!) and played for Prime Ministers. He was the first featured Dobro player ever booked by the Montreal Jazz Festival, and the first Canadian invited to play Dobrofest in Trnava, Slovakia where people gather each year to celebrate the instrument's inventor's birthplace.

Doug's worked hard on his art and his craft, and you can hear it when he plays. You can also see it, in the names of the artists he's making music with and the places he's played and when you read between those lines, you know he's earned the respect of his peers and a lot of very happy listeners. He is a catalyst among musicians and artists for many fascinating collaborations.  

What a long, strange trip it continues to be! 

 

Doug's Selected Discography

Doug's Solo CD Projects

Canadian Borderline 1993

Bone Bottle Brass or Steel 1996

Life Is So Peculiar 1999

Stay Lazy 2002

Without Words 2009

with BettySoo

Across The Borderline; Lie To Me  2011

with Slide To Freedom 

Slide to Freedom (with guest VM Bhatt)  2007 

Make a Better World 2009 (w guest vocalist John Boutte) - 2009 JUNO NOMINEE - WORLD MUSIC ALBUM OF THE YEAR

20,000 Miles (w guest vocalist BettySoo)  2011

with Strung (Doug with April Verch, Tony McManus and Cody Walters) 

Band Of Gypsies 2009

 with Sam Hurrie

Hungry Ghosts 2005

Blues From The Forbidden Plateau 2007

with Todd Butler

Live Blues 2002

Dobro and Guitar 2003

select recordings with others

Travels With Charley - all recordings available

The Irish Rovers "The Boys Come Rollin Home" 1994

Will Millar "The Keeper" 1994

Bob Bossin "Gabriola V0R 1X0 " 1994

Ken Hamm "Eagle Rock Road" 1995

Joel Fafard "Fierce Warmth" 1996

Diamond Joe White "Honestly" 1997

Resophonics Anonymous 2000

Six Strings North Of The Border 2001

Michael Messer "King Guitar" 2001

Caring For Our Coast 2001

Hornby Island Blues Camp 2002

Frank Hoorn "Solid Ground" 2002

Rhythm & Green - Cumberland Compilation 2002

Eric Westbury 2003

Rick Henry "Wide Open" 2004

Resophonics Anonymous - Relapse - 2004

Todd Butler - Idle Canadian - 2005

Layla Zoe - Shades of Blue - 2006

Lynne Hanson - Things I Miss - 2006

Frank Hoorn - Years In The Making - 2006

David Essig - Presbyterian Guitar - 2007

Dubblestandart - dub mix - 2007

Lynne Hanson - Eleven Months - 2008

Corinne West - The Promise - 2009

Bill Dalton - Grass Clippings - 2009

MAITRI - 2009

Leela Gilday - Calling All Warriors - 2010

Don Amero - I'm Going Home - 2010

Oh My Darling - In The Lonesome Hours - 2010

The Mighty Popo - Gakondo - 2010 (Juno Nominated) 

Melissa Bandura - Dark Dreams - 2011

Jamyang Yeshi - Demo Project - 2011

The Rakish Angles - Cottonwood Moon - 2011

Amy Cunningham - To The Stars We'll Return - 2011

Shane Koyczan & Short Story Long - Remembrance Year - 2011

 

 

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Instructional Workshops

Wells Roots Guitar Wkshop - 1996-1998

Bulkley Valley Guitar Wkshop - 1997,1999 to 2005 ,2008

BC Bluegrass Wkshop - 1997, 2004

Georgia Straight Guitar Wkshop - 1998, 2010  

Toronto Blues Guitar Workshop - 1998, 2007 (host)

Hornby Island Blues Camp - 2000-2002, 2009

Kerrville, Texas Blues Guitar Camp - 2000

Acoustic Alaska Guitar Camp -2003 to 2008, 2010 - 11

Sore Fingers,The Cotswolds, England - 2005/06

Aboriginal Music Performers Camp -2006-10

Bowen Island Music Camp 2006/07/08

1st Annual Calgary Folk Festival Boot Camp - 2006

Vancouver Island Music Workshop - 2007/08

Steve Kaufman's Flatpik Kamp - 2008

Fairbanks Festival of the Arts - 2009

Tune In Tune Up - Gabriola Island - 2010

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Instructional Books, Videos and DVDs

Understanding The Dobro DVD (learnrootsmusic.com)

Understanding the Slide Guitar DVD (learnrootsmusic.com)

Hot Blues Licks For The Lap-Style Dobro DVD (learnrootsmusic.com)

Blues Dobro Book (centrestream publications)

Slide Guitar and Open Tunings Book (centrestream publications)

Intro To Roots GuitarBook (centrestream publications)

More Dobro DVD (learnrootsmusic.com)

Backup Dobro Book (centrestream publications)

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Recordings Doug Produced

Travels With Charley - Uncle Herbs Amusements (co-producer)

Travels With Charley - Red Rome Beauty (co-producer)

Doug Cox - Canadian Borderline

Doug Cox - Bone Bottle Brass or Steel

Diamond Joe White - Honestly

Stacy Phillips and Paul Howard

Doug Cox and Todd Butler - Live Blues (co-producer)

Doug Cox and Todd Butler - Dobo and Guitar (co-producer)

Gorden Carter - Rivers and Roads

Doug Cox and Sam Hurrie - Hungry Ghosts (co-producer)

Doug with Salil Bhatt, Ramkumar Mishra & Special Guest, V.M. Bhatt - Slide to Freedom (co-producer) & Make a Better World (co-producer)

Strung - Band of Gypsies (co-producer)

Corinne West - The Promise (co-producer)

Maitri - Maitri

Jamyang Yeshi - Demo Project 

with BettySoo - Lie To Me (co-producer) 

Slide To Freedom - 20,000 Miles

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Some Favorite Gigs...

The Edmonton Folk Festival 1993 with Ken Hamm and Tony Trischka

Silverstar Bluegrass Festival 1993 with Slavik Hanzlik

Summerfolk, Owen Sound Folk Festival 1994 with Travels With Charley

Regina Folk Festival 1995 with the Ken Hamm Trio

The Vancouver Folk Festival 1995

The Yellow Door - Montreal, PQ - 1996

The Harbourfront Centre Molson Stage - Toronto, ON - 1996, 1997 (Blues Fest)

The Freight and Salvage - San Francisco, CA - 1997

The (1st) Stan Rogers Folk Festival - Canso, Nova Scotia - 1997

The Calgary Folk Festival - Calgary, Alberta (got to play w Jerry Douglas) - 1998

The Jasper Folk Festival - Jasper, Alberta - 1998

The World Next Door Festival - Winnipeg, Manitoba - 1998

The Baseball Hall Of Fame, Cooperstown, NY. with Chuck Brodsky - 1998

Fast Folk Cafe - New York City - 1998

The Ottawa Folk Festival w Rick Fines - 1999

The North Country Fair, Joussard, AB - 1999, 2001, 2003

The Kerreville Wine and Music Festival, Kerreville, Texas - 1999

The Victoria Roots Festival (got to play with Lindley!), 2000

The Winnipeg Folk Festival, 2001

The Dawson City Music Festival, 2001

The Edmonton Folk Festival,(got to play w D'Gary, Corey Harris & Amadou Et Marium) 2002

Long John Baldry's Birthday Bash, Vancouver, BC 2003

The Montreal Jazz Festival with Todd Butler, 2003

The Salmon Arm Roots and Blues Festival, 2003

Prince George Folk Festival, 2004

Sore Fingers Teachers Concert with Tim O'Brien, Darryl Scott and others - The Cotswolds, England 2005

The Dream Cafe in Penticton - with Amos Garrett 2005

The Epcor Center For the Arts in Calgary, Alberta with Sam Hurrie 2005

The Vancouver Folk Festival Collabatory (concerts w Ganesh Ananden) (wkshop w Mike Seeger and Utah Phillips) 2005

The Edmonton Folk Festival with Sam Hurrie 2005

La Grande rencontre 2005 Parc Lafontaine in Montréal - with Sam Hurrie and Keith Bennett 2005

Sore Fingers 2006 - played with (Zeppelin's) John Paul Jones!

House Concert, Perth, Ontario, 2006 w Sam Hurrie

Blacksheep Inn - Wakefield, Quebec w Sam Hurrie - 06

Northern Lights Folk Club, Edmonton, Ab w Sam Hurrie - 06

Saxon Pub, Austin, TX, w Sam Hurrie - 06

South Country Fair w Sam Hurrie, Vihswa Mohan Bhatt, Salil Bhatt, Ramkumar Mishra - 06

The Calgary Folk Festival w Sam Hurrie - 06

Maine Island w Ken Hamm & David Essig - 06

Ulm, Germany w Sam Hurrie- 07

Tournai, Belgium w Sam Hurrie - 07

Bowen Island w Spider & Jeanne Robinson, Corbin Keep & Rene Worst - 07

Festival Place in Sherwood Park w Strung - 08

Regina Casino w Strung - 08

Hugh's Room in Toronto w Slide to Freedom - 08

The Epcor Centre in Calgary w Slide To Freedom - 08

Stan Rogers Folk Festival - 08

Vancouver Folk Festival - 08

Ottawa Folk Festival - 08

Margaret Greenham Theatre in Banff, AB w Fathers and Sons - 08

Bibao Spain w Corinne West - 09

Celtic Connections in Glasgow, Scotland w Strung - 09

Cromarty, Scotland w Corinne West - 09

Chatanooga, TN , Riverbend Festival - 09

Shrewsbury Folk Festival, UK w Corinne West - 09

Cornish Bgrass Festival , UK, w Corinne West - 09

The Sooke Folk Club w Anela Kahiamoe - 10

Olympic Gigs w Anela Kahiamoe and the New Native Review - 10

The Juno Awards w Dinah D - 10

The Vancouver Jazz Fest at the Commodore w STF - 10

Canada Day In Calgary w STF - 10

Dream Cafe in Penticton w STF - 10

Musicfest w Dan Hicks and STF! - 10

Ottawa Blues Fest w STF - 10 

Komasket Fest with the Pacific Poi Boys - 10

Chicago World Music Festival with STF - 10

The Cactus Cafe in Austin w BettySoo - 10 

Joes Garage with Matt Epp - 10

SXSW Gig , Saxon Pub with BettySoo Band - 11

Austin Airport - Ray Benson Stage - with Bob Livingston - 11