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Baritone sax specialist Doug James was born in
Turlock, California in 1953. An early interest in music was encouraged
by his mother, an organist in his father's church. Aside from these
early lessons Doug is largely self-taught, but later on had perhaps
the most valuable learning experiences a sax player could have, working
night after night alongside some of the all-time greats of rhythm
& blues saxophone, most notably Red Prysock, Sil Austin and blues-to-bop
master Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson.
In 1970 Doug found himself in Rhode Island just
as guitarist Duke Robillard was adding horns to the original version
of his band "Roomful of Blues". Now christened"Mr.
Low" (after a song Joe Williams recorded with the Red Saunders
Orchestra called "Blow Mr. Low", featuring McKinley Easton
on bari sax), Doug held down the bari sax chair until 1998, participating
in countless tours across the USA and Canada as well as Europe, Scandinavia,
and Japan. As a member of Roomful, one of the pace-setting bands of
the blues revival, Doug often backed blues and swing greats like Roy
Brown, Helen Humes, LaVern Baker, and Jimmy Witherspoon, comedians
John Belushi and Dan Ackroyd (in the first incarnation of the Blues
Brothers Band), and jamming with stars like Muddy Waters, Freddie
King, Junior Walker, Buddy Guy and Bonnie Raitt was all in a days
work. Doug's baritone sax anchored the horn section and was featured
soloing on at least a half-dozen albums with Roomful as well as recordings
backing such legends as Big Joe Turner, Eddie "Cleanhead"
Vinson, Earl King, Lou Rawls, and modern music industry heavyweights
Stevie Ray Vaughn, Pat Benetar, Colin James, and the Fabulous Thunderbirds,
earning 5 Grammy nominations and a W.C. Handy Award along the way.
Since re-joining his old boss and mentor Duke Robillard
in 1998, playing bari and tenor saxes (and even bass clarinet!), Doug
has continued touring worldwide and has appeared on CDs for Duke,
Eddie Clearwater, Toni Lynn Washington, Jerry Portnoy, Jimmy "T99"
Nelson, Jay McShann, Debbie Davies, Billy Boy Arnold, Sax Gordon,
Kim Wilson, and Bryan Lee among others. As a member of numerous "W.C.
Handy All-Stars" tours he's backed R&B heroes and contemporary
stars like Charlie Musselwhite, Little Milton, Ruth Brown, Joe Louis
Walker, Trudy Lynn, and Johnny Johnson.
Doug "Mr. Low" James' debut CD "Blow Mr. Low"
was recorded in 2001 for the Canadian Stony Plain label. Featuring
longtime musical associates Sugar Ray Norcia (vocal), Carl Querfurth
(trombone), Matt McCabe (piano), and Sax Gordon (all former Roomful
of Blues bandmates), as well as Duke, who adds guitar and sings the
title song, the disc showcases many facets of Doug's unique talent.
On "Extra Axle" Doug honks like R&B bari pioneer Paul
Williams, "Blues For Leo" finds him paying tribute to bop-inspired
baritone great Leo Parker, "Cry Me A River" is delivered
with sensuous tone and a deep after-hours feeling, while "Bobby's
Boogie" and "Blow Mr. Low" show that the great baritone
sax, at least in the hands of Doug "Mr. Low" James, can
rock with the best of them!
Currently Doug tours and records with the Duke Robillard
band, leads his own "Doug James Big Band" and occasionally
co-leads an all-star lineup with frequent horn section collaborator
Sax Gordon. Doug is also available for both private instruction and
clinics, with the unique ability to pass on lessons learned firsthand
over a lifetime deep in the heart of American rhythm & blues.
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