Jerry Doucette

Jerry Victor Doucette (born 1952)[1] is a Canadian guitarist and singer-songwriter.

Jerry Doucette
Born1952 (age 67–68)
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Occupationmusician

History

Born in Montreal, Quebec, Doucette's family moved to Hamilton, Ontario, when he was four.[2] He received his first guitar when he was six.[2]

Doucette joined numerous bands prior to his solo career, starting with The Reefers, at the age of 11.[1] He migrated to Toronto, Ontario, and played in the final incarnation of Brutus.[1] Doucette moved to Vancouver, British Columbia, in 1972, and worked with Lindsay Mitchell and Rocket Norton, both of whom later joined Prism, and Alexis Radlin.[3] He subsequently signed a solo recording deal with Mushroom Records, and commenced recording under his surname only.

"Mama Let Him Play", the single from the first Doucette album release of the same name, in the fall of 1977[1] earned platinum status (sales of 100,000 units) in Canada, plus substantial publicity and tour promotion. The single and record were not successful to the same degree in the United States,[4] though the single charted in the Billboard Top 100 and the album in the Billboard 200.[5] The recording band for the single and album was composed of Duris Maxwell on drums, Brent Shindell on guitar,[6] Don Cummings on bass and Robbie King on keyboards.[1]

The following year's release, The Douce is Loose, was less successful, although it earned gold status (50,000 units sold) in Canada, and produced the popular single "Nobody" co-written with Maxwell.

Mushroom Records eventually succumbed to financial problems, leaving Doucette to find a new label for his third album, Coming up Roses. This, plus the emergence of new wave music, were blamed for Doucette's lack of follow-up success in the music industry.

Both of Doucette's Mushroom Records albums, Mama Let Him Play and The Douce Is Loose, were re-released on compact disc and digital formats for the first time in 2013 through Hamilton, Ontario-based independent record label Linus Entertainment.

In the song Mama Let Him Play, Doucette plays a Gibson EDS-1275 in Alpine White, frequently called an "SG Double Neck".

Doucette currently resides in Tsawwassen, British Columbia.[7]

Awards and honours
  • 1979: Juno Award, Most Promising Group of the Year

Discography
  • 1977: Mama Let Him Play (Mushroom, reissued 1995 on Reluctant)
  • 1979: The Douce is Loose (Mushroom)
  • 1981: Coming up Roses (Rio)
  • 1995: Price of an Education (Reluctant)
  • 1999: Minnedosa Festival '99 Live album

See also

References
  1. Dan Brisebois, Biography of Jerry Doucette; CanadianBands.com. Retrieved 2012-11-18.
  2. Jaimie Vernon, Biography of Jerry Doucette; Canadian Pop Encyclopedia. Retrieved 2012-11-19 and 22.
  3. "Hit song launched Doucette's career". Regina Leader-Post, February 27, 2003.
  4. Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Review of Mama Let Him Play; Allmusic. Retrieved 2012-11-25.
  5. Allmusic, Doucette - Awards. Retrieved 2012-11-27.
  6. Also played with Shari Ulrich and Valdy, among others. See Gord Mitchell, Portrait of Shindell; Pacific Northwest Bands. Retrieved 2012-11-27.
  7. They're playing for toys
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