“B. Douglas plays his blues loud and straight with a passing resemblance to Stevie Ray and a pronounced Albert’s King-and Collins streak at the core, “Chris Wissman, Nightlife Magazine. B. Douglas grew up in Springfield, Illinois, playing a variety of different instruments, trumpets, drums, and guitar. After attending college for a year, he wanted a change of pace and rode his motorcycle out to California and made that his home for the next 15 years. After running cranes, bulldozers and welding, he somehow came back to music where he probably needed to be all along. Hard times fell upon him, hitting rock bottom, he found himself living in the desert, 14 miles from civilization. He truly lived the blues. As one of his favorite quotes goes “You can’t sing the blues from an air-conditioned room”. He turned his life around and his Mississippi called him home. He picked up his guitar and has been playing ever since. After learning life’s lessons, God showed him the way out through music. “What drew me to the blues is getting to play my guitar. I can vent my frustrations; vent my feelings, all of myself, through the guitar.
B. Douglas has been leading his own blues band since 1994 and has recorded three albums. The first one “Blues You Can Use” was recorded at Blue Earth Recording Studio. All copies were sold out. The second album also recorded at Blue Earth “Drivin Wheel” was made up of all original material written and composed by B. Douglas also sold out. The third “Live from Hollywood, Please Don’t Pull The Plug” was recorded by John Falzarano, Studio on Wheels, live at the Hully Gully Rehearsal hall in Hollywood, California B. Douglas was the last performer to use the hail before it closed for good.
He has four albums set for release, showing growth and polish, as the blues is his way of life. His styles are influenced by music greats such as Stevie Ray Vaughan, Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, B.B. King, and Jr. Kimbrough.
B. Douglas is always expanding his musical horizons. Now seeking a Doctorate degree in music he is attending Southern Illinois School of Music. Studying theory and composition with Dr. Frank Stemper. Classical guitar with Joseph Breznikar author of the Twelve American Etudes. Jazz with “Doc” Robert Allison who has performed in England,
Latvia, Sweden and won the International Trumpet Guild’s Jazz Improv Contest, and studying piano with Warner Brothers recording artist Donald Beattie, leader of world piano conference and author of Don Beattie Piano Method soon to be released by Warner Video.
B. Douglas’s performances have taken him all over the United States and world. Recent summer tour of 2000, took him from the coast of California, to the Sturgis Bike Rally, to performing at several major casinos in the Dakotas and Minnesota. Band highlights include opening for Lonnie Brooks and RL Burnside at The Kenlakes Blues Festival, 97 Crossroads Music Expo on Beale Street in Memphis, TN playing along with Kenny Wayne Shepard Eric Gales and Jr. Kimbrough, VIP party for Merle Haggard. Also opening for Gary Hoey composer of the endless summer soundtrack and disciple of the undisputed king of surf guitar Dick Dale. B. Douglas has also performed in West Frankfurt, Germany, Krakow Poland, Wisla Poland, Trinidad Tobago West Indies, and many other countries throughout Europe.
The band has performed at such well-known clubs as:
Blues City Cafe Beale Street, Memphis, TN
Blues Hall, Beal Street, Memphis, TN
Neil’ s, Memphis, TN
The Bank & Blues, Daytona Beach, Florida
Harvelles, Santa Monica, CA
The Lighthouse Cafe, Hermosa Beach, CA
Stevie Rays, Louisville, KY
AC Reeds, Carbondale Ill
Bunganut Pig, Nashville, TN
3rd & Lindsey, Nashville, TN
Gumbo Yah Yahs, Springfield, Ill
Lady Luck Rhythm & Blues Casino, Lula, MS
Broussard’s, Cape Girardeau, MO
Bourbon Street Blues & Boogie Bar, Nashville, TN
Mid-Town Billiards, Little Rock, AR
