Doug Stone | |
---|---|
Background information | |
Birth name | Douglas Jackson Brooks [1] |
Born | [2] Marietta, Georgia, U.S. | June 19, 1956
Origin | Nashville, Tennessee |
Genres | Country |
Occupation(s) | Singer, songwriter |
Instrument | Vocals |
Years active | 1989–present |
Labels | |
Website | www |
Doug Stone (born Douglas Jackson Brooks; June 19, 1956) is an American country music singer and songwriter. He debuted in 1990 with the single "I'd Be Better Off (In a Pine Box)", the first release from his 1990 self-titled debut album for Epic Records. Both this album and its successor, 1991's I Thought It Was You , earned a platinum certification from the Recording Industry Association of America. Two more albums for Epic, 1992's From the Heart and 1994's More Love , are each certified gold. Stone moved to Columbia Records to record Faith in Me, Faith in You , which did not produce a Top Ten among its three singles. After suffering a heart attack and stroke in the late 1990s, he exited the label and did not release another album until Make Up in Love in 1999 on Atlantic Records. The Long Way was released in 2002 on the Audium label (now part of E1 Music), followed by two albums on the independent Lofton Creek Records.
Stone has charted twenty-six singles on Hot Country Songs, with his greatest chart success coming between 1990 and 1995. In this timespan, he had eight No. 1 singles on the Hot Country Songs charts including "In a Different Light", "A Jukebox with a Country Song", "Too Busy Being in Love", and "Why Didn't I Think of That". He is known for his neotraditionalist country sound and frequent recording of ballads.
Stone was born as Douglas Jackson Brooks on June 19, 1956, in Marietta, Georgia. [3] His mother, who was also a country music singer, taught him how to play guitar when he was 5. [2] When he was 7, his mother placed him onstage to open for Loretta Lynn. [4] [5] His mother and father later divorced, and he moved to live with his father. [4] He found additional work singing as a teenager: first at local skating rinks, and then at local bars, and later as one member of a short-lived trio; in addition, he and his father worked as mechanics to make ends meet. [2] [4] He also built a recording studio in his house, while performing in local clubs. [6] By 1982, Stone was suffering from depression brought on by his musical career, when a friend introduced him to Carie Cohen, who would later become his second wife. [7] He played various local venues, and was discovered by a record label manager while singing at a Veterans of Foreign Wars hall. The manager asked him for demos, which she then sent to Epic Records. He chose to record under the name Doug Stone, so as to avoid confusion with Garth Brooks. [1] Record producer Doug Johnson played three tunes for Epic Records producer Bob Montgomery, who disliked the first two that he heard but enjoyed the third one. Through Montgomery's assistance, Stone signed with Epic in 1989, thus becoming the only artist that Montgomery ever signed without seeing perform live. [7] [8]
Stone's self-titled debut album was released in 1990 with Johnson as producer. [9] Mac McAnally, Mark O'Connor, Paul Franklin, Brent Rowan, and Willie Weeks were among the session musicians on it. Contributing songwriters included David Lee Murphy, Larry Boone, Randy Boudreaux, A.L. "Doodle" Owens, Johnny MacRae, and Keith Palmer, [10] who would later chart two singles for Epic in 1991. [11] Its first single, "I'd Be Better Off (In a Pine Box)", spent twenty-five weeks on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts and peaked at No. 4. [3] In addition, the single was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Country Song, [12] and the album was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America for U.S. shipments of one million copies. [2] The album's next two singles were both Top Ten singles as well: "Fourteen Minutes Old" at No. 6 and "These Lips Don't Know How to Say Goodbye" at No. 5. Following these songs was "In a Different Light", co-written by Dickey Lee, which became Stone's first number 1 on Billboard. [3] Stone received three music award nominations in 1991: the Horizon Award (now New Artist Award) from the Country Music Association, Star of Tomorrow from Music City News, and Top New Male Vocalist from the Academy of Country Music. [7]
Brian Mansfield gave Doug Stone a four-and-a-half star rating out of five in his review for Allmusic. His review praised "I'd Be Better Off" in particular, calling the song a "towering expression of self-pity that most singers could spend a career trying to top," also saying that Stone "came close" to matching that song's quality in the album's ballads. [13]
I Thought It Was You , his second album, was released in August 1991. Also certified platinum, it produced three more chart singles: the No. 4 title track, followed by the number 1 "A Jukebox with a Country Song" and "Come In Out of the Pain" at No. 3. [3] "A Jukebox with a Country Song" spent two weeks at number 1, thus becoming his only multi-week number 1 single. [3] Stone co-wrote the track "The Feeling Never Goes Away" with Kim Williams and Phyllis Bennett, and then-labelmate Joe Diffie co-wrote "Burning Down the Town". [14] Alanna Nash of Entertainment Weekly gave the album an "A", saying that it contained "sex-and-smolder ballads" comparable to Conway Twitty. [15] Mansfield was less favorable, saying that Stone "seems to wallow in sorrow". [16]
In early 1992, Stone began experiencing dizziness and pain in one of his arms. He also began feeling chest pains which he initially thought were heartburn. [7] After feeling disoriented at a concert in Oregon, he canceled an appearance at the Academy of Country Music telecast. He then underwent quadruple bypass surgery at Centennial Medical Center to alleviate four severe arterial blockages near his heart which had initially gone undiscovered by doctors. [7] Following the surgery, Stone changed his diet and began exercising, [6] in addition to touring in support of his third album, From the Heart , released that August. [7] The album's title was seen by many music writers, including Irwin Stambler and Grelun Landon of Country Music: The Encyclopedia, as ironic in the wake of Stone's heart surgery. [7]
With a gold certification for shipments of 500,000 copies, [2] From the Heart produced two more number 1 singles in "Too Busy Being in Love" and "Why Didn't I Think of That". [3] The other two singles were "Warning Labels" and "Made for Lovin' You", at No. 4 and No. 6 respectively. [3] The latter had previously been recorded by both Dan Seals and Clinton Gregory. [17] [18] Mansfield thought that From the Heart was more consistent than Stone's previous two albums, saying that his "voice is at its pain-wracked best" on "Warning Labels" and that "The heart references take on a special meaning given the open-heart surgery that preceded this album". [19] Nash criticized the album as "sappy, lightweight tales of infatuation and starry-eyed courtship". [20] One month after From the Heart, Stone released a Christmas album titled The First Christmas . [21] Although this album produced no singles, "Sailing Home for Christmas" was made into a music video. [22] Stone was nominated in both 1992 and 1993 for Star of Tomorrow by Music City News, and Top Male Vocalist from the Academy of Country Music, winning the former award in 1993. [7] He toured in 1992 with Patty Loveless, Lynyrd Skynyrd, and Hank Williams, Jr. [23]
His fourth album, More Love , was released in November 1993. [24] Unlike his previous albums, Stone co-produced with James Stroud, except on the track "Dream High", which Stroud produced with Tom Bahler and Bruce Swedien. It also included different session musicians than his previous albums, such as guitarist Dann Huff and backing vocalist Curtis Wright. [25] Its lead-off single was "I Never Knew Love", which spent two weeks at No. 2 on the country singles charts and accounted for his only entry on the Billboard Hot 100, where it peaked at No. 81. [3] The album's next two singles were the No. 4 "Addicted to a Dollar" and the title track, which Stone wrote with Gary Burr, [7] at No. 6. Tom Roland of New Country magazine criticized the album for "continu[ing] to mine the drippy side of Stone" through "manipulative" ballads, but cited "Addicted to a Dollar" and "Love, You Took Me by Surprise" as being "tougher" than Stone's previous works. [26]
Starting in June 1994, Stone discovered that he was having breathing problems which were affecting his singing. [27] He consulted throat doctors at Vanderbilt University's medical center, who failed to find any problems in his throat, while a second consultation revealed a lump in his left nostril. Upon its discovery, Stone feared that it might be cancer, and that it would put an end to his career. As a result, Stone quit smoking, although the lump was later discovered not to be cancerous and was successfully removed. [27] While Stone was undergoing treatment, his Greatest Hits, Vol. 1 compilation was released in late 1994. Also receiving a gold certification, [7] the album comprised nine of his previous hits and the new song "Little Houses", which debuted on the charts in October 1994 and peaked at No. 7 in early 1995. [2] After its release, Stone made his acting debut in the 1995 film Gordy , in which he starred as Luke McAllister, a struggling musician. [28] The movie's soundtrack featured four songs from More Love: "More Love", "That's a Lie", "Wishbone", and "Dream High", [25] as well as two other songs that Stone performed: "The Heart I Broke" and "I Could Always Count on You". [29]
Also in 1995, parent company Sony Music Entertainment chose to move Stone from the Nashville division of Epic Records to that of Columbia Records. This decision was made to give Stone a new promotional team. [30] His only Columbia album, Faith in Me, Faith in You , was released in March of that year, with Stroud again serving as co-producer. This album's three singles were comparatively less successful than his previous singles, with none reaching Top 10: the title track peaked at No. 13, followed by "Sometimes I Forget" at No. 41 (his first single to miss the Top 40) and "Born in the Dark" at No. 12. [3] Stone suffered a nearly-fatal heart attack in December 1995 [2] and a mild stroke in 1996, [31] reducing his ability to record and tour. [5] Stone would later remark that he was "lucky" to have survived his health issues in this timespan. [32] One of his few performances in this timespan was at a show in Dollywood, a theme park owned by Dolly Parton, in mid-1996. [7] His last charting single for Columbia was "Gone Out of My Mind", which he recorded for the multi-artist compilation album A Tribute to Tradition in 1998. [3]
Stone signed with Atlantic Records and released Make Up in Love in 1999 under the production of Wally Wilson. A more pop-oriented album than his previous ones, [2] the album produced a minor Top 20 hit in its title track. [2] Its next singles were a cover of R.B. Greaves's 1969 single "Take a Letter Maria", which Stone took to number 45, and "Surprise", which spent only one week on the country charts, at number 64. [3] Also included on the album were a duet with Leslie Satcher titled "The Heart Holds On", and the Bobby Braddock-penned "The Difference Between a Woman and a Man", which was later recorded by Josh Turner on his 2003 debut album Long Black Train . [33] Stephen Thomas Erlewine gave the album a mixed review, saying that "Since Stone's voice is pleasant, the music is often pleasant, but it's hardly memorable." [34] Andy Turner of Country Standard Time was more favorable, saying that it "does not come off 'too country for country' yet is still engaging largely because of Stone's voice — soft with built-in teardrops." [35] Also in 1999, Stone and Skip Ewing co-wrote "In the Name of Love" on the only album released by female country duo Redmon & Vale. [36]
In December 1999, Stone was aboard an airplane which skidded off a snowy runway at O'Hare Airport in Chicago; there were no injuries. [37] Stone began piloting ultra-light airplanes as a hobby in 1999 and 2000. [38] In March 2000, he suffered a broken left ankle, cracked rib, concussion, and bruised kidney after crashing his plane in Robertson County, Tennessee, and was briefly hospitalized before he resumed touring. [39] Stone later said that the accident made him decide to quit flying planes. [40] After the September 11, 2001 attacks, rumors circulated that Stone had been on one of the hijacked planes; a spokeswoman for the singer confirmed that he was at home with his family that day. [41]
Stone signed to Audium Entertainment in 2002 and recorded The Long Way . [2] This album included seven new songs and acoustic re-recordings of "More Love", "Born in the Dark", and "I'd Be Better Off". One of the original songs on it was "POW 369", which was later recorded by Darryl Worley. [42] Stewart Mason thought that it was "not nearly as suffocatingly slick" as Stone's previous albums, but questioned its commercial success. [43] His next album did not come out until 2005, when he signed to the independent label Lofton Creek Records, recording the album In a Different Light . The album included a cover of "Georgia on My Mind", which was the first single, and re-recordings of "In a Different Light" and "Why Didn't I Think of That". [44] A second album for Lofton Creek, My Turn , followed in 2007. It was led off by the single "Nice Problem". [45] William Ruhlmann praised this album for having "a timeless country feel", also saying that "Stone sings with as much fervor and sincerity as ever." [46] Ken Tucker of Billboard wrote that "He sounds as good as ever and his music is still relevant". [45]
In 2013, Stone toured with Bryan White and Shenandoah as part of the "Reliving the 90s Tour". He also returned to acting, with roles in the films When the Storm God Rides and The Story of Bonnie and Clyde. [47]
Stone married his second wife, Carie Cohen, in 1982. [6] The couple separated in July 1994, and Cohen filed for divorce two months later, accusing Stone of excessive drinking and infidelity. [48] He married Beth Snyder in December 1996 after being engaged to her for a year. [49] As of 2005, he had one daughter with Beth, and four children from his previous marriages. [44] [50] Stone split from Snyder in late 2006 and returned to his Georgia home.
On March 29, 2015, Stone married fiddler Jade Jack in Greenville, Texas, [51] and both have a daughter together, born April 14, 2016.
Stone is known primarily for his neotraditionalist country sound, his tenor singing voice, and emphasis on ballads. In Country Music: A Biographical Dictionary, Richard Carlin describes him as "a solid country crooner whose style is reminiscent of Merle Haggard." [1] Steve Huey of Allmusic wrote that Stone "made his name as a lonesome baritone balladeer, though he's also adept at hard uptempo country." [2] Zell Miller, author of They Heard Georgia Singing, wrote that Stone has "established himself as a mellow country crooner who is known as 'Mr. Sensitive'" and "the Dean Martin of country music because of his unique flair for communicating the fragility of a broken heart with his delicate baritone voice and laid-back style." [52]
Kurt Wolff of Country Music: The Rough Guide described Stone's musical style less favorably. He wrote that Stone seemed "schizophrenic. Half his reputation was established with self-deprecating downers like 'I'd Be Better Off (In a Pine Box)', but then he'd just as easily turn around with a schmaltzy love song like 'Too Busy Being in Love'." He compared "I'd Be Better Off" and "Warning Labels" favorably to Haggard as well, and thought that the change of producers on More Love gave him a "much beefier sound". [53]
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1995 | Gordy | Luke MacAllister |
Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
---|---|---|---|
1991 | "I'd Be Better Off (In a Pine Box)" | Best Male Country Vocal Performance | Nominated |
Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
---|---|---|---|
1991 | Doug Stone | Star of Tomorrow | Nominated |
1992 | Nominated | ||
1993 | Won |
Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
---|---|---|---|
1991 | Doug Stone | Top New Male Vocalist | Nominated |
1992 | Top Male Vocalist of the Year | Nominated | |
1993 | Nominated |
Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
---|---|---|---|
1991 | Doug Stone | Horizon Award | Nominated |
Tracy Lee Lawrence is an American country music singer, songwriter, and record producer. Born in Atlanta, Texas, and raised in Foreman, Arkansas, Lawrence began performing at age 15 and moved to Nashville, Tennessee, in 1990 to begin his country music career. He signed to Atlantic Records Nashville in 1991 and made his debut late that year with the album Sticks and Stones. Five more studio albums, as well as a live album and a compilation album, followed throughout the 1990s and into 2000 on Atlantic before the label's country division was closed in 2001. Afterward, he recorded for Warner Bros. Records, DreamWorks Records, Mercury Records Nashville, and his own labels, Rocky Comfort Records and Lawrence Music Group.
Brooks & Dunn is an American country music duo consisting of Kix Brooks and Ronnie Dunn, both of whom are vocalists and songwriters. The duo was founded in 1990 through the suggestion of songwriter and record producer Tim DuBois. Before their formation, both members were solo recording artists, having charted two solo singles apiece in the 1980s. Brooks also released an album for Capitol Records in 1989 and wrote hit singles for other artists.
Floyd Elliot Wray, known professionally as Collin Raye and previously as Bubba Wray, is an American country music singer. He initially recorded as a member of the band The Wrays between 1983 and 1987. He made his solo debut in 1991 as Collin Raye with the album All I Can Be, which produced his first Number One hit in "Love, Me". All I Can Be was the first of four consecutive albums released by Raye to achieve platinum certification in the United States for sales of one million copies each. Raye maintained several Top Ten hits throughout the rest of the decade and into 2000. 2001's Can't Back Down was his first album that did not produce a Top 40 country hit, and he was dropped by his record label soon afterward. He did not record another studio album until 2005's Twenty Years and Change, released on an independent label.
Joe Logan Diffie was an American country music singer and songwriter. After working as a demo singer in the mid 1980s, he signed with Epic Records' Nashville division in 1990. Between then and 2004, Diffie charted 35 singles on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, five of which peaked at number one: his debut release "Home", "If the Devil Danced ", "Third Rock from the Sun", "Pickup Man" and "Bigger Than the Beatles". In addition to these singles, he had 12 others reach the top 10 and ten more reach the top 40 on the same chart. He also co-wrote singles for Holly Dunn, Tim McGraw, and Jo Dee Messina, and recorded with Mary Chapin Carpenter, George Jones, and Marty Stuart.
"Wicked Game" is a song by American rock musician Chris Isaak, released from his third album, Heart Shaped World (1989). Released as a single in July 1989, it became a sleeper hit after being featured in the 1990 David Lynch film Wild at Heart, starring Nicolas Cage and Laura Dern. Lee Chesnut, an Atlanta radio station music director who loved David Lynch films, began playing the song, and it quickly became an American top-10 hit in March 1991, reaching number six on the Billboard Hot 100. Internationally, the single became a number-one hit in Belgium and reached the top 10 in several other nations.
Lonestar is an American country music group from Nashville, Tennessee. The group consists of Drew Womack, Michael Britt, Dean Sams, and Keech Rainwater (drums). Britt, Sams, and Rainwater co-founded the band in 1992 with original lead vocalist Richie McDonald and bass guitarist/vocalist John Rich. Rich exited the band in 1998 and went on to join Big Kenny as one-half of the duo Big & Rich. Since his departure, Lonestar has relied alternatingly on session and touring musicians for bass guitar accompaniment. McDonald exited the band in 2007 to record as a solo artist, and was replaced by former McAlyster vocalist Cody Collins before returning in 2011. McDonald left a second time in 2021 to join The Frontmen, with former Sons of the Desert lead vocalist Drew Womack replacing him.
Boyd Tyrone Herndon is an American country music singer and songwriter. His music career began in the 1980s as a member of the Tennessee River Boys, a predecessor to the country band Diamond Rio. Herndon quit the band early on and gained his first national exposure as a competitor on Star Search. He then played at various honky-tonks in Texas. After signing to Epic Records in 1993, Herndon made his debut in 1995 with his number-one single, "What Mattered Most". This was followed that same year by the release of his first album, also titled What Mattered Most.
Patty Loveless is an American country music singer. She began performing in her teenaged years before signing her first recording contract with MCA Records' Nashville division in 1985. While her first few releases were unsuccessful, she broke through by decade's end with a cover of George Jones's "If My Heart Had Windows". Loveless issued five albums on MCA before moving to Epic Records in 1993, where she released nine more albums. Four of her albums—Honky Tonk Angel, Only What I Feel, When Fallen Angels Fly, and The Trouble with the Truth—are certified platinum in the United States. Loveless has charted 44 singles on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts, including five which reached number one: "Timber, I'm Falling in Love", "Chains", "Blame It on Your Heart", "You Can Feel Bad", and "Lonely Too Long".
Kathleen Alice Mattea is an American country music and bluegrass singer. Active since 1984 as a recording artist, she has charted more than 30 singles on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts, including four that reached No. 1: "Goin' Gone", "Eighteen Wheels and a Dozen Roses", "Come from the Heart", and "Burnin' Old Memories", plus 12 more that charted within the top ten. She has released 14 studio albums, two Christmas albums, and one greatest hits album. Most of her material was recorded for Universal Music Group Nashville's Mercury Records Nashville 8division between 1984 and 2000, with later albums being issued on Narada Productions, her own Captain Potato label, and Sugar Hill Records. Among her albums, she has received five gold certifications and one platinum certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). She has collaborated with Dolly Parton, Michael McDonald, Tim O'Brien, and her husband, Jon Vezner. Mattea is also a two-time Grammy Award winner: in 1990 for "Where've You Been", and in 1993 for her Christmas album Good News. Her style is defined by traditional country, bluegrass, folk, and Celtic music influences.
George Mark Collie is an American country music singer, songwriter, musician, actor, record producer, and fundraiser for Type 1 diabetes study. He has won awards and acclaim for his music, his acting, and his philanthropy. His singing career has included five major-label albums: four for MCA Nashville and one for Giant Records. Sixteen of his singles have charted on Hot Country Songs, including the top ten hits "Even the Man in the Moon Is Cryin'" and "Born to Love You".
The Kentucky Headhunters are an American country rock and Southern rock band originating in the state of Kentucky. The band's members are Doug Phelps, Greg Martin, and brothers Richard Young and Fred Young. It was founded in 1968 as Itchy Brother, which consisted of the Young brothers and Martin, along with Anthony Kenney on bass guitar and vocals. Itchy Brother performed until 1982, with James Harrison replacing Martin from 1973 to 1976. The Youngs and Martin began performing as The Kentucky Headhunters in 1986, adding brothers Ricky Lee Phelps and Doug Phelps to the membership.
"Baby I Love U!" is a song recorded by American singer Jennifer Lopez for her third studio album, This Is Me... Then (2002). It was written by Lopez, Cory Rooney, Dan Shea and John Barry and produced by Rooney and Shea. The song contains an interpolation of the theme for the film Midnight Cowboy (1969).
What Mattered Most is the debut studio album by American country music artist Ty Herndon, issued in 1995 on Epic Records. The album's title track, which was Herndon's debut single, reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks charts in mid-1995. Other singles from the album were, in order, "I Want My Goodbye Back," "Heart Half Empty" and "In Your Face." Doug Johnson produced the entire album, with additional production from Ed Seay on "Heart Half Empty".
Living in a Moment is the second studio album by American country music artist Ty Herndon. The album was released in 1996 via Epic Records. Like his debut album What Mattered Most, the album has been certified gold by the RIAA. It features the singles "Living in a Moment", "She Wants to Be Wanted Again", "Loved Too Much" and "I Have to Surrender".
"Cop Car" is a song written by Zach Crowell, Sam Hunt, and Matt Jenkins and recorded by New Zealand-born Australian country music singer Keith Urban. It was released in January 2014 as the third international single and fourth overall from Urban's 2013 album Fuse.
From The Heart is the third studio album by American country music singer Doug Stone. It was released on August 11, 1992 on Epic Records Nashville.
More Love is the fifth studio album by American country music artist Doug Stone. Released in 1993 on Epic Records, it features the singles "I Never Knew Love," "Addicted to a Dollar," and "More Love," all of which were Top Ten hits on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks charts.
"Foolish Pride" is a song written and recorded by American country music singer Travis Tritt. It was released in March 1994 as the first single from his album Ten Feet Tall and Bulletproof. The song peaked at Number One on the U.S. country singles charts in July 1994, becoming the fourth Number One hit of his career.
"Addicted to a Dollar" is a song co-written and recorded by American country music singer Doug Stone, who wrote it along with Ray Hood, Kim Tribble and Ray Maddox. It was released in February 1994 as the second single from his album More Love. The song was a number four country hit in the US, and number one in Canada.
"Made for Lovin' You" is a song written by Sonny Throckmorton and Curly Putman. First appearing on Dan Seals' 1990 album On Arrival, it was also recorded by Clinton Gregory on his album Music 'n Me. Gregory's version of the song was released as a single, but did not chart.
{{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link){{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link){{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link){{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)