Biography
With his debut album "The West Gate," longtime studio musician Doug Pettibone makes a triumphant appearance onto the landscape of great American songwriters. One of the country's exceptional unsung guitar heroes,
One of the rare Los Angeles natives, Doug has played with the likes of Mark Knopfler, Jewel, Tracy Chapman, and most recently, the critically-acclaimed Lucinda Williams, who contributes vocals on two cuts on "The West Gate." Doug was originally brought on by Lucinda as one of two touring guitarists, but the strength of his chops, combined with his soaring vocal harmonies soon cemented his position as her one and only guitar player. Since signing on with Lucinda, Doug's playing has attracted the enthusiastic praise of both critics and fans alike and his live showmanship never fails to elicit thunderous applause from crowds all over the world.
As a touring guitarist with Lucinda, Doug played guitar parts written by musicians such as Charlie Sexton, Bo Ramsey, Steve Earl and Gurf Morlix , interpreting those pieces through his own unique, blues-driven style. When Lucinda brought him on board to record her album "World Without Tears," Doug was asked to write his own guitar parts and vocal harmonies. Proving himself more than up to the challenge, his contributions to that album earned him wide acclaim, with magazines such as Rolling Stone noting that his work "evokes the poetic economy of Keith Richards at his Exile on Main Street finest."
With a schedule that found him forever on the road, in the studio, or collaborating with a host of musicians across the country, Doug had precious little time to explore his own creative impulses. Writing and playing his own songs was something to which Doug had always aspired, but never had the time to explore. When he finally found himself with some downtime in early 2005, it was as if his lifelong passion had met with a window of opportunity. The result was "The West Gate."
"The West Gate" is a collection of acoustic-based songs that are as warm and smooth as Kentucky bourbon. With gentle waves of acoustic guitar cascading over pedal steel rhythms, Doug's voice is at once soft and beguiling. Stripped down and gentle, the album feels like a conversation with an old friend in the back booth of a honky tonk at closing time.
The title song refers to a legendary place in California where Native Americans believe all life begins- a fitting metaphor for the birth of his life as a solo artist. The song itself is a contemplative look back at a life spent on the road, finally called back by the warm voices of home. Doug's uniquely soft yet rich voice whispers of green hills, and cool breezes and both the beginning and end of a long journey.
Songs such as "Jolene" and "North Carolina" create smoky and haunting soundscapes with lyrics that suggest early Dylan at his most contemplative. "Original Originator" is a bluesy, foot-stomping barnburner that sounds like it's been playing on back porches across the country for a hundred years, and "Honey Biscuit" is a dobro-driven classic that sounds like it could have easily been written by Robert Johnson himself. "Little Man," one of the album's highlights, is an achingly stunning letter to his young son, holding on to his love through the distance and desperation of a life on the road. Together these songs reveal a depth and sincerity that few songwriters can achieve.
"The West Gate" manages to avoid clichéd themes and overproduced instrumentation and instead delivers one of the most thoughtful songwriting collections in many years. Doug Pettibone is surely standing at the beginning of a long and successful career as one of America's great songwriters and this album is sure to delight anyone with a passion for music.
Check out the Pettibone Pedigree for a sampling of Doug's recording experience.