Blues Musician. As a young man, he played guitar with blues legend Tommy Johnson in Carthage, Mississippi. By the early 1940s, Douglas settled in Vallejo, California where he soon formed his own blues band known as the "Lumberjacks." He began recording for the Downtown and Rhythm Record labels in Oakland, California during the late 1940s, and it was during this time that he wrote and recorded a song that survives to this day, a tune called "Mercury Boogie." "Mercury Boogie" has been recorded by numerous artists, the most famous being country singer, Alan Jackson. Jackson recorded this song during the 1990s and it reached the #1 spot on the country charts. The Ford Motor Company bought the rights to the song and have used it in Ford Truck commercials. Douglas continued performing in the Oakland and Berkeley, California areas during the 1950s through the early 1970s. He performed at such venues as the "Berkeley Blues Festival" and the "San Franciso Bay Blues Festival." Douglas continued playing music until his death from a heart attack in 1975 at the age of 61.
Blues Musician. As a young man, he played guitar with blues legend Tommy Johnson in Carthage, Mississippi. By the early 1940s, Douglas settled in Vallejo, California where he soon formed his own blues band known as the "Lumberjacks." He began recording for the Downtown and Rhythm Record labels in Oakland, California during the late 1940s, and it was during this time that he wrote and recorded a song that survives to this day, a tune called "Mercury Boogie." "Mercury Boogie" has been recorded by numerous artists, the most famous being country singer, Alan Jackson. Jackson recorded this song during the 1990s and it reached the #1 spot on the country charts. The Ford Motor Company bought the rights to the song and have used it in Ford Truck commercials. Douglas continued performing in the Oakland and Berkeley, California areas during the 1950s through the early 1970s. He performed at such venues as the "Berkeley Blues Festival" and the "San Franciso Bay Blues Festival." Douglas continued playing music until his death from a heart attack in 1975 at the age of 61.
Bio by: Midnight Believer
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