Doug Edwards was a friend of mine. Not just an acquaintance, a real friend.
I first met Doug back in the 70's. He was playing in The Muff Brothers, and I was playing in Pegasus, which was based in Zanesville, where Doug was from. We didn't know each other well, but just enough. We would pass each other as we both played bars in Zanesville. Later in the 80's Doug was THE engineer at Musicol Studio in Columbus. When I joined Willie Phoenix's band, we recorded there a lot. The first two Willie Phoenix & the Shadowlords records (yes, vinyl) were done there, with Doug behind the board. Over the years, we must have recorded 150 songs at Musicol with Doug. Not only was he a great engineer, but he knew how to make people comfortable in the studio. He was always encouraging, and knew how to get the best out of us.
Many years, and many bands later, Billy Zenn asked me to record some songs, and Doug was - again - the engineer at Musicol. That recording project turned into The Beatdowns, with Billy, me, Jack Johnston, and of course, Doug Edwards on guitar. You could not ask for a better bandmate than Doug. He was always there, with solid playing and a smile on his face. I will never forget the many rehearsals, when we would finally land on the pocket, and Doug would look over at me and just smile a cheshire grin. He knew when it was right. He loved to play, he loved his family, he loved his animals, and he was one of the nicest people I've ever known. The Columbus music community lost one of the great ones. He was loved, and he will be missed, by everyone that was fortunate enough to know him.
Rest In Peace, Doug.
WILLIE PHOENIX & THE SHADOWLORDS - “MY APARTMENT” from WE LOVE NOISE, 1983, engineered by DOUG EDWARDS
WILLIE PHOENIX & THE SHADOWLORDS - “MISUNDERSTANDING” from NOT A BUTTERFLY, 1985, engineered BY DOUG EDWARDS
WILLIE PHOENIX & THE TRUE SOUL ROCKERS - “GUYS LIKE ME” from RADIO SIMPLICITY, 1991, engineered by DOUG EDWARDS
WATERSHED - “RISE” from debut cassette, 1990, produced by WILLIE PHOENIX, engineered by DOUG EDWARDS (Spotify track)
THE BEATDOWNS - “LODEEN” from live show, 2024, DOUG EDWARDS on guitar on the right
THE BEATDOWNS - “LESS TALK” from live show, 2024
AUDIO ENGINEER - BEHIND THE SCENES - A MINI-DOCUMENTARY featuring DOUG EDWARDS
Drummer-extraordinaire Jim Johnson played in a variety of Willie Phoenix’s best bands (The Shadowlords, The True Soul Rockers and The Soul Underground); with Colin Gawel in the middle-period League Bowlers and currently drums in The Beatdowns, with Billy Zenn.