T. Edwin Doss

Artist Information

Biography

Born in a small town in Alabama, T. Edwin grew up in a family that enjoyed music. By the time he was six years old, he was copying his sister’s piano lessons without taking formal lessons. He managed to acquire a right-handed guitar from a friend and learned chords “up-side down”. Three years later, someone suggested that he switch the strings around, and after doing so T. Edwin began learning more, playing along with folk music, country, and blues. His early influences were Peter, Paul and Mary, The Kingston Trio, Hank Williams, Patsy Cline, Pat Boone, Perry Como and various Motown acts.

In high school, he wrote jingle-type advertisements for those running for class office, cheerleading, etc. The halls were filled with his rhymes on poster board. During those days and in college, he continued with poetry and prose, developing technique in meter and rhyming. He also began learning the Travis picking style and other finger picking styles, and incorporated these into his first original tunes.

He released a 45rpm record in 1975, receiving favorable reviews and substantial air-play. T. Edwin was booked in many venues including a few warm-ups for Hank, Jr., Townes Van Zandt, Johnny Paycheck and others. After moving to the Washington, D.C. area, he worked clubs in Georgetown, Bethesda, Chevy Chase and Rockville and many universities and colleges, warming up Livingston Taylor, The Rosalyn Mountain Boys, and various blue grass acts. During this period T. Edwin penned more than one hundred songs transitioning into performing only tunes he had written.

In 1981 he married Patricia, and even though his performing was limited for many years, Patricia has been instrumental in keeping his musical talent and phenomenal writing ability alive. Within the last three years T. Edwin feels as if he has written many of his better tunes, and has recently teamed with Chris Murphy of RHL Studios, Paul Bell, Johnny Castle, and Pete Ragusa from the “Nighthawks” to record a cd. Jon Carroll, formerly with the “Starland Vocal Band” has also been a huge asset to the project, not only with his piano work and vocals, but also arranging several background vocals. T. Edwin brought in Bob Spates on fiddle, John Jensen on trombone, “Banjer”-Dan Mazer on banjo, Patty Reese, background vocals, and Frank Solivan, mandolin partsand also Amy Nazerov and Caryn Fox from the popular bluegrass group, “Dead Men’s Hollow”.

The 14 songs on the cd are a collection showcasing the many styles of writing that T. Edwin possesses. From boogie to ballads, each tune will never release the listener. His ability to tap into human emotions, heart-felt tragedies, laughter and pain takes his audience into a place perhaps well known to the listeners, but hardly expressed from the direction of T. Edwin’s pen. Some are based on true facts while others might be pieces of memories carefully placed into sequence to bring life to a tale that is quite real to so many, and having touched so many listeners in their past. T. Edwin’s tunes weave masterfully through trails of artful scheme, with clever rhyme and reason. His tunes are unique and one cannot exactly compare him to any artist prior. Even his wife, Patricia says, “I’ve listened to so many songwriters in my life, and I can honestly say he is elusive in characterization. People ask me what type of songs does T. Edwin write, and I usually say, “heartfelt, real, understandable, listenable, entertaining and nothing like you’ve heard before.”

T. Edwin’s guitar styles are perfectly matched for his performing, using finger picking and flat picking styles. He will surprise you with musical hooks to lure you further into the enchantment of his tunes, taking one into the warmth of a distant memory or perhaps the sadness of a lost love, returning one to the laughter of tunes from….a run-away bull to perhaps a parody of Merle Haggard’s “Mama Tried”, appropriately titled….”Mama Lied”. T. Edwin is absolutely “off-the-wall” with songs titled, “If I’d shot ‘ya long before I did, I’d be out of prison by now”…..”She’s a Real Good 4 ½!”….”Martian Manure” and “One Foot in the Grave”.

He is a treasure and a triumph to the singer-songwriter world. Check out house concerts on-line, find where he performing, and go enjoy one of America’s creative secrets, a genuine artist with wit, depth and sensitive introspect on life, love and libation. You will come away with a new twist to songwriting and dead-on lyrics that remain in your heart.

Instrumentation

Solo: Acoustic Guitar and Harmonica, or 4 piece band

Discography

NEW ALBUM: 'Out on Rocky's Run' is now getting significant airplay on americana charting stations.

Heaven's Freight
I Want to Hear You Laugh
Slim's Love
A Long Time Ago
Fifty Years Ago
Contact Me, The Guitar Picker
If Bloody Mary Don't Come Back Home Tonight
Smoke and Mirrors
Juicy Fruit
Out on Rocky's Run
Ain't it Amazing
Everybody Believes That But Me
'Bama Hayride
When Grandpa's Barn Came Down
Kissed an Angel Carved in Stone
Honk Your Horn For Dixie
The Pocketwatch
Radio Flyer
Have You Been Seein' Rose?
'47 Ford
The Strength To Carry On
2nd Cd
One-Eyed Wilena
Mama's Song
On A Cold, Cold Christmas Day
One More Chance
Ghost of Jenny Hill
Jessie Brown
I'll Be Coming Home Soon

Official Website

http://www.tedwindoss.com

Links

• Facebook
• T. Edwin Doss - The Official Site
• MySpace

Audio

• One Eyed Welina_093012
  Listen  
• On a Cold, Cold, Christmas Day_093012
  Listen  
• Barville
  Listen  
• Bama Hayride
  Listen  
• High Cost of Low Livin'
  Listen  
• Going Crazy
  Listen  
• I'll Be Coming Home Soon_093012
  Listen  
• Jessie Brown(Master)
  Listen  
• BEST WORK ON WOOD ruff mix 1
  Listen  
• SLOW WORK IN PROGRESS
  Listen  
• Gonna Be a Blue Elvis Christmas
  Listen  
• BEST WORK ON WOOD ruff mix 1
  Listen  
• BEST WORK ON WOOD ruff mix 1
  Listen  

Lyrics

• Heartbreak Avenue
• Jesse Brown
• Those Little Things
• Ain't It Amazin'
• Everybody Believes That But Me
• When Grandpa's Barn Came Down
• Kissed An Angel Carved In Stone
• Have You Been Seein' Rose?
• The Strength To Carry On
• Blues Out In The Badlands
• I Want To Hear You Laugh
• "Radio Flyer"
• Professional Help
• Gonna Be A Blue Elvis Christmas
• "On A Cold, Cold Christmas Day"
• High Cost Of Low Livin'
• I'll Be Coming Home Soon"
• Slow Work In Progress
• "I'll Be Coming Home Soon"
• "One-Eyed Wilena"
• He Did His Best Work On Wood
• Closer To You
• In My Dreams
• Hidin' In The Hills Of Tennessee
• Tired Ol' Stray
• He Did His Best Work On Wood

Video

20130413215231.mpg

T_EdwinDossRadioFlyers_Demo.mov

Photo Gallery

Press

• T. Edwin Doss wins "Silver" in Mid-Atlantic Song Contest [+ Show ]
  

  T. Edwin Doss' song, "Bama Hayride" won Silver in the country/bluegrass category for t...T. Edwin Doss' song, "Bama Hayride" won Silver in the country/bluegrass category for the 2010 Mid-Atlantic Song Contest. He also won an Honorable Mention in the open category with, "Homeland Insecurity".
  In 2009, he won 4 honorable Mention awards.

• Country Bear Radio [+ Show ]
  

  "T. Edwin's Cd is a unique product of outstanding songwriting, reflecting past memories with present..."T. Edwin's Cd is a unique product of outstanding songwriting, reflecting past memories with present day emotion."
  Stan Edwards, Music Director "Country Bear Radio," Lake Placid, Florida
  

• WAGS Radio [+ Show ]
  

  "WOW! ‘Angel Carved In Stone’...That tore me up! It's a great ballad!! #2, #3, #6, #7, #8, #9, #10,..."WOW! ‘Angel Carved In Stone’...That tore me up! It's a great ballad!! #2, #3, #6, #7, #8, #9, #10, #11, #14...all extremely well written!!” Jim Jenkins, WAGS RADIO, Bishopville, SC
  

• First House Concert at Lake Anna Proves Popular [+ Show ]
  

  By Marilyn Root The first House Concert at the home of T.Edwin and Patricia Doss was a great succ...By Marilyn Root
  
  The first House Concert at the home of T.Edwin and Patricia Doss was a great success with more than 60 people attending. The guests and hosts brought delicious food enjoyed before the concert and at intermission.
  
  Patty Reese opened the show and later teamed with T. Edwin. Patty is a talented songwriter and guitarist who sings pop, blues, folk, jazz and rock. She wrote and sang The Story of Henry, Last Call for Love, and Plain Crazy. Her music has won Washington Area Music Awards. Hear samples of her talent at www.pattyreese.com.
  
  T. Edwin was accompanied by talented guitarist Paul Bell, a member of the famous Nighthawks band. The two musicians met through Chris Murphy, who handled the sound. Doss joked that Bell had been playing guitar for a few weeks.
  
  Doss, who has been playing guitar since childhood and writing and performing for more than 30 years, was reenergized to develop his passion recently.
  
  After he and Patricia bought seven acres on Lake Anna, they planned to bring her well loved and magical horse Rocky here. When the young horse unexpectedly died, they nearly threw in the towel and sold the property. However, they put their energy into building a new home and named the property Rocky’s Run in his memory. Now Patricia has a three-year-old Rio being trained to pull a cart and take their guests for rides after the pasture is fenced.
  
  The title cut on Doss’ new CD to be released in April is Out On Rocky’s Run about the horse’s death and his wife’s bravery in facing this. The couple is so happy with their home and the beauty of nature here, they included an apartment to share with others as a bed and breakfast. T. says even his blood pressure is lower when he’s here at Lake Anna.
  
  T.Edwin has written heart wrenching songs, many based on practical experiences including growing up in Alabama. Honk Your Horn for Dixie was inspired by a vehicle covered with bumper stickers. I Want to Hear You Laugh is about his brilliant cousin who ended up in prison. Highland Hill Cemetery where he walked many times when sleepless has an angel statue that inspired He Kissed an Angel Carved in Stone. A funny parody on Merle Haggard’s Mamma Tried is Mamma Lied.
  
  
  
  The next House Concert will be on Sunday, May 17 at 5 p.m. The acclaimed storyteller song writer and singer Jack Williams will be featured. His eclectic career has included a wide variety of instruments and performances from coast to coast since 1959.
  
  To reserve a place for this outstanding concert call 240-988-8229 or e-mail rrmusic@wildblue.net.

• George Smith: T. Edwin . . . 'I've read the Bible seven times ...' [+ Show ]
  

  Oct. 4, 2009 "Hello, Mom and Dad, "How y'all getting along, "Sorry I haven't written much, "All ...Oct. 4, 2009
  "Hello, Mom and Dad,
  "How y'all getting along,
  "Sorry I haven't written much,
  "All my stamps are wrong . . .
  
  
  — I Want To Hear You Laugh
  T. Edwin Doss
  
  
  In memory, there is another Doss, one who has yet to give the years a lived-in face.
  
  The name is Tommy ... Tommy Doss.
  
  It is sometime in the late sixties, maybe even the early seventies, and a skinny kid is perched on a stool in the lounge at the Downtowner in Anniston.
  
  He has a guitar cradled on his lap, is picking left-handed, and has a mouth harp mounted atop the guitar. He picks, he sings, and a skimpy crowd, hunched over "long-necks" and "Jack 'n Water," pays scant attention, but applauds politely as the kid, legs hooked on the first rung of the stool, works his way through a "session."
  
  He is a kid with a dream, one born of a sister's old ukulele and listening to Hank Williams, Patsy Cline and Perry Como on jukeboxes around town.
  
  The kid wants to write songs ...
  
  "They keep changing numbers,
  "Mail keeps coming back,
  "But I open them and read out loud,
  "And put 'em in a sack..."
  
  I am in the lounge with a couple of assistant coaches from Auburn University. The Tommy Doss sitting on the stool picking the guitar with the wrong hand, filling his "runs" with the mouth harp, and singing a song lost in memory is not the Tommy Doss I know.
  
  The one I know was a heckuva baseball player at Anniston High, had started as a freshman, had graduated in 1966, and then had fallen from my radar screen.
  
  Now ... meet T. Edwin Doss of Bumpass, Va., home address "Rocky's Run."
  
  Meet T. Edwin Doss ... the songwriter ...
  
  "These old prison walls,
  "Are cold most of the day,
  "All my friends are spiders,
  "Spinning webs on the way..."
  
  Tommy Doss has yet to make it to Nashville and the Grand Ole Opry. T. Edwin Doss of Bumpass, Va., is a few hundred miles northeast of Nashville and the Grand Ole Opry.
  
  This is going to sound a little, well, a little whatever, but T. Edwin Doss is a big star in his basement "Out On Rocky's Run."Don't send any sympathy notes or "get well" cards to "Rocky's Run."
  
  There is a world out there you don't know about, I don't know about, T. Edwin Doss knows very well. He moves through that world easily and the people show up to hear what T. Edwin Doss calls "folk music, country and blues."
  
  To cut the fat, in becoming T. Edwin Doss, Tommy Doss got a baseball scholarship to Appalachian State, a degree in "BSB Biology," did graduate work in chemistry and nursing at Jacksonville State ... and spent a lot of time playing bars in and around Anniston.
  
  The music was a dream that would not die ... and still lives out there "On Rocky Run" in Bumpass, Va.
  
  "Names and numbers scratched around,
  "I've read the Bible seven times,
  "I own my own business,
  "Trading candy bars for dimes to call you ..."
  
  Over the years, according to his bio, "he worked clubs in Georgetown, Bethesda, Chevy Chase and Rockville."
  
  He was also a regular at several universities and opened shows for Livingston Taylor, the Roselyn Mountain Boys and other bluegrass acts.
  
  And he kept on writing ...
  
  "If you ever see Louise,
  "Tell her I'm doing fine,
  "Have the kids write,
  "And send the pictures sometimes ..."
  
  To date, T. Edwin has written over 200 songs and uses only his material when he pulls the left-handed guitar across his knees.
  
  On a regular basis, the scene is the basement of his home "Out On Rocky Run" where intimate gatherings of up to 50 gather for another "stop" on what is known as the "house concert series."
  
  According to Doss, this is "Americana music (and) will be recognized by the 'Grammys' for the first time in history this year. It is a happening place for singer/songwriters and their music."
  
  This runs long, but it is worth noting three of his songs have won honorable mention in the Mid-Atlantic Song Contest, and his first CD, Out On Rocky's Run and released this year, has climbed to 95 on Terrestrial Chart (600 artists) and to 65 on an Internet chart.
  
  A band is in the works and T. Edwin is putting together a tour for 2010 ... and it'd sure be neat if he'd show up here in his hometown, huh?
  
  Whatever, he will be writing songs ...
  
  "So I hope this one reaches you,
  "The last 26 are here . . .
  "I don't want to hear you cry,
  "I want to hear you laugh."
  
  
  — T. Edwin Doss
  
  
  —
  
  George Smith can be reached at 239-5286 or e-mail: gsmith731@gmail.com

• WRRW 102.5 FM [+ Show ]
  

  "T. Edwin is an amazing songwriter and his tunes are slices of life with meaning put to song. What h..."T. Edwin is an amazing songwriter and his tunes are slices of life with meaning put to song. What he has to say in the span of a 4 minute song takes a lifetime of living and T. Edwin captivates with his impecable spinning of melody and lyric. He is one of the most talented singer/songwriters I have discovered. Lucky for this industry looking for music weaving substance and the gift of talent!"
  Joyce-Marie Morrin, Promotions Director WRRW, 102.5 FM
  

• Great Sincerity [+ Show ]
  

  A Great Sincerity The album "Out on Rocky's Run" has reached us OK. Excellent music, a real c...A Great Sincerity
  
  The album "Out on Rocky's Run" has reached us OK.
  Excellent music, a real clear blues feeling, a great sincerity I love!!
  On my playlist as soon as possible. Thanks.
  Serge WARIN
  Radio Canal Bleu
  6 rue Lavergne
  FRANCE
  

Setlist

Two forty-five minute sets, typically consisting of about eight songs each. Songs are selected from the list below, and selections vary based on venue.
Jessie Brown
Juicy Fruit
Out on Rocky's Run
Ain't it Amazing
Everybody believes that but me
'Bama Hayride
When Grandpa's Barn Came Down
Kissed an Angel Carved in Stone
Honk your horn for Dixie
The Pocketwatch
Radio Flyer
Have you been seein' Rose?
'47 Ford
The Strength To Carry On
Heaven's Freight
I Want To Hear You Laugh
Slim's Love
A Long Time Ago
Fifty Years Ago
Contact Me, The Guitar Picker
If Bloody Mary Don't Come Back Home Tonight

Basic Requirements

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