Cars + teenagers + girls = RnR
To provide evidence of the validity of this equation, Doc ripped into a rousing rendition of “Summertime Blues” during a recent performance in Key West, Florida.
That wasn’t the only classic rock anthem the doctor shredded during his stirring one-man show. He also channeled the ghost of blues legend Robert Johnson for an authentic version of “Crossroads.” His repertoire also included faithful renderings from other greats such as Chuck Berry and Jimi Hendrix to name just a few.
Whether Doc was taking us on a rock history tour featuring artists such as Bill Haley (“Rock Around The Clock”) or entertaining with more contemporary pieces from the late great Warren Zevon (“Werewolves of London”), his snarling Stratocaster was true to every note, riff and bend. Like many of the guitar masters I have had a chance to see, he makes complex playing seem easy and second nature.
In fact, the last time I saw such a skillful fretboard performance was when I attended a Buddy Guy concert last year.
Doc's no stranger to big-time musical acts. His professional credits include being the guitarist with the Classics IV and Bob Welch, and opening for, or being associated with, famous groups ranging from Three Dog Night to Molly Hatchet.
You would think that someone of his immense talents would be content to just stand up there and phone it in, but he works hard to connect with his audience – whether that’s just a dozen people or a crowd. For example, he memorizes everyone’s name – I mean everyone.
As new faces drifted into the bar, Doc asked each of them their names and then introduced them – personally – to every other person in the room. An impressive memory trick indeed.
Along with giving his master class in Rock n’ Roll’s origins from the stage, he sprinkles in some mathematics including describing how the Pythagorean theorem is used to determine the hypotenuse of a right triangle, and noting that an imaginary number (symbol lower case i) is used to represent the square root of a negative number.
Turns out he’s not only an expert guitarist, talented vocalist (with a three-octave range), keyboardist, author and entertainer, but also, according to his website bio, graduated summa cum laude from Arizona State University as co-valedictorian. That takes a hell of a lot of smarts and puts the lie to the burned out hippie deadhead stereotype that might otherwise be applied to old-time rock n’ rollers.
So what was such a fine musician doing on a cramped stage at 11 a.m. at Willie T’s on Duval Street in Key West? I don’t know, but I sure enjoyed the show and the lessons.
Doc’s website is: https://www.dockity.com/
Or check out the video below.