Doug See

I began listening to R&R and R&B radio in the Philadelphia area in the 50’s. My first exposure to music was a small record player and two 45 records: "At The Hop" by Danny and the Juniors and "Great Balls of Fire" by Jerry Lee Lewis. My first musical instrument was a plastic Gene Autrey guitar, followed by a gift from my grandparents -- accordion lessons and a weekly accordion "orchestra" session! About the same time Muddy Waters and his band were electrifying audiences with Got My Mojo Working, I was in the basement with 8 other accordion players playing the Beer Barrel Polka in 3 different keys, pretending to sight read music.
At 13, I took my lawn cutting money, hopped on the subway, and returned from 8th Street Music with a cheap acoustic guitar. Hearing Clapton, Hendrix, Beck, and Bloomfield, I soon discovered the music of the original blues masters who influenced these guitarists. Going to small venues to hear Junior Wells, Buddy Guy, and Muddy Waters in the ‘70’s – I was hooked. I played in various blues-based bands throughout the 60’s and 70’s. While living in Florida in the 80’s, I played “oldies”, country, and western swing on weekends.
After an 18-year hiatus from music to focus on family and business, including relocation to Atlanta, I returned to playing weekend gigs. My first blues gig in Atlanta was with the South City Blues Band, founded by bassist Hank Selinger, Jim Porter doing vocals & guitar, and Jimmy Welter on drums. While on the Legendary Blues Cruise in January 2006, I met Bob Margolin, Hubert Sumlin, and other Chicago Legends members. Expressing my desire to start playing blues again in my fifties after years of giving up guitar altogether, Bob’s advice was simple: "Get out and play as much as you can. Play your best always -- kicking ass on the bandstand is still the most important thing you can do… your music has to be so excellent that it stands out in comparison to that of the best around.” I sat in with Bob on an Atlanta gig shortly afterwards. Another highlight was being hired to play guitar with Big Bill Morganfield (Muddy Waters’ son) at the 29th Annual Delta Heritage Blues Festival. I was a founding member of the Nightshades and played with Larry Griffith's Blues Band. My "new" band, the South City Blues Band is a re-formation of the original Atlanta based band with all of the original members, minus our good friend and blues bassman Hank Selinger (1948-2007).
Being a Board member of the Atlanta Blues Society and working with the Teen Blues Workshop also gives me a lot of satisfaction. When all is said and done, as any married musician will tell you, I couldn’t do this without the love and support of my wonderful wife, June.
I am always open to volunteer or charity work to help promote and support blues music and the community of blues musicians.