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    Break Some Stones 4:07
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    When The Hummingbirds Return 3:06
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    I Wish 3:50
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    Sinner's Song 5:58
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    Two Graves 4:33
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    Crescent City Lament 4:19
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    As the Crow Flies 5:43
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    These Rocks 2:25
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    There's Always a Middle 3:52
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    Yellow Butter Moon 3:05
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    On the Other Side 5:31
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    Hemingway's Hurricane 5:58
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    Teppintine 4:52
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    Marker 26 5:02
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    A Mother's Tears 4:22
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    Okeechobee 4:22
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    State of Dreams 4:17
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    Big Bald Cypress 3:02
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    Banks of the Old St. Johns 3:56
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    Steam Train 4:03
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Electronic Press Kit

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Welcome to the home of Doug Spears and Cypress Moss Records!   

We hope you find your way around easily and enjoy what you read and hear.  If there's something we might do to improve your experience please let us know! Here you should easily find access to Doug's Calendar, Music, Press Information and Booking Contact.  You'll also see his periodic blog, Notes from the Road, which allows you to travel along as he winds his way across the country.  Make sure to leave a comment in the guestbook and join Doug's mailing list so we can let you know when he's performing in your area.

 

 


2011 Cypress Moss Sampler

Following the tremendous success of Welcome Home in 2010, Doug was back in the booth at Gatorbone Studios with some new tunes and arrangements.  The result was an EP of 8 songs including When the Hummingbirds Return, I Wish, As the Crow Flies and 5 more.  It features the magnificent harmony vocals of Lis Williamson, Lon Williamson on bass and the incredible Gabe Valla on Guitar and mandolin. A particular standout is a new rendition of Sinner's Song with Rob Ickes adding some goose bump raising dobro licks.  Check it out on the Songs and Lyrics page. 

or send check or money order for $10 to Doug Spears, 36 Interlaken Road, Orlando, FL 32804.

 

 

Welcome Home finished the year at #38 for 2010 on the International Folk DJ Chart (The "Billboard" chart for independent folk music) based on worldwide radio play in!  Florida Folk is officially international!

or send check or money order to for $15 to Doug Spears, 36 Interlaken Road, Orlando, FL 32804.

 

 

 

 

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Doug Spears – Florida’s Native Troubadour

 

With sand in his boots and orange blossom honey in his throat Doug Spears’ fourth generation native Florida roots flow through his music revealing the history, values and perspectives that define him. The finest blend of storyteller and musician, Doug’s songs reach out like long-forgotten picture postcards discovered on a rainy afternoon, subtly and artfully telling universal stories of complex characters in often difficult circumstances that go straight to the heart of audiences of all ages and don’t let up, from start to finish. A seasoned performer and touring troubadour, Spears has invested more than 30 years developing his distinctive craft and with each song bite, the rich flavors penetrate the listening palate. Often drawing comparisons to some of the best known and well established artists of the genre Doug has carved a special niche for himself in folk and Americana music.
 
Doug was born in Leesburg, Florida and his best childhood memories tie back to the farm house his grandfather built in Lake County in the 1920's. He took up the guitar at age 12, learning on an old Gibson J-45 loaned to him by a family friend, and soon began writing his own songs heavily influenced by the wealth of songwriter poets of the time. Doug's song craft matured into a skillful weaving of lyric portraits capturing the essence of the often joyous though sometimes difficult aspects of our lives. Of his Florida homeland, he sings of the unsung and often undiscovered heart of Florida, before Disney World and Margaritaville, a simpler place covered by thousands of acres of palmetto scrub, citrus groves, family farms and cattle range. The Florida that so few know and appreciate.
 
In 2005 Spears released his debut CD, Truths & Lies, widely praised for its song craft and musicianship. In 2007 he followed with Break Some Stones, a “live in the studio” solo recording. Chosen by Florida Times Union columnist Ron Johnson as his 2007 CD Release of the Year, Break Some Stones showcases Doug just as you’d hear him at a live show. Released internationally in January 2010 to folk, acoustic and Americana radio, Doug's latest recording, Welcome Home, showcases the very best of Doug’s regional Florida material produced for a national audience. Produced by long time friend Jason Thomas and promoted to folk, acoustic and Americana radio by Kari Estrin Management & Consulting in Nashville, Welcome Home, features a stellar, internationally known cast of supporting musicians including Claire Lynch, Missy Raines, Rob Ickes, Jim Hurst, Mark Schatz, Kenny Malone and Jason Thomas, as well as some of the very best of Florida’s wealth of musical talent.
 
Welcome Home has brought Doug a lot of attention in 2010.  The album immediately broke to the top of the International Folk DJ Radio Charts at #3 in January and is maintaining position to finish in the top 100 albums of the year.  It was also included on the Preliminary Grammy Ballot in three categories after passing through the committee's submission review process.  The opening track of the album, "Yellow Butter Moon," was named runner-up in 2010 as the best new country / bluegrass song by the Interantional Acoustic Music Awards and "A Mother's Tears" was included in a select sampler produced by Poetman Records for distribution worldwide to Americana Radio.

 
". . . an amazing songwriter!" Marilyn Duncan, Soona Songs, Dallas, Tx.

 

 . . . definitely a complete artist--voice, guitar, writing, and stage presence all blend seamlessly and comfortably." Rocco Colello, Colello Promotions, Tampa, Fl.

 

Doug Spears - Florida's Native Troubadour on Facebook

". . . a terrific performance by Doug. His impeccable musicianship, heartfelt songwriting and warm and entertaining stage presence are welcome at Lena's Place anytime!" Steve Wells, Lena's Place Coffeehouse, Atlanta, Ga.

". . . wonderful voice and great material, . . . we hope he returns soon." Jim Benelisha, The Acoustic Coffeehouse, Johnson City, Tn.

". . . a rich earthiness to his playing that recalls that of Gordon Lightfoot and a gruffer James Taylor." Creative Loafing Tampa 6/6/07

"... an impressive combination of economical wordplay and simple, evocative melodies." Jim Abbott, The Orlando Sentinel 

" Doug Spears . . . [is] an accomplished songwriter , and his new disc, Truths & Lies, is burnished like an old hardwood floor. . . . With a voice reminiscent of John Denver and a full acoustic backup band, Spears has put out a folk/Americana disc that's as enjoyable for the local storytelling as it is for the musicianship." Bob Whitby - Orlando Weekly "Doug Spears creates rustic tales, memorable characters, and vivid images, and he sets his lyrics to a warm, true folk sound. . . . His fine CD Truths and Lies is pure acoustic music. . . . "Truths and Lies is catchy the first time, particularly “Swimming Against the Tide” and “Mournful Eyes.” But because it has stories within the lyrics, and subtle yet stirring vocal and musical turns, Truth and Lies is an album that gets better with repeated listens." Chip Withrow - The Muse's Muse

 Click on the SonicBids logo below to see Doug's Electronic Press Kit. Enjoy - and please sign his guestbook! He'd love to hear from you. View Doug Spears's EPK