Today we’d like to introduce you to Doug Walker.
Hi Doug, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I was born in the very last week of the 1970s and grew up just east of Sacramento. I’ve enjoyed listening to music for as far back as I can remember, starting with what my parents exposed me to, which was early jazz, classical, musicals, oldies. Later, my older sister exposed me to some more “modern” stuff like The Cure and R.E.M. and of course some inescapable 80’s pop. By middle school I was exploring on my own and quickly gravitated to bands like Metallica, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and my first true obsession Primus. This led to my first big combination Christmas/Birthday present: a Fender Squier Precision Bass. I essentially taught myself electric bass throughout high school while going further down the rabbit hole of bass-driven bands, and getting heavily into funk and working backwards through music history from there. I credit Herbie Hancock’s Headhunters album with bridging me into the jazz world, by backtracking to his Bluenote days and as a sideman on countless records. After about a year of exploring jazz, I set my sights on a upright bass. I was able to get my first upright at age 19 and took it very seriously with formal lessons, classes and constant listening. I eventually auditioned for the SDSU jazz program here and got it. This was 2001 and had no idea it would become my permanent home for the decades to come. I ultimately earned a Master’s degree, got married, and had a kid who’s now in middle school, all while playing all kinds of gigs around town.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It’s weird. I would say it has been a smooth road for me, but on an extremely subtle incline, as opposed to the rapid rise you might imagine as a youngster. I do continue to hit milestones, but it is a constant struggle. A financial struggle, to be sure. But also a struggle to promote yourself and to continue growing artistically. Whatever technical level I reach, there’s always more beyond my ability. Like they say, “the more you know, the more you realize what you don’t know.” So I put a lot of work into maintaining my technical chops, and it takes extra effort to keep pushing yourself to get better.
For most of my career, I’ve focused on getting my hands to do what I need them to do, or getting my ears to develop a deeper understanding of what they are hearing. But a relatively new endeavor has been teaching myself to sing some background vocals while playing. I can do either on their own, but simultaneously definitely does not come naturally. I really have to slow it down and see how each part’s rhythm interlocks, and how the notes sound together. As I practice, it gets slightly easier, so hopefully in a few years I’ll be able to pass it off as natural.
On top of this practice, you’ve got to make time to promote yourself because, at this local artist level, it’s all DIY. Another struggle is my moral opposition to so many aspects of social media. I do use it, but always on the lookout for alternatives.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I’m a professional musician. I play bass. I started on electric bass, and still play it quite a bit, but I’m primarily an upright bassist. I play left-handed, which has always gotten a lot more recognition than it deserves (since it doesn’t sound any different), but I’ll take it where I can get it! It is quite rare to see for upright bass, so I understand.
I love to listen to and perform all kinds of music, but my primary passion is modern jazz. The vast majority of gigs I do are as a sideman. No matter what genre the band is playing, my goal has always been to sound authentic and be regarded as a valuable asset. And I think I’ve been successful in that regard with a lot of talented musicians that I love working with and feel the same way about.
I’m also a jazz composer. I’ve been writing instrumental modern jazz since the early 2000’s. I have dozens of tunes I’m personally happy with. In 2024, I finally recorded my first album of 8 originals, which thankfully got a small amount of attention as a nominee for best jazz album by the 34th Annual San Diego Music Awards (2025). I’m working on a handful of solo material for unaccompanied bass to record this year, and I hope get batch of quintet tunes recorded next year. At 46 years old, and over 25 years of gigging as a sideman, I consider myself in the beginning stages of gigging my own material under my own name. My original project will be returning to The Jazz Lounge in October or November (date TBD). And all I can do is try my best to keep building some momentum from there. It is certainly a passion project, which I find rewarding for my soul, and I believe my bandmates find rewarding, as well. Getting good feedback from people I respect, even if it’s relatively few, is enough to keep me going.
Is there anyone you’d like to thank or give credit to?
My parents were always very supportive, despite not being at all musical themselves. Education wise, my first music teacher/mentor who really inspired me to study music and jazz was Dr. Joe Gilman, the music department director at American River Community College, in Sacramento. He is an amazing and innovative jazz pianist and way over-qualified for the job, but he really seemed to enjoy it. He was also faculty at the Brubeck Institute in Stockton, and now owns one of the only jazz clubs in Sacramento. A few professors at SDSU also really made an impression on me, Rick Helzer with theory & composition, and renowned bassist Gunnar Biggs and Bob Magnusson with private instruction.
Some colleagues who really helped me in the professional world are Chris Clarke, who let me play with his bluegrass and old-time band back when I was super green in that genre. He’s a great mandolin player, songwriter, and wealth of music knowledge. He saw my willingness to learn the tunes and turned me on to a ton of the best artists to check out and absorb. I quickly became a steady bandmate and we became close friends. Similarly, prolific singer/songwriter Shawn Rohlf hired me to play some of his originals as well as these epic cover song gigs where he’d recreate an entire influential album. I must have pulled it off okay because he kept having me back and we became close friends. He is the first to encourage me to try to sing backup vocals. Especially when playing trimmed down “power trio” gigs, adding vocal harmonies makes the band more full and has been worth the extra effort. Jeff Berkley, the singer/songwriter, recording engineer/producer helped me get a start in studio work. A handful of jazz musician “teammates” have helped me out, not just by hiring me frequently, but wanting to collaborate. Vocalist and owner of Jazz Lounge, Leonard Patton, has given me a lot of great opportunities over the years to play many interesting and unexpected tribute shows at his club. Pianist Kat Shoemaker and guitarist/composer Victor Baker, both great friends now, are two who really seem to be on the same page with me in philosophy and work ethic. We seem to have mutual respect and enthusiasm for learning each other’s music.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://walkerofbass.com
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/walkerofbass
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@walkerofbass
- Other: https://tidal.com/album/402385177/u
