Doug Howard (musician)

Doug Howard
Birth name	Douglas Joseph Howard
Also known as	M.D. Blessing, Joe E. Howard
Born	May 2, 1956 (1956-05-02) (age 55) Englewood, New Jersey United States
Genres	Rock & Roll, Rhythm & Blues
Occupations	Musician, Songwriter, Arranger, Music Director, Producer
Instruments	Vocals, bass, keyboards
Years active	1977 – present
Associated acts	Todd Rundgren, Utopia, Edgar Winter, Touch, Stun Leer
Website	Doug's webpage

Doug Howard (born May 2, 1956) is an American bassist, vocalist and songwriter. He is best known for his work as a performing/recording musician and occasional co-writer with groups, and artists such as Touch, Stun Leer, Todd Rundgren, Utopia and The Edgar Winter Group. He also played the role as the singing narrator "Songster" in the 1987 live production of the Masters of the Universe Power Tour based upon the Mattel He-Man series action figures. Howard is the managing partner of Lodestar Entertainment, LLC, a music and video licensing, and publishing company based in New York. He is the paternal grandson of the American songwriter Joseph E. Howard, composer of "Hello Ma Baby," "I Wonder Who's Kissing Her Now" and "Good-bye My Lady Love," among other titles.

Biography

Born in Englewood, New Jersey; he is the only child of actor Patience Jarvis (dec.) and opera singer Joseph E. Howard, Jr. (dec.). His stepsister by his mother's second marriage is Amanda Naughton, co-star of the AMC Network sitcom Remember WENN He is the fifth generation of a family of entertainers, notably paternal grandson of songwriter Joseph E. Howard and maternal grandson of Broadway actor & director Robert C. "Bobby" Jarvis..

While attending Dwight Morrow High School in Englewood, Ernie Isley of the legendary Funk and R&B group The Isley Brothers, though a guitarist himself, gave Howard his initial lesson on the fundamentals of the bass. Howard soon thereafter found himself playing in local and then regional cover bands on what was then referred to as the "New York/New Jersey circuit" of clubs and bars that he would otherwise not have been allowed into except as a paid performer due to his "underage" status. He also quickly discovered his high school classes increasingly impossible to juggle against his performing schedule. He resigned from school in favor of playing full time when he was offered the bass slot backing the Phil Spector girl group, The Crystals ("Da Doo Run Run," "He's A Rebel"). Howard later resumed his studies at Berklee College of Music in Boston, where he studied under the jazz bassist, John Neves.

Howard was signed to his first recording contract with Atco Records records by then label President Doug Morris, with the AOR/Metal band Touch in 1979, the subsequent debut self titled release of the band produced two significant singles "Call Me When The Spirit Moves You" and "Don't You Know What Love Is." One of the band's most notable performances was at the first Castle Donnington Monsters of Rock Festival in Nottingham, England, were Doug gained dubious notoriety for accidentally swallowing a bee immediately after the band's performance opening for The Scorpions, Judas Priest and Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow. Despite several #1 chart positions in the UK and Europe, and a strong showing on the US charts as well, Touch broke up in 1982, but not before recording their sophomore album effort with Todd Rundgren as producer.

Upon the album's completion, Howard resigned from Touch and briefly replaced Kasim Sulton in Todd Rundgren's Utopia during Kasim's support tour for his then upcoming solo effort. During this time, he had another hit in the US as co-writer of" Feet Don't Fail Me Now" with Todd. Upon Kasim's return, Howard joined The Edgar Winter Group replacing the band's original bassist Dan Hartman ("Instant Replay," "I Can Dream About You"), and along with drummer Rudy Richman of The Quireboys, Doug toured and recorded with Edgar for many years, performing occasionally with Edgar's brother Johnny Winter and their Blue Sky Records label-mates Muddy Waters and Roy Buchanan.

In 1989 Doug was invited to join an album project titled Stun Leer as its lead vocalist which was being produced in Boston by Bob St. John (Extreme, Ozzy Osbourne) and Anthony Resta (Duran Duran, Collective Soul, Megadeth, Scissor Sisters). The album despite various overtures from the US labels was never picked up in the States and stayed on the shelf, until a few years later when unbenownst to the band and its producers, and by virtue of a few leaks of the material, the album had become a literal file-sharing sensation in the UK, Europe, Japan and beyond on the then burgeoning Napster file sharing network. MTM Records of Germany quickly tracked the band down and signed the project, but as a band Stun Leer only performed a few shows in support of the release as by that time the members had all individually moved onto other projects.

In 2000, as a follow up to the Stun Leer album "Once" (and in that MTM was still owed a second album from the now dispersed band), Doug produced a solo effort for MTM entitled "Last Man Standing," which he wrote, arranged, performed and produced for the most part entirely by himself. Shortly after its release however, Doug took what was anticipated as a short sabbatical from writing and performing, but one which ended up lasting nearly eight years. "Doing that album essentially alone was pretty exhausting, and I simply found myself not having anything that I thought was particularly interesting to say after that, to be honest," Doug says of that period. "I started concentrating on other things outside of playing (Doug is also the Founder and Managing Partner of Lodestar Entertainment; a music and video licensing and publishing company) "and the next thing I knew... it was a new millenium."

Howard's touring credits also notably contain his part as the singing narrator "Songster" for the international touring company of The Masters of The Universe Power Tour, wherein he gave 18 consecutive sold out performances at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, a house attendance record still standing today. Aside from his performing credits, he has worked as a session musician, singer and producer on various side projects, sound tracks and commercial jingles over the years.

In 2009, Howard resumed playing the bass and occasional vocals duties for his blues project Reservoir Road. An album from the band was released in 2010. Doug is currently band director and bassist for Rob Lee & Throwback Supreme; an R&B/Soul effort featuring Rob's signature falsetto vocals, performed in the stylings of bands such as The Whispers, The Isley Brothers, The Stylistics along with original material from Rob.

Discography

• Touch - "Touch" Spring 1980 Atco - US/Canada
• Touch - "Touch" Summer 1980 Ariola - Europe
• Touch - "Touch" Summer 1980 Sony - Japan
• Monsters of Rock - "Live" Fall 1981 Polydor-Worldwide
• The Look -“The Look” Winter 1981 Luminary - U.S. /UK(as Producer)
• Krayola- “Krayola” Summer 1982 Luminary - U.S./UK (as Producer)
• Todd Rundgren's Utopia - "Utopia" Fall 1983 Network - Worldwide
• Oswald & The Herringbones - "OATH" Spring 1984 Buckeye - U.S. (as Producer)
• MD Blessing - "Cheri" Fall 1992 Silver City - U.S./Canada (Doug Howard performing under a pseudonym)
• Todd Rundgren's Utopia - "Utopia” Winter 1993 Rhino - Worldwide
• Joe E. Howard - "From This Moment On" Fall 1994 Lodestar - U.S./Canada (Doug Howard performing under a pseudonym)
• Stun Leer - "Once" Spring 1998 MTM - Europe
• Stun Leer - "Once" Spring 1998 Pony Canyon- Japan
• Touch - "The Complete Works" Fall 1999 Frontier - Europe
• Doug Howard - "Last Man Standing" Winter 2000 MTM - Europe
• Touch - "Fools Exit" Spring 2002 MTM - Worldwide
• Reservoir Road - “Rollin & Tumblin" Spring 2010 Lodestar - US/Canada (as bassist and Producer)

References

Sources

• http://www.allmusic.com/artist/doug-howard-p88122
• http://www.discogs.com/artist/Douglas+Joseph+Howard?anv=Doug+Howard#t=Releases_All&q=&p=1
• http://www.doug-howard.com
• http://www.ukrockfestivals.com/donington-1980.html
• http://www.spirit-of-metal.com/groupe-groupe-Doug_Howard-l-en.html
• http://www.discogs.com/search?type=all&q=Doug+Howard
• http://www.ascap.com/ace/
• http://www.elstruppejtersen.dk/articles/stunleerinterview.html
• http://www.rockunited.com/doughoward.htm
• http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0419035/
• http://www.he-man.org/
• http://themotupowertour.blogspot.com/
• Jean Renard Photography http://www.modelmayhem.com/1067365

External links

• doug-howard.com
• lodestar-entertainment.com
• reverbnation/doughoward.com
• myspace/doughoward.com

Persondata
Name	Howard, Doug
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Date of birth	2 May 1956
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