Doug Stone (singer)

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Doug Stone
Background information
Birth name Douglas Jackson Brooks
Born June 19, 1956 (1956-06-19) (age 51)
Origin Atlanta, Georgia, USA
Genre(s) Country
Occupation(s) Singer-songwriter
Instrument(s) Vocals, rhythm guitar
Years active 1990-present
Label(s) Epic
Columbia
Atlantic
Koch/Audium
Lofton Creek
Associated acts Victoria Shaw
Website http://www.dougstone.com

Doug Stone (born Douglas Jackson Brooks, June 19, 1956, Newnan, Georgia) is an American country singer-songwriter. Starting with his debut single "I'd Be Better Off (In a Pine Box)" in late 1990, Stone has charted twenty-two singles (five of which reached Number One) on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs charts, in addition to recording nine studio albums and a Greatest Hits package.

Stone also made a brief venture into acting, starring in the 1995 Disney movie Gordy. Shortly afterward, a series of health problems (including a heart attack and a stroke) forced him to put his recording career on hiatus until 1999. He has since resumed recording, primarily on independent labels; his most recent album, My Turn, was released in 2007 on Lofton Creek Records.

Contents

[edit] Biography

Stone was born as Douglas Jackson Brooks. His mother, who was a country music singer, taught him how to play guitar at age five.[1] When Doug was seven years old, his mother placed him onstage to open for Loretta Lynn.[2][3]

His mother and father later divorced; after the divorce, he moved to live with his father.[2] Doug found additional work singing as a teenager - first at local skating rinks, and then at local bars, and later as one member of a short-lived trio; in addition, he and his father worked as mechanics to make ends meet.[1][2] The singer's break came one night in 1987 as his band, Mainstreet, played a regular show at the Newnan VFW Club. Eventually, Doug also changed his surname to avoid confusion with Garth Brooks, whose musical career was beginning around the same time.[3][4]

[edit] Musical career

[edit] Beginnings

Stone's self-titled debut album was released in 1990. Its first single, "I'd Be Better Off (In a Pine Box)", reached a peak of #4 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks charts; in addition, the single was nominated for a Grammy, and the album was certified platinum.[1][4] Three more singles were released from the album, all of them reaching Top 10 on the country charts. "In a Different Light", the fourth of those singles, became his first Number One single.[1] With the success of his first album, Stone was later placed on a touring schedule, including such acts as Alabama, Ricky Van Shelton and Reba McEntire.[4]

[edit] 1991-1992

Stone's second album, I Thought It Was You, was released in 1991. Also certified platinum, his second album produced three additional Top 10 hits, including "A Jukebox With a Country Song", which became his second Number One.[1][4] In early 1992, Stone had found that one of the arteries in his heart was almost entirely blocked, after having suffered dizziness and pain in one of his arms.[4] He underwent quadruple bypass surgery and took time off to recover, just as his third album, From the Heart, was released[1][4], followed by a Christmas album titled The First Christmas. From the Heart's three singles all reached Top 10, with one of those singles ("Why Didn't I Think of That") and the non-single "Too Busy Being in Love" reaching Number One; in addition, the album was certified gold.[1]

[edit] 1993-1995

More Love, Stone's fourth album, was released in 1993. Also certified gold, the album produced three more Top 10 singles.[1] Starting in June of 1994, Stone discovered that he was having breathing problems which were affecting his singing.[5] The singer later consulted throat doctors at Vanderbilt University's medical center, who failed to find any problems in his throat. A second consultation, however, revealed that Stone had a lump in his left nostril, causing his breathing problems. Upon discovery of the lump, Stone feared that he might see his career ending with a bout of cancer; later testing proved that it was not cancerous.[5] Stone also admitted that he quit smoking immediately after the surgery.[5]

While Stone was undergoing treatment, his Greatest Hits, Vol. 1 compilation was released in 1995, producing a Top 10 hit in "Little Houses", one of the new songs recorded for that album.[1] After the release of his Greatest Hits package, Stone made his acting debut in the film Gordy, in which he starred as Luke McAllister, a struggling musician.[6]

Having also switched from Epic to the Columbia Records label, Stone released his album Faith in Me, Faith in You in 1995. Although the album produced three hit singles, none of them peaked any higher than #12, and one failed to make Top 40 at all.[1] Stone suffered a nearly-fatal heart attack in December of 1995; as a result, further recordings for Columbia Records were delayed, and the singer was eventually dropped from the label.[1][2]

Also in the mid-1990s, Stone suffered a mild stroke, further reducing his ability to record and tour.[3]

[edit] 1997-1999

Due to the health problems he had suffered in 1995, Stone cut back on his touring and recording. He signed to Atlantic Records in 1999[1]; the same year, the singer survived a plane crash at O'Hare Airport in Chicago.[2][7][8]

After recovering from the plane crash, Stone recorded and released his first album for Atlantic Records Titled Make Up in Love, the album was released in 1999. It featured a more pop-oriented style than previous efforts, and produced a minor Top 20 hit in its title track.[1]

[edit] 2000s

In 2000, Stone suffered a broken left ankle and a cracked rib after crashing his ultralight plane in Robertson County, Tennessee, and was briefly hospitalized before he resumed touring.[7][9] After the September 11, 2001 attacks, rumors circulated that Stone had been on one of the hijacked planes; a spokeswoman for the singer confirmed that Stone was at home with his family that day.[10]

Stone later switched labels yet again, signing to Audium Entertainment in 2002 and recording The Long Way.[1] The album failed to produce any singles, however, and he was soon dropped from Audium as well. His next album did not come out until 2005, when he signed to the independent label Lofton Creek Records, recording the album In a Different Light. (Stone's first Number One single, also titled "In a Different Light", was re-recorded for this album.)

In 2005, the singer was sentenced to six months in jail for civil and criminal contempt for failing to release his financial records and failing to pay alimony and child support.[11] A second album for Lofton Creek Records, titled My Turn, was released in September of 2007.

[edit] Discography

[edit] Albums

Year Title Label US Country US BB 200 US RIAA certification
1990 Doug Stone Epic 12 97 Platinum
1991 I Thought It Was You 12 74 Platinum
1992 From the Heart 19 99 Gold
The First Christmas 53 186
1993 More Love 20 88 Gold
1995 Greatest Hits, Vol. 1 29 142 Gold
Faith in Me, Faith in You Columbia 45
1999 Make up in Love Atlantic 38
2002 The Long Way Audium/Koch
2005 In a Different Light Lofton Creek
2007 My Turn

[edit] Singles

Year Title US Country US Hot 100 Album
1990 "I'd Be Better Off (In a Pine Box)" 4 Doug Stone
"Fourteen Minutes Old" 6
1991 "These Lips Don't Know How to Say Goodbye" 5
"In a Different Light" 1
"I Thought It Was You" 4 I Thought It Was You
1992 "A Jukebox With a Country Song" 1
"Come In Out of the Pain" 3
"Warning Labels" 4 From the Heart
1993 "Too Busy Being In Love" 1
"Made for Lovin' You" 6
"Why Didn't I Think of That" 1
1994 "I Never Knew Love" 2 81 More Love
"Addicted to a Dollar" 4
"More Love" 6
1995 "Little Houses" 7 Greatest Hits, Vol.1
"Faith in Me, Faith in You" 13 Faith in Me, Faith in You
"Sometimes I Forget" 41
"Born in the Dark" 12
1998 "Gone Out of My Mind" 48
1999 "Make Up in Love" 19 105 Make Up in Love
2000 "Take a Letter, Maria" 45
"Surprise" 64
2002 "POW 369"A The Long Way
2004 "How Do I Get Off the Moon"A In a Different Light
2005 "Georgia on My Mind"A
"Only You (And You Alone)"A
"Everything"A
2006 "Time"A
"Let the Light Shine on You"A
2007 "Nice Problem"A My Turn
2008 "She Always Gets What She Wants"A
  • AFailed to chart.

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Huey, Steve. Doug Stone biography (html). All Music Guide. Retrieved on 2007-08-05.
  2. ^ a b c d e Doug Stone biography (html). Oldies.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-05.
  3. ^ a b c Helper-Drahos, Marta. "Doug Stone makes comeback with show at Leelanau Sands" (html), Traverse City Record-Eagle, September 26, 2003. Retrieved on 2007-08-05. 
  4. ^ a b c d e f Doug Stone biography (html). MusicianGuide.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-05.
  5. ^ a b c Dunn, Clif H. (December 5, 1995). "Doug Stone: "I feared cancer would end my career"". Country Weekly 2 (49): 20–23. ISSN 1074-3235. 
  6. ^ Roberts, Frank. "Doug Stone's Career Flourishes With Hits and a Film" (html), The Virginian-Pilot, July 7, 1994, p. E3. Retrieved on 2007-08-05. 
  7. ^ a b Rosen, Craig (March 8, 2000). Doug Stone Survives Plane Crash (html). Yahoo! Music. Retrieved on 2007-08-05.
  8. ^ Hermanson, Wendy (December 17, 1999). Doug Stone Survives Crash Landing (html). Yahoo! Music. Retrieved on 2007-08-05.
  9. ^ Doug Stone in Stable Condition After Crashing His Ultralight Plane (html). CMT.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-05.
  10. ^ Stone Rumors Are False (html). CMT.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-05.
  11. ^ Doug Stone Jailed on Criminal Contempt of Court Charge (html). CMT.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-05.

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