| Doug Lubahn | |
|---|---|
| Born | December 20, 1946 |
| Genres | Psychedelic rock, Rock, Jazz, Jazz fusion |
| Occupations | Musician |
| Instruments | Bass guitar |
| Years active | 1967 |
| Labels | Elektra Records, Columbia Records |
| Associated acts | Clear Light, The Doors, Dreams (band) |
Douglass Lubahn (born December 20, 1946) is a psychedelic-rock/jazz-rock bassist who has played with some internationally famous bands. His work is featured on several albums recorded by The Doors.
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In 1965, Doug Lubahn was working in a ski resort in Aspen, Colorado, USA as a ski instructor, when Lubahn ran across Elliot Cass, who happened to be with a group called The Candy Store.[1][2] When Cass and Lubahn got to know each other, Cass tried to encourage Lubahn to travel to Los Angeles and try to find a band there since at the time many bands were in need of bass players.[1][2]
Doug joined Clear Light in Los Angeles in 1966 when it was originally formed.[1] Clear Light was originally formed by Bud Mathis as The Brain Train, but when it was signed to Elektra Records the name was changed to Clear Light and Bud Mathis was fired.[1] Clear Light was the only album that the band ever created before they split off.[3] Their top song, "Mr. Blue", has been referred to as "long and a bit overbaked, but it does have an odd appeal".[4] A review by Matthew Greenwald stated that they "combined folk, rock, psychedelia, and even a touch of classical to their sound" and he continued on to say that "The end result, though, is a little ponderous and pretentious, but strangely listenable".[4]
One day, Clear Light's producer, Paul Rothchild, came to Doug Lubahn and told him of The Doors and that they were looking for a bassist to play on some of their albums.[2] Lubahn decided that he would try it out and he played for three of their albums consisting of Strange Days, Waiting For The Sun, and The Soft Parade.[2] It got to the point that the band as a whole actually invited Lubahn to join The Doors using Rothchild as the messenger. A combination of factors including that Lubahn did not want to leave Clear Light, he declined the offer and stayed with the other band.[2]
Doug Lubahn eventually created a jazz-rock band named Dreams along with Jeff Kent. The band evolved from being a trio to a more horn-based band. Will Lee, Don Grolnick, Bob Mann, and Eddie Vernon later joined the band as a bassist, pianist, guitarist, and guitarist respectively. Unfortunately, Dreams was short lived and only lasted a year with only two albums. Dreams' only two albums were Dreams (1969) and Imagine My Surprise (1970). [5]
Lubahn also played with American rock band Riff Raff, which released Vinyl Futures on Atco Records. The album came out in 1981 and features the song "Treat Me Right" which was later recorded by Pat Benatar.[6]