Gregory Douglass is an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 singer-songwriter

Singer-songwriter

Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...

. Douglass plays lead guitar

Guitar

The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...

 and piano

Piano

The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...

.

Background

Douglass was born and raised in rural Vermont

Vermont

Vermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd in land area, , and 45th in total area. Its population according to the 2010 census, 630,337, is the second smallest in the country, larger only than Wyoming. It is the only New England...

, winning local talent shows in his early teens. He taught himself to play the piano and guitar, and began writing his own songs during junior high. While attending Brewster Academy

Brewster Academy

Brewster Academy is a co-educational independent boarding school located on in Wolfeboro, New Hampshire USA, two hours north of Boston. It occupies 1/2 mile of shoreline along Lake Winnipesaukee...

 in New Hampshire

New Hampshire

New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...

, Douglass composed and recorded the material for his first two albums. On graduation day, the schools' Headmaster presented him with a music award and publicly announced that Douglass was the first student he would ever encourage not to go to college, advice that convinced him to immediately pursue music full-time. Douglass has also been involved in theatre work, both at the amateur and professional levels. His roles included "Hero" in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum", alongside actor Topher Grace

Topher Grace

Christopher John "Topher" Grace is an American actor. He is best known for his portrayal of Eric Forman on the Fox sitcom That '70s Show, Eddie Brock/Venom in the Sam Raimi film Spider-Man 3, and Edwin in the 2010 film Predators....

 who played "Pseudolus", while attending Brewster Academy.

Music

Douglass' evocative amalgamation of contemporary folk, pop, and rock have been compared to Tori Amos

Tori Amos

Tori Amos is an American pianist, singer-songwriter and composer. She was at the forefront of a number of female singer-songwriters in the early 1990s and was noteworthy early in her career as one of the few alternative rock performers to use a piano as her primary instrument...

, Jeff Buckley

Jeff Buckley

Jeffrey Scott "Jeff" Buckley , raised as Scotty Moorhead, was an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. He was the son of Tim Buckley, also a musician...

, Patty Griffin

Patty Griffin

Patty Griffin, born Patricia Jean Griffin, March 16, 1964, is an American Grammy award-winning singer-songwriter and musician. She is especially known for her down-home crafting of songs and her connection to musicians including Emmylou Harris, Ellis Paul, and the Dixie Chicks, who have played with...

 and Rufus Wainwright

Rufus Wainwright

Rufus McGarrigle Wainwright is an American-Canadian singer-songwriter. He has recorded six albums of original music, EPs, and tracks on compilations and film soundtracks.-Early years:...

. He was the winner of the 2003 GrammyFest Awards in New York City, as well as the inaugural performer on the American Red Cross "Save A Life Tour" in 2003. Douglass actively appears at listening rooms, clubs, festivals, and on campuses throughout the U.S., and has co-billed with They Might Be Giants

They Might Be Giants

They Might Be Giants is an American alternative rock band formed in 1982 by John Flansburgh and John Linnell. During TMBG's early years Flansburgh and Linnell were frequently accompanied by a drum machine. In the early 1990s, TMBG became a full band. Currently, the members of TMBG are...

, India Arie, Jason Mraz

Jason Mraz

Jason Thomas Mraz , also known as Mr. AZ and Mr. Raz, is an American singer-songwriter. Mraz released his debut album, Waiting for My Rocket to Come, which contained the hit single "The Remedy ", in 2002, but it was not until the release of his second album, "Mr. A-Z", in 2005, that Mraz achieved...

, Melissa Ferrick

Melissa Ferrick

-Early life:Ferrick was raised in Ipswich, Massachusetts. Herfather John was a well-liked public school teacher who managed several free-jazz bands on the side. As a child, Ferrick would often accompany her father to clubs on Boston's North Shore to watch the bands play. She began taking...

 and many others. Douglass' debut music video for "I Wanted To Run," produced by Haverstick Films, is regularly airing on LOGO's

Logo (TV channel)

Logo is an American digital cable television channel owned by Viacom's MTV Networks division. Launched in June 2005, the channel's programs are geared towards the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender community...

 "Click List" Top 10 Video Countdown as well as "Hang Around" released in 2007. His latest album, Battler, was released in February 2009 on iTunes.

A new EP of holiday-themed music, Merry

Merry (Gregory Douglass album)

The Merry EP was announced in the Fall of 2009 via fan newsletter, and the readers were asked to submit ideas for songs to be recorded. The official tracklist was released in October when it was available for pre-order. Of the EP, Gregory said:-Tracklist:...

 was announced in 2009.

Personal life

Douglass is openly

Coming out

Coming out is a figure of speech for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people's disclosure of their sexual orientation and/or gender identity....

 gay

Gay

Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....

, and some of his lyrics deal with queer

Queer

Queer is an umbrella term for sexual minorities that are not heterosexual, heteronormative, or gender-binary. In the context of Western identity politics the term also acts as a label setting queer-identifying people apart from discourse, ideologies, and lifestyles that typify mainstream LGBT ...

 themes. He has received glowing reviews in The Advocate

The Advocate

The Advocate is an American LGBT-interest magazine, printed monthly and available by subscription. The Advocate brand also includes a web site. Both magazine and web site have an editorial focus on news, politics, opinion, and arts and entertainment of interest to LGBT people...

.

Discography

Studio Albums

EPs and Other Albums

If I Were A Man (1998) Gregory Douglass (2000) Teeter (2001) Pseudo-Rotary (2003) Stark (2005) Up & Away Up & Away Up & Away is a 2006 album from indie-rock artist Gregory Douglass. "Hang Around" was given a music video and was released on YouTube.-Track listing:All songs by Gregory Douglass. # "Light Don't Shine"# "Sentimental Fury"# "Living"# "Hang Around"...  (2006) Battler Battler (Gregory Douglass Album) Battler is a 2009 album from indie-rock artist Gregory Douglass. The first video from the record will be "Cathedrals," as stated on www.gregorydouglass.com...  (2009) Lucid (2011)

Retro Active : Volume 1 (2007) Retro Active : Volume 2 (2008) Naked (2005) - released as part of a Stark pre-order package Peacekeeper (2009) - released as part of a Battler pre-order package Merry Merry (Gregory Douglass album) The Merry EP was announced in the Fall of 2009 via fan newsletter, and the readers were asked to submit ideas for songs to be recorded. The official tracklist was released in October when it was available for pre-order. Of the EP, Gregory said:-Tracklist:... (2009) - A holiday EP.

External links

• Official Website (English)
• Last.FM Page (English)