DOUG STONE (SINGER)

'Doug Stone' (born Douglas Jackson Brooks on June 19, 1956) is a country singer from Atlanta, Georgia, United States. To date, he has recorded nine studio albums and a Greatest Hits package, in addition to charting twenty-two singles (five of which reached Number One) on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot Country Singles & Tracks charts.

Contents

Biography

Musical career

Beginnings

1991-1992

1993-1995

1997-1999

2000s

Discography

Albums

Singles

References

External links

Biography

Stone was born Douglas Jackson Brooks in the city of Newnan, Georgia. His mother, who was also 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] Doug's mother and father later divorced; after the divorce, he moved to live with his father. 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. The singer's break came one night in 1987 as his band, Mainstreet, played a regular show at the Newnan VFW Club. Phyllis Bennett, a former Newnan resident with connections in Nashville, came to hear Stone play at the advice of a friend.(Times-Herald, Newnan, GA)
"She listened to me and said it blew her away" Stone recalled. "We talked about a contract and about a year later she returned with one."
Bennett's first move as Stone's new manager was nailing down an appointment with Nashville producer Doug Johnson. The singer recorded three songs which Johnson played for legendary CBS Records producer Bob Montgomery.
It was also at this point that he changed his surname to avoid confusion with Garth Brooks, another country music singer whose career was taking off around the same time as Doug's.^[4]

Musical career

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. 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. 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.

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. In the spring of 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. He underwent quadruple bypass surgery and took time off to recover, just as his third album, ''From the Heart'', was released, followed by a Christmas album titled ''The First Christmas''. ''From the Heart's four singles all reached Top 10, with two of those singles ("Too Busy Being in Love" and "Why Didn't I Think of That") reaching Number One; in addition, the album was certified gold.

1993-1995

''More Love'', Stone's fourth album, was released in 1993. Also certified gold, the album produced three more Top 10 singles. 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. Stone also admitted that he quit smoking immediately after the surgery.
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. 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. 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. Also in the mid-1990s, Stone suffered a mild stroke, further reducing his ability to record and tour.^[7]

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; the same year, the singer survived a plane crash at O'Hare Airport in Chicago.^[8][9] 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.

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.^[10] 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.^[11]
Stone later switched labels yet again, signing to Audium Entertainment in 2002 and recording ''The Long Way''. 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 ''In a Different Light'', which featured a re-recording of his 1991 single of the same name. Also in 2005, the singer was sentenced to six months in jail for failing to pay alimony and child support.^[12] A second album for Lofton Creek Records, titled ''My Turn'', is slated for release in September of 2007.

Discography

Albums

Year	Title	Label	US Country	US BB 200	US RIAA certification
1990	''Doug Stone''	Epic Records	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
	''Faith in Me, Faith in You''	Columbia Records	45
1999	''Make up in Love''	Atlantic Records	38
2002	''The Long Way''	Audium Entertainment
2005	''In a Different Light''	Lofton Creek Records
2007	''My Turn''A

^ATo be released September 18, 2007.

Singles

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

★ ^ATo be released.

References

1. allmusic ((( Doug Stone > Biography )))
2. Doug Stone biography
3. Doug Stone makes comeback with show at Leelanau Sands Marta Helper-Drahos
4. Doug Stone biography
5. Doug Stone: "I feared cancer would end my career", , Clif H., Dunn, Country Weekly,
6. Doug Stone's Career Flourishes With Hits and a Film Frank Roberts
7. Doug Stone makes comeback with show at Leelanau Sands, , Marta, Helper-Drahos, Traverse City Record-Eagle,
8. Doug Stone Survives Plane Crash
9. Doug Stone Survives Crash Landing
10. Doug Stone in Stable Condition After Crashing His Ultralight Plane
11. Stone Rumors Are False
12. Doug Stone Jailed on Criminal Contempt of Court Charge

External links

★ Doug Stone official website

★ A dedicated page about Stone from The (Newnan, Georgia) Times-Herald