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His friends call him “Doug”, although he admits he’ll answer to just about anything (Douglas, John, John Douglas, J.D., Dougie, Doug E. Doug, Snoop Doug, Dougly Do Wright, or Guod). “When I was trying to decide what to use as my 'artist name,' 'Doug Wright' was already taken. I thought about 'Douglas Wright', but it seemed formal, and 'John Douglas Wright' seemed trendy. 'J. Douglas' worked at time, although I’m thinking about changing it to just ‘Fred’.” :-)
To Doug, being a Christian means following Christ’s example of unconditional love, a theme that is explored in his music. "If we all did this, the world really would be a different place." Doug thinks this message gets lost in negative approaches to Christianity. “I think Christ’s message is really clear. We’re here to love and help each other. He even specifically said not to judge each other, which makes me wonder why there are so many debates.”
Doug’s first full-length LP, Something Much Higher, produced the Embassy Music grand-prize winning single “John, Jane, and All Things”. The song later appeared with “Just Another Day” on a bonus CD in Radio & Records Magazine. “The theme of Something Much Higher is that there is always a bigger picture than what we can sometimes see. Life can be pretty rough, especially loss through death or unwanted change. A lot of the songs on the album are about the gifts that appear from the darkest times.” But the album is not heavy and dark. “It’s really a celebration.” The album was engineered by Dove Award-nominated producer Mitch Waddell of Majesty Productions.
"The song 'John, Jane, and All Things' is for everybody. John and Jane are the Doe’s. The Bible teaches that through Christ, all things are possible. This isn’t a magic potion. Rather, it’s going through something you think will never end and then, one day, you look back and see that you did get through it. 'Heaven’s Eyes' is a song about seeing things from God’s vantage point, which is not easy to do. Especially when someone you love dies.”
One of the most interesting songs on the album has the unlikely title of “Roadkill”. “I wrote a letter one time and said ‘I felt like roadkill today.’ I was thinking that roadkill is the only thing I know of that, even after it’s dead, is still being devoured. I think we have all had times when we feel there is nothing left to give—those ‘getting blood from a turnip’ times. That’s when God is saying, 'I am your strength. I love you more than anything'.”
The bonus-CD “The Words to Say” debuted on the top-10 of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association’s weekly countdown, and enjoyed a three-month rotation on the station. This was the first independent song the station had added to its playlist in years. It also received a Billboard Songwriting Award. The song is a prayer for words to help others find their way. It has become Doug’s signature song, and is already a classic to listeners of his music.
Doug has just completed a new CD project produced by Swaff of Swaff Studios (see My Friends). It will be available in the fall of 2009. One track from the CD, "Walking Blind", is featured here on Doug's space. "I am as excited about this project as I have been about anything. I can't say enough good things about Swaff. I thank God for giving me the awesome privilege of working with him."
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