Garrison Doles: Home
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“I’m not foolin' around here. If I walk out on your stage I mean to do some serious damage.”
Garrison Doles has recently won major songwriting competitions in North Carolina, Texas, Florida and Massachusetts and he’s on the move. For the last few years he’s been staying pretty close to home to keep an eye on his son, but the kid's all grown up now, so Garrison’s on the move and touring nationally, performing at all the best festivals, coffeehouses and house concerts.
If you call yourself a performing songwriter, then you ought to hold up both ends of the deal. Garrison truly does. He writes powerful songs of all kinds - moving, funny, profound, romantic, light-hearted - and he delivers them with immense skill and unforgettable style and grace. It’s an inspired marriage of artist and material, and it always results in an exciting and entertaining journey for the audience. What Garrison Doles brings is so deep and wide that only your heart is big enough to hold it.
Legendary Crosby, Stills and Nash producer Steve Gursky says:
“Garrison Doles is one of the most talented songwriters I’ve ever worked with. He really knows how to put words and music together in a way that makes the story come alive. And he totally fills the role of performing songwriter - a powerful performer and a brilliant songwriter. Great singer, guitar wizard and truly entertaining storyteller. Never pass up a chance to see this master at work.”
Garrison’s latest CD release, Whenever I’m with You, showcases some of the range and depth of his songwriting. Like a great, live set it moves seamlessly through stories poignant, romantic, humorous, raucous, bluesy, sorrowful and inspiring. He brings the full force of a master performer to bear. On this studio release, Garrison joins his evocative voice, guitar and harmonica with the best players in the Southeast and they kick butt. Tom Hurst, Doug Mathews, Tracy Collins, Jim Evans, Chris Nix, Jason Thomas, Lis Williamson and Greg Doles. It’s made to be listened to from start to finish and when you get to the end you’ll be happy to just let it start all over again.
Born in Birmingham, Alabama, Garrison moved to Miami, Florida, at the age of nine - AAAHH!! Culture shock. At about seventeen, he started playing his original songs in coffeehouses in Coconut Grove’s blossoming folk music scene. After the Grove settled down, there were a lot of years of traveling around the southeast playing in bars. It’s a rough life and it finally wore him down, so he stopped doing that and stepped out onto another stage. As a co-founder of Theatre Downtown, an off-off-Broadway style theatre in Orlando, Florida, he produced, acted, directed, designed and wrote for the theatrical stage. It’s all storytelling. In recent years he has built an impressive following in Florida, playing at the many folk festivals, coffeehouses and house concerts around the state. He has four independently released CD’s and tours full-time nationally as a performing songwriter.
Songwriting Competitions:
2009 Rose Garden Coffeehouse Performing Songwriter Contest 1st place
2009 Will McLean Folk Festival Songwriting Contest 1st place
2008 Dallas Songwriters Association Contest - Singer/songwriter 1st place
2008 North Carolina Songwriters Co-op Contest 3rd place
2007 Woody Guthrie Song Contest honorable mention
2007 Foundersfest Song Contest finalist
2006 South Florida Folk Festival finalist
2005 South Florida Folk Festival finalist
2004 Gamble Rogers Folk Festival Song Contest 1st place
2003 Gamble Rogers Folk Festival Song Contest 2nd place
2003 Suwannee Springfest 1st place
