Tony Douglas

Born 12 April 1929 in Martins Mill, Texas, Douglas never gained widespread recognition beyond his home state yet stands among the overlooked pillars of Texas country. Raised on a farm outside Athens, he first began performing during a postwar U.S. Army posting in Germany. Back in the States he secured a regular slot on the Cowtown Hoedown, a live weekly broadcast aired by KCUL in Fort Worth. His debut single, “Old Blue Monday,” appeared on the program’s own label, and in 1957 he received an invitation to join The Louisiana Hayride, where he stayed a favorite stage draw until the show folded three years later.

He next performed on the Big D Jamboree and signed with D Records, the fledgling imprint launched by Pappy Daily. Three singles for the company featured his customary accompanists Chuck Jennings and Orville Couch; the final release, “Shrimpin’,” scored a regional success in 1961 and prompted the group’s nickname Tony Douglas And The Shrimpers. National exposure arrived via Vee Jay Records, where “His And Hers” climbed into the country Top 30, though the label’s subsequent bankruptcy denied him any royalties. Sims Records later issued an album of the same title, while additional sides on Paula Records failed to restore him to the charts for the remainder of the decade.

Establishing his own Cochise Records imprint, Douglas reentered the country listings in 1973 with “Thank You For Touching My Life” and “My Last Day,” both licensed to Dot Records. Two further chart entries followed: “If I Can Make It (Through The Mornin’)” in 1975 and, seven years afterward, a new version of “His And Hers.” Affectionately called “Mr Nice Guy,” he continues to draw crowds in his hometown of Athens, Georgia, and still issues recordings on Cochise.