Doug Rorrer

CD-386

Doug Rorrer
Songs I Learned at My Mother's Knee
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George Collins
The Wayward Boy
Fallen by the Wayside
Wild Horse
Wesley's Tune
Mountain Reel
Six Months Ain't Long
Stayed in The Wagon Yard
Moving Day
Too Young to Marry
Roscoe
West Virginia Highway

Doug Rorrer
with:

Jeremy Stephens
Taylor Rorrer
Kirk Sutphin
Billy C. Hurt Jr.
Jesse Smathers
Don Wright
Clay Shelor

Doug Rorrer from Eden, North Carolina, grew up listening to and learning from his father ‘s old 78 rpm records. Doug ‘s early influences included the recordings of his family members, great-uncles Charlie Poole and Posey Rorer who recorded in the 20s and 30s.  His guitar influences included Riley Puckett, Roy Harvey, and Gene Meade.  One of his most influential musicians was Doc Watson.  Doug was fortunate enough to be able to visit Doc and pick with him. On this recording, Doug emulates his guitar heroes in his rhythm and flat picking. He ’s joined by several stellar musicians on this recording, including several tunes with his son Taylor Rorrer, who is a well established musician in his own right. Taylor plays fiddle and banjo on several of the tunes. 

Over the years, Doug has performed and taught workshops at numerous music festivals, including Celtic Connections (Glasgow, Scotland), Festival of American Fiddle Tunes (Port Townsend, Washington), Chicago Folk Festival, Augusta Heritage Festival (Elkins, West Virginia), and Smithsonian Folk Life Festival (Washington, DC).

Miles Davis once remarked that what truly matters in both music and life is style. Style is what keeps traditions alive, helping them adapt and flourish as time goes on. Doug Rorrer stands out as someone who respects the roots of old-time music while bringing his own unique touch to everything he plays.
Doug’s family story is deeply connected to the roots of American music. His great-aunt Lou Emma Rorer married Charlie Poole, and her brother Posey Rorer played fiddle alongside Poole in the 1920s. Both Posey and Poole helped shape the old-time sound that still inspires musicians today. Posey’s music stood the test of time, with four of his recordings featured on the famous Anthology of American Folk Music that helped bring early country music back into the spotlight in the 1950s.
Charlie Poole and his North Carolina Ramblers were already legends by the time the folk revival rolled around. In 1925, Poole traveled to New York City, where he recorded songs that would echo for generations to come. His version of “Don’t Let Your Deal Go Down” sold more than 100,000 copies, earning him a place among country music’s first true stars. Doug grew up listening to these classic tunes on 78 rpm records, and those early sounds helped shape his love for music.
Doug likes to joke that he learned most of his favorite tunes “at his mother’s knee”—or at least close by, listening to those old records. He was not just memorizing notes; he was soaking in the feeling and style, slowly finding his own musical voice. Some of his guitar heroes include Roy Harvey, Riley Puckett, and Gene Meade, but there is no mistaking the influence of Doc Watson in his playing. That same clear tone and relaxed energy shines through in Doug’s music, mixed with the old-time sounds that inspired him from the start.