Doug Bennett started out in grade school taking piano lessons and playing Classical music, but switched to the guitar in high school to play in a Rock & Roll band. This band was a dream come true for a high school kid. They played mostly for frat parties in the Syracuse area where he lived.
Doug moved to the Seacoast in the late 1970's and worked as a full-time musician, playing Folk music all over New England and New York. In the early '80's, he fronted the Fleet Street Shuffle, an R&B band. This band also traveled extensively, playing 200+ shows a year. The pace of this lifestyle got to him after a few years, and in 1982, he stopped playing music full-time and went into the auto repair business.
Even though he was no longer a full-time musician, he continued to play in his spare time, and he has been part of the local music scene ever since. Doug has been equally comfortable playing guitar and singing Country music with Maine Squeeze, Jazz with the Al Derben trio, a mix of R&B and Jazz classics with the Joe Riillo Trio, and Folk music with the Rushmores. He brings all of this--his experience, his rock-solid guitar and incredible voice--to the band.