Ross Douglas heard the Beatles late one night and that was it.
Initially drawn to theatre, he played piano in the satirical band The Choke Sisters; fronted by future multiple Tony Award-winner Des McAnuff.
He played Brad Majors in the first ever Canadian stage production of the Rocky Horror Show and for three years saw much of the world as Piano Player/Narrator in the second-ever cast of the seminal Billy Bishop Goes to War.
He was also in the original Vancouver production Angry Housewives for which he also received a Jessie Award for outstanding musical direction.
Then a lot of songwriting kicked in.
He spent eight winters as musician, writer and musical director of the popular Willie and the Wassailers and nine summers as writer, musical director and performer at Theatre Royal in Barkerville, B.C.
His song Lovin Time was runner up in the jazz category of the John Lennon Song Contest and he was a special jury award winner in the Mid Atlantic Song Contest for the song Kokanee Canary Canoe. He’s also been Folk Alley’s Folk Artist of the Month.
Douglas appears Saturday (April 16) at the Sooke Folk Coffeehouse at Holy Trinity Anglican Church, 1962 Murray Rd.
Doors open at 7 p.m. with open stage at 7:30. Admission is $7 at the door.
For more info, go online to sookefolkmusicsociety.com.