Chip Douglas facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Chip Douglas
|
|
|---|---|
Douglas with the MFQ and Phil Spector at Gold Star Studios in 1965
|
|
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Douglas Farthing Hatlelid |
| Born | August 27, 1942 San Francisco, California, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) |
|
| Instruments | Bass guitar, guitar, keyboards |
| Years active | 1966–present |
| Associated acts |
|
Douglas Farthing Hatlelid (born August 27, 1942), known as Chip Douglas, is an American musician and record producer. He became famous in the 1960s for his work with popular bands. He played bass for the Turtles for a short time. He also produced some of the Monkees' biggest songs. These hits include "Daydream Believer" and "Pleasant Valley Sunday".
Contents
Chip Douglas's Early Music Career
Chip Douglas grew up in Hawaii. He started his music journey in high school. He formed a folk group called "The Wilcox Three". They were inspired by The Kingston Trio. During a trip to California, a booking agency discovered them. They signed a record deal with RCA/Camden. Douglas used the name "Chip Douglas" for his performances. This name stuck with him for the rest of his career. Sometimes, he used his real name for songwriting.
After "The Wilcox Three" broke up, Douglas formed a new group. It was called the Modern Folk Quartet (MFQ). He formed it with Cyrus Faryar and Henry Diltz. They signed with Warner Bros. and made two albums. MFQ also appeared in a movie called Palm Springs Weekend (1963). For several years, MFQ toured colleges across the U.S.
In 1966, the Modern Folk Quartet worked with producer Phil Spector. They recorded a song called "This Could Be the Night." It was written by Spector and Harry Nilsson. The song wasn't released then, but Douglas and Nilsson became good friends.
Joining The Turtles
When the Turtles needed a new bass player, they asked Chip Douglas to join. His first song with them was "Happy Together." They had heard a demo of the song that many other artists had passed on. Douglas played bass and helped arrange the music. The song became a huge hit for The Turtles. It even knocked the Beatles' "Penny Lane" from the top spot in America!
In early 1967, the Monkees' Michael Nesmith saw The Turtles play. He asked Douglas if he would produce The Monkees' music. The Monkees were tired of their "manufactured" sound. Douglas said he had never produced a record before. Nesmith told him not to worry. He promised to show Douglas everything he needed to do.
Douglas left The Turtles in February 1967. Jim Pons took his place.
Producing The Monkees' Hits
Chip Douglas accepted Michael Nesmith's offer. He joined The Monkees in the studio. His first big project was their album Headquarters. This album was special because all four Monkees played on every song. Douglas even wrote a song for it, "Forget That Girl." He also played bass guitar on the album. Headquarters was released in the spring of 1967. It quickly climbed to #1 on the Billboard album chart. However, it was soon replaced by The Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.
Douglas produced the hit song "Pleasant Valley Sunday." It had a unique guitar intro created by Douglas and played by Nesmith. Douglas also produced The Monkees' next album, Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn, & Jones, Ltd. He played bass on this album too.
Douglas also introduced The Monkees to new songwriters. One was John Stewart, who wrote "Daydream Believer." This song became The Monkees' second-biggest hit ever. It was on their 1968 album The Birds, The Bees & The Monkees. Douglas also introduced the band to Harry Nilsson. Nilsson played his original songs for them. The Monkees covered one of Nilsson's songs, "Cuddly Toy." Douglas felt proud that he helped Nilsson get a record deal.
Douglas was happy to make hit records with The Monkees. But he was sad that people still thought The Monkees weren't real musicians. The press didn't seem to notice their hard work.
Back with The Turtles
At the end of 1967, The Monkees wanted to control their own music. So, Chip Douglas became a producer for The Turtles again. His first project was The Turtles Present the Battle of the Bands album. This album included two more top-ten hits for The Turtles: "Elenore" and "You Showed Me."
Douglas had played "You Showed Me" with Gene Clark in 1966. It was originally a fast song. But one day, Douglas was showing the song to singers Howard Kaylan and Mark Volman. His organ was broken, so he had to play it slowly. Douglas said, "This isn't how it's supposed to sound." But Kaylan and Volman loved the slow version! They thought it was perfect.
Reuniting with The Monkees
Chip Douglas stayed in touch with The Monkees. In 1969, he returned to record his song "Steam Engine" with Micky Dolenz singing. The song was later used in reruns of their TV show.
In 1976, Douglas worked with Dolenz, Jones, and Tork again. They recorded the song "Christmas Is My Time of Year." Douglas co-wrote this song with Howard Kaylan.
In 1986, The Monkees had a reunion tour. This brought new interest in the band. Rhino Records re-released all their original albums. This included the music Douglas produced. Douglas has also appeared in documentaries about The Monkees. He shares his memories of working with them.
Life After The Monkees
In 1969, Douglas produced Hand Sown...Home Grown. This was the first solo album by Linda Ronstadt, who was his girlfriend at the time.
The Modern Folk Quartet got back together in 1975. They started performing again. In the 1980s, they recorded several albums for a Japanese record company. They also toured Japan many times. They are still popular there.
Chip Douglas continues to write and produce music today. He works in many different music styles. He splits his time between California and Hawaii.
See also
In Spanish: Chip Douglas para niños
