John Doe (musician) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
John Doe
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Doe in 2006
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | John Nommensen Duchac |
| Born | February 25, 1953 Decatur, Illinois, United States |
| Origin | Los Angeles, California |
| Genres | Punk rock, alternative country, folk rock, roots rock |
| Occupation(s) |
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| Instruments | Bass guitar, guitar, vocals |
| Years active | 1973–present |
John Nommensen Duchac (born February 25, 1953), known as John Doe, is an American musician, singer, and actor. He is famous for being a co-founder of the LA punk rock band X. John Doe still plays with X today.
His music includes rock, punk, country, and folk music. Besides music, he has acted in many TV shows and movies. One of his well-known roles was Jeff Parker in the TV series Roswell.
John Doe also performs with a band called the Knitters. They play country-folk-punk music. He has also released many albums as a solo artist. In the early 1980s, he played on two albums by the Flesh Eaters.
Contents
John Doe's Career Journey
Making Music
John Doe moved to Los Angeles, California, in 1976. There, he met guitar player Billy Zoom through an ad. They soon started the band X.
With his band X, John Doe has been in two concert films. He has also appeared in music videos. He was featured in The Decline of Western Civilization. This was a famous documentary about the early 1980s punk scene in Los Angeles.
John Doe wrote most of X's songs with Exene Cervenka. Their album Wild Gift was named "Record of the Year" by major newspapers. He also helped write songs for other bands. For example, he co-wrote two songs for the Blasters' 1984 album Hard Line.
Since 1990, John Doe has released many solo albums. He has also worked with other artists. His music has been featured in movies. In the 1992 movie The Bodyguard, John Doe's version of "I Will Always Love You" plays during a dance scene.
He also recorded two Bob Dylan songs for the 2007 movie I'm Not There. These songs were "Pressing On" and "I Dreamed I Saw St. Augustine". Both were on the movie's soundtrack. In 2007, he recorded "Unforgiven" with Aimee Mann. He also joined Eddie Vedder on a mix of "Golden State" in 2008.
A song by John Doe, "The Meanest Man in the World," was used in the TV series Friday Night Lights. His 2009 album, Country Club, featured the band The Sadies. It included classic country songs and new ones.
In 2011, he covered "Peggy Sue Got Married" for a tribute album to Buddy Holly. His solo album The Westerner came out in 2016. He said it was made in the desert and had a "psychedelic soul" sound.
In November 2022, John Doe released a short acoustic album. It was called "3Sirens Session: John Doe". He recorded it with the band The Grahams.
Acting Roles
John Doe has had many acting roles. In the 1989 movie Great Balls of Fire!, he played J. W. Brown. He also starred in the 1992 films Roadside Prophets and Pure Country.
His other movie roles include Road House, Vanishing Point, and Boogie Nights. On TV, he has appeared in shows like Law & Order, Roswell, Carnivale, and The Wizards of Waverly Place. He even appeared with his bandmates from X in Childrens Hospital.
As an Author
John Doe has also written books. With co-author Tom DeSavia, he wrote a book about the LA punk rock scene. The book is called Under the Big Black Sun. It shares stories from 1977 to 1983.
He wanted the book to be a collection of memories from many musicians. So, he invited other artists from the punk scene to write chapters. These included Exene Cervenka, Henry Rollins, and Mike Watt.
A second book, More Fun in the New World: The Unmaking and Legacy of L.A. Punk, came out in 2019. John Doe and Tom DeSavia again asked other musicians to share their stories. This book covered the years from 1982 to 1987.
John Doe's Personal Life
John Doe was born in Decatur, Illinois. He was married to Exene Cervenka, who was also in the band X, from 1980 to 1985. He got married again in 1987. He has three daughters. In early 2017, he shared that he was moving to Austin, Texas.
Discography
John Doe has released many albums as a solo artist. Here are some of them:
- Meet John Doe (1990)
- Kissingsohard (1995)
- Freedom Is... (2000)
- Dim Stars, Bright Sky (2002)
- Forever Hasn't Happened Yet (2005)
- For the Best of Us (2006)
- A Year in the Wilderness (2007)
- Country Club (2009) (with The Sadies)
- A Day at the Pass (2011) (with Jill Sobule)
- Keeper (2011)
- Singing & Playing (2012) (with Exene Cervenka)
- The Best of John Doe: This Far (2014)
- The Westerner (2016)
- Fables in a Foreign Land (2022)
- 3Sirens Session: John Doe (2022)
Filmography
John Doe has appeared in many movies and TV shows. Here is a list of some of his acting roles:
- The Decline of Western Civilization (1981) as Himself
- Salvador (1986) as Roberto
- Border Radio (1987) as Dean
- Road House (1989) as Pat McGurn
- Great Balls of Fire! (1989) as J.W. Brown
- Roadside Prophets (1992) as Joe Mosely
- Pure Country (1992) as Earl Blackstock
- Wyatt Earp (1994) as Tommy
- Georgia (1995) as Bobby
- Vanishing Point (1997, TV Movie) as Sammy
- Boogie Nights (1997) as Amber's Husband
- Sugar Town (1999) as Carl
- Forces of Nature (1999) as Carl
- Brokedown Palace (1999) as Bill Marano
- Roswell (1999–2002, TV Series) as Jeff Parker
- The Specials (2000) as Eight
- The Good Girl (2002) as Mr. Worther
- Law & Order (2003, TV Series) as Teddy Connor
- Carnivàle (2003, TV Series) as Phineas Boffo
- Torque (2004) as Sheriff Barnes
- CSI: Miami (2005, TV Series) as Brett Adams
- The Darwin Awards (2006) as Guy in Bar #2
- One Tree Hill (2008, TV Series) as Mick Wolf
- Wizards of Waverly Place (2009, TV Series) as Superintendent Spellman
- Childrens Hospital (2016, TV Series) as X
- All Creatures Here Below (2018) as Uncle Doug
See also
In Spanish: John Doe (músico) para niños
