Doug Supernaw is the real thing, an honest-to goodness, unabashed country singer who sings, speaks and lives flat-out, with gusto and an ever-present grin. Ask him to describe himself, and he will say he's in a state of "petrified adolescence." His approach is probably best typified by two recent appearances: one was before a crowd of 65,000 at the Houston Livestock and Rodeo Show, where he made his entrance descending on a guy wire from the roof of the Astrodome: and the second, during a Canadian show, where he took a frontal swan dive into a mud pit in the crowd while singing a song, never missing a note. In a business where it's easy, and sometimes convenient, to lump people into categories, there is simply no category for this highly talented, out spoken singer.
Doug has earned a gold album and a host of award nominations, and has proven himself both as a compelling singer and a top-drawer songwriter (he penned his first major hit, "Reno"), but those around him say he's never taken himself seriously or changed his basic approach to life. He is stubbornly loyal to friends and those he works with, and he is generous to a fault with people and causes.
He displayed his loyalty early on, sticking by his band, The Possum-Eatin' Cowboys (the renamed Texas Steel Band), when he was urged to take on Nashville musicians as a tour band.
"There's a chemistry and sincerity between myself and my band that translates to the audience," he says. "It's something that we've worked hard on, and it's very exciting on stage."
Doug takes different approaches to his song writing and live stage show. Musically, he admires Vern Gosdin, Gene Watson, and Willie Nelson. As an entertainer, he adopts a free-wheeling concert style that owes some of its attitude to Jimmy Buffett. His fervent desire to live, write and sing with an outgoing honesty may be a native Texan's trait. "Live Free Or Die" is a state motto that many famous Lone Star State natives live by.
As an artist Doug is continuing to expand himself musically in recent projects. His remake of "Long Tall Texan" gave him the opportunity to record with the Beach Boys, which he has been a fan of since his youth. Another not so likely pairing was when he teamed up with the Dallas Cowboys', Hershel Walker for a rousing sing-a long number called "Four Scores and Seven Beers Ago."
Doug has been nominated for seven major awards, including the Academy of Country Music's New Male Vocalist of the Year in 1994. The video for "I Don't Call Him Daddy" was nominated for Video of the Year by both the ACM and the Music City News. Music Row Magazine awarded Doug Video of the Year for his self-directed video "She Never Looks Back." While his voice has been to the top of the charts, Doug readily admits there are other singers who are more than a match for him technically. Still, he'll pit himself against them all on the level that defines his appeal both as a singer and as a person.
"When you're not the worlds greatest singer, you have to reach down through your vocals and sing from the heart." - Doug Supernaw
