DOUG E. BLUMER was born and raised on the banks of the Mississippi River in Southern Missouri. His musical roots included equal parts Buck Owens and The Beatles with dashes of bluegrass, gospel and folk. After a stint in the Navy, which included playing in a band on board his ship and in several different countries, he relocated to northern California. It was in San Francisco during the 1980's that he became part of the local music scene, joining several rock bands and writing original music.

In 1982, Blumer placed an advertisement for band members and met bassist Rob McCloskey. For the next 12 years, Blumer and McCloskey formed, joined & jammed & composed music in a succession of pop and rock bands.

In 1994, THE WESTERLEYS were formed, combining the musical talents of three singer songwriters: Doug, Nancy Terzian and Peter Axtell. This acoustic group gained popularity by blending powerful, lush vocal harmonies, intricate guitar work and original music. This original line-up recorded and released one full-length cassette, 'Live from the Pumpkin Patch, one CD-EP, the 4-song 'Git Along', recorded in Nashville with veteran producer Bil Vorndick, & one full-length CD, 'Stumbling to Gloryland'. 1998 brought personel changes to the band as they expanded to include McCloskey on electric bass, as well as adding pedal steel guitar, fiddle & drums to their live shows. This line-up recorded one full-length CD, 'A Blessing and a Curse', which gained extensive national radio airplay. It was also during this period that Doug got a taste of the national scene, when a 3-piece version of the band (Blumer, Terzian, McCloskey) toured extensively throughout the country, appearing at venues such as IOTA in Arlington, VA, the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., Kerrville (TX) Folk Festival, Strawberry Music Festival (CA), and Falcon Ridge Folk Festival (NY).

2000 brought the break-up of The Westerleys, but also brought Doug back together with an old high school friend & bandmate, DALLAS WAYNE. Wayne had spent the intervening years fronting bluegrass and honky-tonk bands, culminating in a lucrative career in the U.S. and Europe. Wayne relocated to the Bay Area, and formed the honky-tonk band Dallas Wayne and the Road Cases, which included Blumer on Telecaster and harmony vocals. Signed to HighTone Records, they released one album, 'Here I Am In Dallas'. Two national tours with Wayne gave Doug the opportunity to hone his skills as a honky-tonk musician while sharing the bill with some of Alternative Country's best, including Redd Volkert and Jim Lauderdale.

In 2002, Wayne relocated to Austin, TX while Doug continued in several musical projects in the San Francisco Bay Area.

One of these was THE COWLICKS. Their melody driven sound is rich in harmonies and lush electric guitars. The Cowlicks were honored for their album "Cowboys With Attitude" by the California Music Awards (formerly The Bammies) in the category of best Country/Alt. Country Album for 2004! This album included the Blumer/Irish composition, 'Bessie's Song'.

Doug performed on many shows with Valerie Jay and the Americanos, a local torch/country group fronted by the singer/songwriter Valerie Jay. This group also includes Blumer's long-time musical collaborator, Rob McCloskey as well as former Dallas Wayne drummer, Ken Owen.

2003 brought the release of 'DOUG BLUMER'S TEN OF HEARTS'. This CD includes 9 original love songs and a cover of 'Beyond the Blue Horizon', blending varied musical styles with resonating, intimate vocals and beautiful guitar playing. It harkens to a musical style of bygone days, smoky thick with romance and love.

Doug continues to be a mainstay of the Bay Area Alt-country/twang scene. Again, working with the able rhythm section of McCloskey/Owen, he formed The Cheatin' Hearts in 2005 to showcase the vocal interplay between he and well-known veteran, Pamela Brandon (Chazz Cats, Belle Monroe).

Currently, Blumer fronts The Beerhunters, a good-time, rockin' honky-tonk band that includes McCloskey, Owen and Jeff Hanson on lead guitar & pedal steel, whom he met through the Valerie Jay band. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.