Today we’d like to introduce you to Derrick Dove.
Hi Derrick, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start, maybe you can share some of your backstories with our readers.
I started performing as the drummer in my dad’s oldies band when I was 10. I switched to guitar when I was 12. Put my first band together when I was 14. Played in a couple bands in high school. Dropped out of college about a year in to go on the road with a country band. Moved to Nashville in 2009. Loved the town but hated the business. Moved back home a year later and formed what would ultimately be Derrick Dove & the Peacekeepers. We started out just playing local bars & restaurants a few times a month. After a few years of lineup changes and couple different band names, we finally had our “act” together! We released our debut album in 2018, and it hit #5 on the blues charts! We’ve had Sirius XM radio play and have shared the stage with Blackberry Smoke, Drivin’ n Cryon’, & Stryper.
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Not at all! just went you think you have it all figured out, boom! a left hook out of nowhere! Being in a band is hard. it’s like you’re married to 4 or 5 different people. Then, once you have the right lineup and can stand being around each other all the time, there is the business side. and it’s brutal. You can be the most talented musician with the best songs, but that doesn’t mean anything. It’s all about timing, knowing the right people, and being in the right place at the right time. Money is also a huge factor. I’ve been fortunate enough to support my family playing music. but it’s hard. It’s hard to be gone. I got to where I was playing 5 night a week. I’d stay home with the kids during the day, and soon as my wife got home, I had to go to a gig. I’ve slowed down a little the last couple years. I’m down to 2-3 nights a week now.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I knew I wanted to be a musician since I was little. The blues really drew me in when I was around 12. Stevie Ray Vaughan, Jimi Hendrix, Little Milton & Muddy Waters. When I heard Jonny Lang & Kenny Wayne Shepherd is when I discovered that I could play guitar for a living! I mean they were young, I was young, they were white, I was white, they played blues, I played blues. Seemed like a win-win for me! Now I described my music as Southern Fried Blues Rock. Blues is always the foundation of what I write and what I play. But I also really love the music that the blues-influenced in the south, like Lynyrd Skynyrd & the Allman Brothers Band. My dad was good friends with Bruce Brookshire of the southern rock band Doc Holliday, and they were a huge influence on me early on.
I’m most proud of supporting my family doing what I love. That’s what I want to teach our kids and something my dad taught me. Whatever you want to do, be the best you can be at it. Don’t “half-ass” anything.
Do you have any advice for those just starting out?
My advice to those starting out is play all the gigs you can and learn from everybody that is better than you! soak it all up! also, if you decide to write your own music, write songs that you want to hear, don’t try to write something you think other people would want. Be yourself. Make your own mark.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.derrickdove.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/ddovepeacekeepers
- Facebook:www.facebook.com/derrickdoveandthepeacekeepers
- Youtube: www.youtube.com/derrickdove83
Image Credits
Daniel Shippey
