Tom Doughty is a folk, blues and contemporary acoustic guitarist and songwriter. He works with slide guitar, original songs and reworkings of traditional material, and his performances are described as combining technical skill with strong interpretation.

Style and repertoire

Doughty’s playing centres on acoustic guitar and slide guitar, with an approach that draws on folk and blues while also extending beyond simple genre labels. He writes original songs and reinterprets existing material in a way that gives familiar pieces a new shape. His version of “Eleanor Rigby” is singled out as a particularly distinctive example of this approach.

His songs also include social and political subject matter. One piece, about Zimbabwe’s suffering and exploitation, receives support from Billy Bragg and interest from Amnesty International.

Recordings

By 2009, Doughty completes his third album, Have a Taste of This. His first two albums are featured on national radio and played internationally, and the later release continues his focus on songwriting and guitar work.

Reception and performances

Woody Mann describes Doughty as one of the most original new artists he has heard, pointing to his guitar style and vocal treatment of traditional songs and original material. Bob Brozman writes that he has a strong musical feeling and a wide-ranging touch. Rock’n’Reel’s Jim Gillan argues that describing him simply as an acoustic blues guitarist misses the breadth of what he does, while Michael Prince calls him a must-see performer.

Doughty performs in a range of settings, from the International Guitar Festival to small local clubs.