Douglas "Doug" Wesley Ashdown (born 29 July 1942) is an Australian singer-songwriter who had a minor hit with "

Winter in America ''Winter in America'' is a studio album by American vocalist Gil Scott-Heron and keyboardist Brian Jackson. It was recorded in September to October 1973 at D&B Sound Studio in Silver Spring, Maryland and released in May 1974 by Strata-East Reco ...

", also known as "Leave Love Enough Alone", which reached No. 13 on the Dutch Singles Chart in 1978. In 1988 the song was covered by Dutch singer

René Froger René Froger (born 5 November 1960 in Amsterdam), is a Dutch singer. Froger was born, and spent his first years in the Jordaan, a neighbourhood in Amsterdam. His father, Bolle Jan, had a café where Froger started performing. He started his ...

, and in 1994 by Australian group The Robertson Brothers. Ashdown reached No. 46 on the Australian

Kent Music Report The Kent Music Report was a weekly record chart of Australian music singles and albums which was compiled by music enthusiast David Kent from May 1974 through to January 1999. The chart was re-branded the Australian Music Report (AMR) in July ...

with "The Saddest Song of All" released in August 1970. In 1977, his album, ''Trees'' won the ''

TV Week ''TV Week'' is a weekly Australian magazine that provides television program listings information and highlights, as well as television-related news. Content ranges from previews for upcoming storylines of popular television programs, particu ...

'' (an Australian television entertainment magazine) King of Pop Award for 'Best Album Cover'.

Biography

Douglas Wesley Ashdown was born in 1942 in

Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...

and at the age of 17 he travelled to England to play in a rock band. In 1961 he was back in Adelaide and played guitar alongside

Bobby Bright Bobby Neal Bright Sr. (born July 21, 1952) is an American former lawyer, farmer, and former politician who served as a U.S. Representative and was previously the three term Mayor of Montgomery, Alabama. He served from 2009 to 2011 as the Represe ...

as vocalist in The Bowmen. By 1965, as a solo singer-songwriter, he released his first album, ''This Is Doug Ashdown''. His 1960s popular singles were "Something Strange" in 1968, and in 1969, " Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin On" (

cover Cover or covers may refer to: Packaging * Another name for a lid * Cover (philately), generic term for envelope or package * Album cover, the front of the packaging * Book cover or magazine cover ** Book design ** Back cover copy, part of co ...

of the

Jerry Lee Lewis Jerry Lee Lewis (September 29, 1935October 28, 2022) was an American singer, songwriter and pianist. Nicknamed "The Killer", he was described as "rock & roll's first great wild man". A pioneer of rock and roll and rockabilly music, Lewis made ...

' hit). In 1970, he signed with the independent label, Sweet Peach, and issued "The Saddest Song of All" in August which peaked at number 46 on the Kent Music Report. The song was written by Ashdown and Jim Stewart, who became his long-term producer and co-writer. The associated album, ''The Age of Mouse'', was the first double

LP album The LP (from "long playing" or "long play") is an analog sound storage medium, a phonograph record format characterized by: a speed of rpm; a 12- or 10-inch (30- or 25-cm) diameter; use of the "microgroove" groove specification; and a ...

of original material released by an Australian. Ashdown and Stewart relocated to the United States, living in

Nashville Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and the ...

. While in Nashville, the pair co-wrote "Just Thank Me", for David Rogers, who released it in 1973—it peaked at No. 17 on the US Country Music Singles Chart. They also co-wrote "Leave Love Enough Alone" which Ashdown released in 1974 upon relocation to Sydney. He had a minor hit with it when it was renamed as "

" and released in 1976. It peaked at No. 3 in Brisbane, No. 14 in Melbourne and No. 30 in Sydney. In 1977, his album, ''Trees'' won the ''

'', an Australian television entertainment magazine, King of Pop Award for 'Best Album Cover'. Ashdown also worked with science fiction writer/songwriter Terry Dowling on recordings of Dowling's song-cycle "Amberjack", about a stranded time traveller. Ashdown contributed lead vocals and guitar to six of the tracks of Dowling's song-cycle which were broadcast by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation in 1977. He continued to release singles and albums and had minor chart success into the 1980s.

Discography

Studio albums

Live albums

Compilation albums

Charting singles

Awards

Australian Record Awards

, - , 1975 , ''Leave Love Enough Alone'' , Easy Listening Male Album of the Year ,

References

;General * * Note: Archived n-linecopy has limited functionality. * ;Specific

External links

Official website
* Doug Ashdownat

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ashdown, Doug 1942 births Australian country singers Australian folk singers Australian guitarists Australian singer-songwriters Living people