Douglas Craig Bennett (October 31, 1951 – October 16, 2004) was the lead singer of Canadian rock band

Doug and the Slugs Doug and the Slugs are a Canadian pop music group formed in 1977 in Vancouver, British Columbia. The band enjoyed a number of Canadian top 40 hits in the 1980s, most notably "Too Bad" (1980), "Who Knows How To Make Love Stay" (1982), "Making It W ...

. He also produced and directed music videos for artists such as

Headpins Headpins are a Canadian rock group, founded as a side project in the late 1970s by then Chilliwack members Ab Bryant and Brian MacLeod. Macleod was impressed by the vocal talents of Vancouver rock singer Denise McCann, and asked her to join his ...

, Trooper,

Zappacosta Alfredo Peter "Alfie" Zappacosta (born July 5, 1953), also known by just his surname, is an Italian-born Canadian musician. Career Zappacosta's first band was Surrender, a five-piece group that recorded three albums in the late 1970s and earl ...

, Suzanne Gitzi, and

Images in Vogue Images in Vogue is a Canadian new wave group formed in 1981 in Vancouver. It originally consisted of vocalist Dale Martindale, guitarist Don Gordon (later of Numb), synth players Joe Vizvary and Glen Nelson, bassist Gary Smith, and percussioni ...

as well as for the Slugs themselves. Born in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

, Bennett moved to

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

in 1973. In 1977, he formed Doug and the Slugs and the band toured extensively through North America in the 1980s. Bennett wrote or co-wrote such songs as "Too Bad," "Day By Day," "Making It Work", and "

Tomcat Prowl "Tomcat Prowl", written by Doug Bennett and John Burton, is a song performed by Doug and the Slugs Doug and the Slugs are a Canadian pop music group formed in 1977 in Vancouver, British Columbia. The band enjoyed a number of Canadian top 40 h ...

." Besides works with Doug and the Slugs, Bennett released a solo album, ''Animato'', in 1986. Bennett died in

Calgary Calgary ( ) is the largest city in the western Canadian province of Alberta and the largest metro area of the three Prairie Provinces. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806, makin ...

on October 16, 2004, after a lengthy illness, a week after falling into a coma. He was the subject of the documentary ''

Doug and the Slugs and Me ''Doug and the Slugs and Me'' is a Canadian documentary film, directed by Teresa Alfeld and released in 2022.Tom Zillich"Singer’s journals are key in the poignant Vancouver music story ‘Doug and the Slugs and Me’" ''Peace Arch News'', May 1 ...

'' by director Teresa Alfeld, which had its world premiere at the 2022

DOXA Documentary Film Festival The DOXA Documentary Film Festival is a documentary film festival based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. It is held annually held for 10 days in May, and is presented by The Documentary Media Society, a non-profit organization. The festiva ...

.Steve Newton
"Teresa Alfeld found herself in Doug and the Slugs and Me"
''

The Georgia Straight ''The Georgia Straight'' is a free Canadian weekly news and entertainment newspaper published in Vancouver, British Columbia, by Overstory Media Group. Often known simply as ''The Straight'', it is delivered to newsboxes, post-secondary schools, ...

'', May 3, 2022.

References

External links

* (memorial service program) * Pique News articl
Doug and the Slugs Front Man Dead at 52

DougAndTheSlugs.ca Official Doug And The Slugs website

CanadianBands.com entry for Doug And The Slugs

Doug and the Slugs at ''The Canadian Encyclopedia''

1951 births 2004 deaths Canadian rock singers 20th-century Canadian male singers Canadian music video directors Musicians from Toronto {{Canada-singer-stub