Doug Levitt (born 1972) is an American singer-songwriter and writer known principally for ''The Greyhound Diaries'', a project lasting more than a decade and traveling over 100,000 miles via Greyhound bus and has resulted in songs, stories and images of fellow travelers, many struggling to get by. The project, modeled on WPA-era projects that drew a fuller portrait of America, is ongoing, passing 100,000 miles at the end of 2015. Levitt has been featured by CNN, MSNBC, Fox News, The Wall Street Journal,

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, and Reuters. The Greyhound Diaries has resulted in two records, a one-man show, published writings, photo exhibits and a web series. Prior to embarking on his long journey, Levitt was a foreign correspondent. Based in London, he dispatched from Iran, Rwanda, and Bosnia for, among others, ABC, CNN and MSNBC.

Personal life

Levitt is the youngest child of former Washington, D.C. Councilmember and mayoral candidate Carol Schwartz and husband David Schwartz. He attended the Washington, D.C. public schools, graduating from Woodrow Wilson High School. When Levitt was 16, his father committed suicide, an experience he has mentioned in interviews as instrumental in his path toward becoming an artist.

Education

Levitt attended Cornell University, where he was a student of the late-astrophysicist and author

Carl Sagan Carl Edward Sagan (; ; November 9, 1934December 20, 1996) was an American astronomer, planetary scientist, cosmologist, astrophysicist, astrobiologist, author, and science communicator. His best known scientific contribution is research on ext ...

. He later received a

Fulbright Scholarship The Fulbright Program, including the Fulbright–Hays Program, is one of several United States Cultural Exchange Programs with the goal of improving intercultural relations, cultural diplomacy, and intercultural competence between the people of ...

and earned his masters in International Relations at the London School of Economics.

Career

While in London, Levitt switched careers, from foreign correspondent to singer-songwriter. After moving to Nashville, Levitt worked with noted Americana producer David Henry, known for producing records for Josh Rouse, Yo La Tengo and Guster. The two began what would become a long-term collaboration on The Greyhound Diaries. Over the course of Levitt’s travels, he has captured more than 20,000 images and has performed the work at The Kennedy Center, Walter Reed Army Medical Center, the Woody Guthrie Center, the Southern Poverty Law Center, University of Southern California and homeless shelters across the country. Produced by David Henry, the recordings include the contributions of Steve Bowman, founding member of Counting Crows and Craig Wright, drummer for

Steve Earle Stephen Fain Earle (; born January 17, 1955) is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, author, and actor. Earle began his career as a songwriter in Nashville and released his first EP in 1982. Initially working in the country music g ...

and Eric Church.CMJ, “Doug Levitt Takes the Bus," December 7, 2007

References

External links

Official WebsiteGreyhound Diaries Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Levitt, Doug Living people American male singer-songwriters American folk rock musicians 1972 births American rock songwriters American rock singers 21st-century American singers 21st-century American male singers Cornell University alumni Singer-songwriters from Washington, D.C. American television journalists American foreign correspondents