Douglas Alan Yule (born February 25, 1947) is an American
musician
A musician is a person who composes, conducts, or performs music. According to the United States Employment Service, "musician" is a general term used to designate one who follows music as a profession. Musicians include songwriters who wri ...
and
singer
Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...
, most notable for being a member of
the Velvet Underground
The Velvet Underground was an American rock band formed in New York City in 1964. The original line-up consisted of singer/guitarist Lou Reed, multi-instrumentalist John Cale, guitarist Sterling Morrison, and drummer Angus MacLise. MacLise w ...
from 1968 to 1973 serving as the bassist, guitarist and occasional lead vocalist.
Biography
Early life
Doug Yule was born in
Mineola, Long Island, New York, and grew up in
Great Neck
Great Neck is a region on Long Island, New York, that covers a peninsula on the North Shore and includes nine villages, among them Great Neck, Great Neck Estates, Great Neck Plaza, Kings Point, and Russell Gardens, and a number of unincor ...
with five sisters and a younger brother. As a child he took piano and
baritone horn
The baritone horn, or sometimes just called baritone, is a low-pitched brass instrument in the saxhorn family.Robert Donington, "The Instruments of Music", (pp. 113ff ''The Family of Bugles'') 2nd ed., Methuen, London, 1962 It is a piston-val ...
lessons. He later said in an interview that he would have preferred violin lessons, but the violin had to be rented and the baritone horn was available free of charge.
In high school he played the tuba, as well as the guitar and the banjo, and sang in the church choir.
In 1965–66 he attended
Boston University
Boston University (BU) is a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. The university is nonsectarian, but has a historical affiliation with the United Methodist Church. It was founded in 1839 by Methodists with its original campu ...
, where he studied acting.
In Boston he met
Walter Powers and
Willie Alexander
Willie "Loco" Alexander (born January 13, 1943) is an American singer and keyboardist based in Gloucester, Massachusetts.
He played with the Lost, the Bagatelle and the Grass Menagerie, before becoming a member of the Velvet Underground in lat ...
of th
Grass Menagerie In 1966–67, he played with th
Grass Menagerieand other bands in New York, California, and Boston.
The Velvet Underground
1968–1970
Yule first met the Velvet Underground at his River Street apartment in Boston, which he rented from their road manager, Hans Onsager, and where the band would sometimes stay when they played in the city. Yule's improving guitar technique caught the ear of
Sterling Morrison
Holmes Sterling Morrison Jr. (August 29, 1942 – August 30, 1995) was an American guitarist, best known as one of the founding members of the rock group the Velvet Underground, usually playing electric guitar, occasionally bass guitar, and ...
.
[Jovanovic, pp. 126–27]
When
John Cale
John Davies Cale (born 9 March 1942) is a Welsh musician, composer, singer, songwriter and record producer who was a founding member of the American rock band the Velvet Underground. Over his six-decade career, Cale has worked in various styl ...
left the Velvet Underground at the behest of
Lou Reed
Lewis Allan Reed (March 2, 1942October 27, 2013) was an American musician, songwriter, and poet. He was the guitarist, singer, and principal songwriter for the rock band the Velvet Underground and had a solo career that spanned five decades. ...
in 1968, Yule joined the band (then consisting of Reed, Morrison and
Maureen "Moe" Tucker) as Cale's replacement. Yule made his first studio appearance on their third album, ''
The Velvet Underground
The Velvet Underground was an American rock band formed in New York City in 1964. The original line-up consisted of singer/guitarist Lou Reed, multi-instrumentalist John Cale, guitarist Sterling Morrison, and drummer Angus MacLise. MacLise w ...
'' (1969), playing bass and organ. As well as singing lead vocals on the
ballad
A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads derive from the medieval French ''chanson balladée'' or ''ballade'', which were originally "dance songs". Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and ...
"Candy Says", which opens the album, he harmonizes with Reed on "Jesus" and co-sings the chorus of the album's penultimate track, "The Murder Mystery", with Maureen Tucker.
His contribution to the LP was considerable, and his vocals would later come in handy on the road. When Reed's voice became strained from touring, Yule would sing lead on several songs. While Cale had been a more experimental bass player, Yule was considered more technically proficient on the instrument and his distinct melodic style suited Reed's desire to move the band into a more mainstream direction.
His lead vocals can be heard on the band's fourth album, ''
Loaded'' (1970), Yule's role became even more prominent, singing the lead vocals on several songs on the LP ("Who Loves the Sun", "New Age", "Lonesome Cowboy Bill", and "Oh! Sweet Nuthin'"), and playing six instruments (including keyboard and drums).
Yule's brother
Billy also joined in on the sessions as a drummer, as regular drummer Maureen Tucker was pregnant and therefore absent for most of the recording. His lead vocals can also be heard on the song "Ride Into the Sun", which was featured on the ''Fully Loaded'' CD reissue of ''Loaded '' that was released in 1997.
1970–73 (''Loaded'' tour and final Velvet Underground shows)
Lou Reed left the Velvet Underground during their summer residency at the New York club
Max's Kansas City
Max's Kansas City was a nightclub and restaurant at 213 Park Avenue South in New York City, which became a gathering spot for musicians, poets, artists and politicians in the 1960s and 1970s. It was opened by Mickey Ruskin (1933–1983) in Decembe ...
in August 1970. With band manager
Steve Sesnick
Stephen Eugene Sesnick Jr. (September 8, 1941 – October 27, 2022) was an American rock club and rock band manager, and later an inventor and businessman.
Early life
Sesnick was born in Hoboken, New Jersey, on September 8, 1941. He was educated ...
looking to fill pending bookings, and with the upcoming release of ''
Loaded'' in November of that year, Yule, Tucker and Morrison decided to continue performing as the Velvet Underground to promote the album. Yule took over lead vocals and switched his main instrument from bass to guitar, and
Walter Powers was recruited as the Velvets' new bass guitarist. Following the release of ''Loaded'' in Europe in the spring of 1971, Morrison left the group in August to resume his academic studies in Texas, and was replaced by
Willie Alexander
Willie "Loco" Alexander (born January 13, 1943) is an American singer and keyboardist based in Gloucester, Massachusetts.
He played with the Lost, the Bagatelle and the Grass Menagerie, before becoming a member of the Velvet Underground in lat ...
on keyboards. Alexander, Powers and Tucker left the Velvets in late 1972 after being forced out by manager Steve Sesnick prior to a handful of European shows to promote ''
Loaded'' in Europe. With no original band members left, and with a group of quickly assembled musicians, Yule played the final shows as the Velvet Underground in 1972. With
Ian Paice
Ian Anderson Paice (born 29 June 1948) is an English musician, best known as the drummer and last remaining original member of the rock band Deep Purple.
He is often cited as one of the greatest drummers of all-time. He remains the only member ...
of
Deep Purple
Deep Purple are an English rock band formed in London in 1968. They are considered to be among the pioneers of heavy metal music, heavy metal and modern hard rock music, but their musical style has changed over the course of its existence. Ori ...
and some session musicians, Yule recorded the album ''
Squeeze'' in late 1972. It was released in February 1973, and is in essence a Doug Yule solo album, though presented as a Velvet Underground album due to band manager Steve Sesnick's contractual agreement with Polydor, and due to the success of ''
Live at Max's Kansas City
''Live at Max's Kansas City'' is a live album by the Velvet Underground recorded at the famous nightclub and restaurant at 213 Park Avenue South in New York City. It was originally released on May 30, 1972, by Cotillion, a subsidiary label of A ...
'', which had received positive reviews the previous year. After two final shows in early 1973 (billed by the promoter as "The Velvet Underground", against Yule's wishes), the band was officially retired.
Lou Reed session work (1974–1976)
In 1974 Reed contacted Yule to contribute a melodic bass track on his solo album ''
Sally Can't Dance
''Sally Can't Dance'' is the fourth solo studio album by American musician Lou Reed, released in August 1974 by RCA Records. Steve Katz and Reed produced the album. It remains Reed's highest-charting album in the United States, having peaked at ...
'' (1974),
on the song "Billy", which closes the album, and Yule joined Reed's band for the subsequent US and European tour as his guitar player. Following the tour the band dissolved, but Yule was called back by Reed in 1975 to record several guitar and bass tracks for his upcoming album ''
Coney Island Baby
''Coney Island Baby'' is the sixth solo studio album by American musician Lou Reed, released December 1975 in the US, and in January 1976 in the UK, by RCA Records.
Music and lyrics
The album has been described by Anthony DeCurtis as "perhaps ...
'', the 30th anniversary re-issue of which includes the bonus tracks that feature Yule on bass and guitar.
1976–1978 (Elliot Murphy, American Flyer and hiatus from music)
In early 1976 Yule played guitar on ''Night Lights'' (1976) by
Elliott Murphy
Elliott James Murphy (born March 16, 1949) is an American rock singer-songwriter, novelist, record producer and journalist living in Paris.
Biography
Elliott Murphy was born in Rockville Centre, New York, grew up in Garden City, Long Island ...
, and joined the band
American Flyer
American Flyer is a brand of toy train and model railroad manufactured in the United States.
The Chicago era, 1907–1938
Although best remembered for the S gauge trains of the 1950s that it made as a division of the A. C. Gilbert Comp ...
later that year as their drummer and background singer.
American Flyer
American Flyer is a brand of toy train and model railroad manufactured in the United States.
The Chicago era, 1907–1938
Although best remembered for the S gauge trains of the 1950s that it made as a division of the A. C. Gilbert Comp ...
was an active
country rock
Country rock is a genre of music which fuses rock and country. It was developed by rock musicians who began to record country-flavored records in the late 1960s and early 1970s. These musicians recorded rock records using country themes, vocal s ...
band from 1976 to 1978, and the band also featured the guitarist
Steve Katz of
Blood, Sweat & Tears
Blood, Sweat & Tears (also known as "BS&T") is a jazz rock music group founded in New York City in 1967, noted for a combination of brass with rock instrumentation. In addition to original music, the group has performed popular songs by Laura Ny ...
. After securing a major-label contract with
United Artists
United Artists Corporation (UA), currently doing business as United Artists Digital Studios, is an American digital production company. Founded in 1919 by D. W. Griffith, Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford, and Douglas Fairbanks, the studi ...
, and managing to interest
George Martin
Sir George Henry Martin (3 January 1926 – 8 March 2016) was an English record producer, arranger, composer, conductor, and musician. He was commonly referred to as the "Fifth Beatle" because of his extensive involvement in each of the B ...
enough to bring him on board as their producer, American Flyer's debut album ''American Flyer'' debuted at #87 on the
Billboard Top 200
The ''Billboard'' 200 is a record chart ranking the 200 most popular music albums and EPs in the United States. It is published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine and is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artis ...
, and they even scored a minor hit with their single "Let Me Down Easy" which debuted at #80 in 1976.
Despite the promise showed on their first album, their follow-up album ''Spirit of a Woman'' failed to chart as high, and did not carry the momentum the label expected, and the band decided to fold.
After American Flyer disbanded, Yule retired from doing music full-time, and became a cabinetmaker and a luthier of violins.
1990–present
When the Velvet Underground reformed in early 1993,
Sterling Morrison
Holmes Sterling Morrison Jr. (August 29, 1942 – August 30, 1995) was an American guitarist, best known as one of the founding members of the rock group the Velvet Underground, usually playing electric guitar, occasionally bass guitar, and ...
had campaigned for Yule's involvement, but
Lou Reed
Lewis Allan Reed (March 2, 1942October 27, 2013) was an American musician, songwriter, and poet. He was the guitarist, singer, and principal songwriter for the rock band the Velvet Underground and had a solo career that spanned five decades. ...
and
John Cale
John Davies Cale (born 9 March 1942) is a Welsh musician, composer, singer, songwriter and record producer who was a founding member of the American rock band the Velvet Underground. Over his six-decade career, Cale has worked in various styl ...
ultimately overruled him, thus leaving Yule off the band's six-week reunion tour of Europe, and the subsequent live album ''
Live MCMXCIII
''Live MCMXCIII'' ("1993" in Roman numerals) is a live album by the Velvet Underground. It was released simultaneously in single and double CD/ cassette formats on October 26, 1993, by Sire Records, then DVD format on January 24, 2006. The singl ...
''. Following the continual interest in
the Velvet Underground
The Velvet Underground was an American rock band formed in New York City in 1964. The original line-up consisted of singer/guitarist Lou Reed, multi-instrumentalist John Cale, guitarist Sterling Morrison, and drummer Angus MacLise. MacLise w ...
, and partly due to the publicity of the band's released box set ''
Peel Slowly and See
''Peel Slowly and See'' is a five-disc box set of material by the Velvet Underground. It was released in September 1995 by Polydor.
Compilation
The name of this box set comes from the instruction presented on vinyl copies of the band's debut alb ...
'' in 1995, Yule, who had by then moved to the
San Francisco Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, often referred to as simply the Bay Area, is a populous region surrounding the San Francisco, San Pablo, and Suisun Bay estuaries in Northern California. The Bay Area is defined by the Association of Bay Area Go ...
, returned to public life, again giving interviews to journalists and various fanzines about his time in the Velvet Underground.
He also wrote an
obituary
An obituary ( obit for short) is an article about a recently deceased person. Newspapers often publish obituaries as news articles. Although obituaries tend to focus on positive aspects of the subject's life, this is not always the case. Ac ...
for Sterling Morrison, who had died in 1995.
Yule was not included along with the original line-up for the
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (RRHOF), sometimes simply referred to as the Rock Hall, is a museum
A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and othe ...
when the Velvet Underground were inducted in 1996. However, Yule remains a member of the Velvet business partnership, and continued to give the occasional interview about his time in the group. After having taken up the
violin
The violin, sometimes known as a ''fiddle'', is a wooden chordophone (string instrument) in the violin family. Most violins have a hollow wooden body. It is the smallest and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in the family in regular ...
, Yule began to record music again in 1997.
A song called "Beginning To Get It" appeared on the benefit compilation ''
A Place to Call Home'' in 1998.
He played some concerts in 2000, while the live album ''Live in Seattle'' was released in
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
in 2002. He featured on Tucker's live album ''
Moe Rocks Terrastock
''Moe Rocks Terrastock'' is the second live album released by Moe Tucker. It has only been released in Japan.
Track listing
#"Spam Again" – 5:17
#"I Wanna" – 3:08
#"I'm Sticking With You" – 2:34
#"Crackin' Up" – 4:08
#"That's B.A.D." – ...
''.
On August 31, 2006, Yule performed for the first time in public in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
in over 30 years with
Mark Gardener
Mark Stephen Gardener (born 6 December 1969, in Oxford, England) is an English rock musician, and a singer and guitarist with the shoegazing band Ride.
Ride
Gardener formed Ride with Andy Bell (guitar), whom he met at Cheney School in Oxfo ...
of
Ride
Ride may refer to:
People
* MC Ride, a member of Death Grips
* Sally Ride (1951–2012), American astronaut
* William Ride (19262011), Australian zoologist
Arts, entertainment, and media Films
* ''Ride'' (1998 film), a 1998 comedy by Millicen ...
at
Pianos
The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keyboa ...
. On December 8, 2009, he appeared with Reed and Tucker at the
New York Public Library
The New York Public Library (NYPL) is a public library system in New York City. With nearly 53 million items and 92 locations, the New York Public Library is the second largest public library in the United States (behind the Library of Congress ...
, to commemorate the publishing of ''The Velvet Underground – New York Art'', a collection of rare photographs of the band's first performance in New York City to
Andy Warhol
Andy Warhol (; born Andrew Warhola Jr.; August 6, 1928 – February 22, 1987) was an American visual artist, film director, and producer who was a leading figure in the visual art movement known as pop art. His works explore the relationsh ...
's cover designs. They conducted a Q&A with a sold-out live audience, and
David Fricke
David Fricke is an American music journalist who serves as the senior editor at ''Rolling Stone'' magazine, where he writes predominantly about rock music. One of the best known names in rock journalism, his career has spanned over 40 years. I ...
acted as moderator to the event.
Personal life
Yule currently lives in
Wallingford, Seattle
Wallingford (also known as North Lake Union by Seattle OGs in the know) is a neighborhood in north central Seattle, lying on a hill above the north shore of Lake Union about four miles from the downtown core. The neighborhood developed quickly d ...
with his partner Beth, and his son.
Discography
With the Velvet Underground
* ''
The Velvet Underground
The Velvet Underground was an American rock band formed in New York City in 1964. The original line-up consisted of singer/guitarist Lou Reed, multi-instrumentalist John Cale, guitarist Sterling Morrison, and drummer Angus MacLise. MacLise w ...
'' (1969)
* ''
Loaded'' (1970)
* ''
Live at Max's Kansas City
''Live at Max's Kansas City'' is a live album by the Velvet Underground recorded at the famous nightclub and restaurant at 213 Park Avenue South in New York City. It was originally released on May 30, 1972, by Cotillion, a subsidiary label of A ...
'' (1972)
* ''
Squeeze'' (1973)
* ''
1969: The Velvet Underground Live'' (1974)
* ''
VU'' (outtakes compilation, 1985
968–1969
* ''
Another View'' (outtakes compilation, 1986
967–1969
* ''
Chronicles
Chronicles may refer to:
* ''Books of Chronicles'', in the Bible
* Chronicle, chronological histories
* ''The Chronicles of Narnia'', a novel series by C. S. Lewis
* ''Holinshed's Chronicles'', the collected works of Raphael Holinshed
* '' The Idh ...
'' (compilation, 1991)
* ''
Peel Slowly and See
''Peel Slowly and See'' is a five-disc box set of material by the Velvet Underground. It was released in September 1995 by Polydor.
Compilation
The name of this box set comes from the instruction presented on vinyl copies of the band's debut alb ...
'' (box set, 1995
965–1970
* ''
Final V.U. 1971-1973'' (live box set, 2001
971–1973
* ''
Bootleg Series Volume 1: The Quine Tapes'' (live, 2001
969
Year 969 ( CMLXIX) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar, the 969th year of the Common Era (CE) and ''Anno Domini'' (AD) designations, the 969th year of the 1st millennium, the 69th ...
* ''
The Very Best of the Velvet Underground'' (best of, 2003
966–1970
* ''
The Complete Matrix Tapes
''The Complete Matrix Tapes'' is a live album by the New York City-based experimental rock band the Velvet Underground, released on November 20, 2015. It features unexpurgated recordings of the band's two-night stint on November 26 and 27, 1969, a ...
'' (live, 2015
969
Year 969 ( CMLXIX) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar, the 969th year of the Common Era (CE) and ''Anno Domini'' (AD) designations, the 969th year of the 1st millennium, the 69th ...
With Lou Reed
* ''
Sally Can't Dance
''Sally Can't Dance'' is the fourth solo studio album by American musician Lou Reed, released in August 1974 by RCA Records. Steve Katz and Reed produced the album. It remains Reed's highest-charting album in the United States, having peaked at ...
'' (1974)
* ''
Coney Island Baby: 30th Anniversary Edition'' (1975, 2005)
* ''
Between Thought and Expression: The Lou Reed Anthology'' (1992)
With American Flyer
* ''
American Flyer
American Flyer is a brand of toy train and model railroad manufactured in the United States.
The Chicago era, 1907–1938
Although best remembered for the S gauge trains of the 1950s that it made as a division of the A. C. Gilbert Comp ...
'' (1976)
* ''
Spirit of a Woman'' (1977)
Solo
* ''
Live in Seattle'' (2002)
With RedDog
* ''Hard Times'' (2009)
* ''Nine-Tail Cat'' (2011)
Other
*
Elliott Murphy
Elliott James Murphy (born March 16, 1949) is an American rock singer-songwriter, novelist, record producer and journalist living in Paris.
Biography
Elliott Murphy was born in Rockville Centre, New York, grew up in Garden City, Long Island ...
: ''
Night Lights'' (1976)
*
Maureen Tucker
Maureen Ann "Moe" Tucker (born August 26, 1944) is an American musician and singer-songwriter who was the drummer for the New York City-based rock band the Velvet Underground. After they disbanded in the early 1970s, she left the music industry ...
: ''
Moe Rocks Terrastock
''Moe Rocks Terrastock'' is the second live album released by Moe Tucker. It has only been released in Japan.
Track listing
#"Spam Again" – 5:17
#"I Wanna" – 3:08
#"I'm Sticking With You" – 2:34
#"Crackin' Up" – 4:08
#"That's B.A.D." – ...
'' (2002)
*
The Loves
The Loves were a heavily 1960s influenced pop music, pop band, formed in 2000 in Cardiff, Wales. Their debut album ''Love'' was released on Track and Field Records in 2004, but attracted generally hostile press coverage, and was commercially un ...
: ''...Love You'' (2010)
References
External links
Doug Yule– Violin page
RedDog– RedDog home page
– fansite
– essay about the later, Yule-led days of the Velvet Underground and their final album
– from 1994
Interview from 2008 about the Velvet Underground and folk music
{{DEFAULTSORT:Yule, Doug
1947 births
Living people
People from Great Neck, New York
American rock bass guitarists
American male bass guitarists
American rock keyboardists
American rock songwriters
American organists
American male organists
American rock singers
American multi-instrumentalists
American rock guitarists
American male guitarists
American male singer-songwriters
The Velvet Underground members
Bowed string instrument makers
Guitarists from New York (state)
20th-century American guitarists
20th-century American pianists
American Flyer (band) members
American male pianists
21st-century American keyboardists
21st-century organists
20th-century American keyboardists
20th-century American male singers
20th-century American singers
21st-century American male singers
21st-century American singers
Singer-songwriters from New York (state)
Protopunk musicians
American tenors