Doug Carter was born on June 15th, 1973 in the small town of Paducah, KY. From an early age, music played a big part in Doug’s life. Whether it was listening on the radio at home or participating in musical functions at school and church, Doug was beginning to shape his musical tastes as early as he can remember. At the age of 4, Doug began showing an interest in playing music. When he was 5, his parents bought an old, upright player piano. The piano was too big to fit through the door of their home, so it was placed in the family’s garage. Doug spent hours upon hours in the garage playing his new instrument. At times, the summer heat was so intense that Doug had to be made to come back into the house to escape heat exhaustion. The time that Doug invested in learning this art form let his parents know that it wasn’t a passing phase. As soon as they were able, Doug’s parents bought a newer piano that could be placed inside their home. All through his childhood years, and on into his teenage years, Doug studied under several private piano instructors. He also took advantage of every opportunity to perform music for anyone who would listen. It was during Doug’s early years of musical training that film music began to speak to him in a very powerful way. Right around the time that Doug reached his teens his parents took him to a Gospel Music concert at a local church. The harmony structures of this style of music captivated Doug and caused him to throw himself into studying this style of music. Doug spent the majority of his teenage years playing Gospel Music on a regional level. It was these years that also allowed Doug to get his first taste of the recording studio environment.
Not long after Doug celebrated his 18th birthday, he landed a job with a Gospel Music touring act. This would be Doug’s first opportunity to let music pay the bills. From that time, Doug spent the next eight years touring with several different Gospel Music acts. Some years, Doug spent as many as 280 days on the road. In 1998, Doug moved to Nashville, TN. He quickly made connections with people in all facets of the music business. These friendships allowed Doug to begin working steadily in recording studios on, and around, music row. Doug also continued his touring work. Since relocating to Nashville, Doug has produced records for Grammy© and Gospel Music Award winning artists.
After years of studying the craft of film music, Doug got his first opportunity to compose a film score in 2005. An independent film company located in Chicago contacted Doug to score a feature film that the company was producing. The film, titled “Legit”, premiered in Chicago in January of 2006. Doug has also had the opportunity to compose music for numerous animated videos and commercial ad campaigns.