Music INSIGHT
A
by Benjamin Nunnally
familiar face in the Calhoun County
music scene is taking his act on the
road under a new name, as Dougie
Alvie — who you might remember as the
Brandon Strother, singer for Anniston blues/
funk outfit Doublewide Soul — with plans
to head through Florida on the “Sunshine
Tour,” his inaugural romp for his new oneman act.
“Doing mini-tours like this, you might sleep
in a hotel or you might sleep in your car seat,”
said Alvie. “A big thing I’ve got going for me
is I still got that youthful spine, I can wake up
without my back hurting.”
The change in name comes from his new
touring ethos, maintaining a singular figure
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for other band members to drop in or out as
the please, leaving Alvie able to book as a
solo act or with friends for shows. The name
was chosen primarily for being unusual and
easy to remember, a reference Alvie pulled
from one of two orphaned, baby ducks he
adopted in his high school days.
“Found ‘em coming from Georgia through
Piedmont, so I picked them up and raised
them until they were too old to handle,” said
Alvie. “They had a good childhood!”
Alvie continues to perform original music, as
well as an extensive list of cover songs. When
arranging gigs, he keeps a list full of tunes ripe
for the covering, taking on Edwin McCain’s “I’ll
Be” for weddings and golden oldies for tame
November 2014
INSIGHT