Fused with a little Detroit grit, Doop and the Inside Outlaws brought their unique blend of honest, raw and heartfelt Americana to Ty Fest 2015.
Don “Doop†Duprie is one of Detroit’s best-kept secrets. The roots of this working class singer/songwriter shine throughout his lyrics, which he wears on his sleeve like a badge of honor. He writes honest songs about every day, working people. A laid off firefighter, born and raised in industrial River Rouge, Michigan, Doop has forged a successful music career as a solo artist and as the front man for his band, the Inside Outlaws.
Doop and Ty Stone formed the Inside Outlaws Songwriter’s Collective in 2005. According to Doop, “The original vision was to get a group of songwriters and musicians together to make good music and really focus on writing great songs.†In addition to Doop and Ty, the group of alt-country and Americana musicians includes Matt Dmits, Alison Lewis, Katie Grace, Pat V and Gregory Beyer.
Since that time, the collective has morphed into a group of musicians who, not only play under the name of the Inside Outlaws, but also create music on their own under their own name. Similar to Alison Lewis’s band, String of Ponies, the Inside Outlaws come and go, and sometimes come back again, which keeps the music fresh and always evolving.
Doop teamed up with legendary Detroit producer Jim Diamond at Ghetto Recorders for all three of his album releases: Blood River (2007), Everett Belcher (2009) and What Am I Supposed To Do? (2011).
Cat, of Radio Free Americana, described Blood River as “a raw, honest mix of workingman’s country and rock n’ roll from the heartland that swaggers like The Waco Brothers.â€
Eric Allen, of Real Detroit Weekly, stated “From the first strum of the acoustic guitar on album opener ‘Everett Belcher,’ Doop stakes his claim as Detroit’s Bruce Springsteen. Meshing the Boss and his New Jersey tales with John Mellencamp’s odes to Indiana, Doop fills Everett Belcher with bits and flecks of Detroit.â€
Brett Callwood, of the Metro Times, described What Am I Supposed To Do? as “honest, raw and heartfelt, but that vein of Detroit filth and gasoline is running straight through it, giving his country music an edge that our friends to the South will never be able to match.â€
Doop’s songwriting has received national attention, having been hailed, “hands down the best songwriting we (Detroit) now have to offer the American World†by Don Zelaznv of AmericanRoots.com.
Doop’s albums made the Top Ten List in Metro Times and AmericanaRoots.com. His second album, Everett Belcher, won the 2010 Detroit Music Award for Outstanding Country Recording and was named Album of the Day by Country Music Pride’s podcast American Daily. His music has been featured on the award-winning podcast Digivegas.com, the #1 Americana podcast, Americana Root Roundtable, on NoDepression.com and on the American Public Media radio show The Story.
Doop has been named a 2012 Kresge Artist Fellow. The program recognizes Detroit area performing artists for their “creative vision and commitment to excellence.â€
Doop is a self-taught guitar player, following two lessons he says he didn’t like. Doop says he remembers watching a PBS documentary about the tragic plight of the American farmer during the Reagan era and around that time he heard “Rain on the Scarecrow†by John Mellencamp. This, he says, changed his life.
According to the article “Working Man’s Blues,†written by Bill Holdship of the Metro Times, Doop feels Bruce Springsteen is the very best. Doop even performs a countrified cover of the Springsteen’s “Prove It All Night,†which he recorded for the Everett Belcher album. Along with the Boss, Doop’s musical DNA is made up of the Charlie Pride, Hank Williams Sr. and Conway Twitty songs he heard in his grandfather’s pickup as a youngster. As are the Bob Seger tunes his hot-rodder dad had blaring in the garage while building cars. As is the Motown music his mother adored. And Doop strongly believes that all those distinct elements, even the soul part… no, especially the soul part, have a place in Americana’s unique musical blend.
Last year, LA Weekly listed Doop and the Inside Outlaws as one of their “10 Country Artists You Should Be Listening To.†A list which also included Eric Church, Whitey Morgan and Sturgill Simpson!
Doop sat down with Erik Heemsoth of National Country Review where they discussed many things such as how he got into playing music, where he draws his influences from to write songs, how he got his nick-name, the story behind the Inside Outlaws Songwriter’s Collective, his relationship with Ty Stone, his previous albums plus the upcoming one, touring, Dangerously Delicious Pies, playing Ty Fest and an upcoming speaking engagement where he was invited to speak to a Labor Studies class at Michigan State University.
Interview:
When not playing music, you can find Doop baking pies at Dangerously Delicious Pies, which is located inside the Third Street Bar in Detroit. Doop is one of the owners of the pie shop. Business is doing great for the Pie Guys and they are rated one of the top restaurants in Detroit.
Take those influences mentioned earlier, mix in a little storytelling from Bob Dylan, some songwriting from Ryan (not Bryan) Adams plus the grittiness of Richmond Virginia’s Tim Barry, and you have the unique sound that is Don “Doop†Duprie.
Photographs of Doop and the Inside Outlaws taken at Ty Fest 2015 by Thom Seling & Robert Somerville.
Doop & The Inside Outlaws
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