As one of L.A.'s top studio players, bandleaders, and songwriters, Craig Doerge's keyboard skills have been enjoyed on countless albums - for such diverse artists as Linda Rondstadt, Carly Simon, The Temptations, Phoebe Snow, Bette Midler, Barbra Streisand, Willie Nelson, and Frank Zappa & The GTO's.

As a performer, Doerge (rhymes with "Fergie") is best known for his keyboard work with Crosby Stills & Nash, James Taylor and Jackson Browne - having earned 23 gold & platinum albums from these three acts alone. His piano skills have played a leading role on such hit records as "Don't Let Me Be Lonely Tonight," "The Pretender," "Running on Empty," "Rock Me On The Water," "Shadow Captain," "Just a Song Before I Go," "The Load Out/Stay," "Wind On the Water" and "World in Motion."

Craig's own jazz-fusion band, The Section (Lee Sklar- bass, Russ Kunkel- drums, Dan Kortchmar- gtr) made three albums (Warner Bros. & Capital) and attained cult status while touring with The Mahavishnu Orchestra. Both in the studio and on the road, as a mainstay in the bands of James Taylor, Crosby Stills & Nash, Jackson Browne, and (in 1993) Simon & Garfunkel, he's performed for millions of concert fans throughout the Americas, Europe, New Zealand, and the Orient. He's appeared on network television, satellite broadcasts, and feature films, both here and abroad; including The Tonight Show, Saturday Night Live, Arsenio Hall, No Nukes, and David Letterman.

Among his awards are a Grammy award in 1983 and a Grammy nomination in 1992 and, in 1990, Craig's selection by the National Academy of Songwriters to be a featured performer at their Fifth Annual Salute to the American Songwriter. In addition, Rolling Stone critic and author David Marsh named Craig Doerge to his list of "Rock & Roll’s Thirty Greatest Keyboard Players."

Craig's production/co-production credits include all three of The Section's albums, two cuts from the Crosby Stills & Nash multi-platinum CD "Daylight Again" and Graham Nash's solo album on Atlantic Records, "Innocent Eyes." He co-produced two songs with Thomas Newman for the movie "Reckless" and co-produced "Step by Step," performed by Don Henley, J.D. Souther and Karla Bonoff in the Ed Zwick film "About Last Night" (movie version of David Mamet's play, "Sexual Perversity in Chicago"). In addition, Craig wrote the title song for the classic surf film "Pacific Vibrations" and co-wrote and produced nine songs and the score for Robert Altman's production of Robert Young's film "Rich Kids." Additional record production credits include David Crosby's solo album on A&M Records in 1986: "Oh Yes I Can" (which featured David's first radio/MTV hit, "Drive My Car" and his take on "My Country Tis of Thee": performed by guitar legend, Michael Hedges), as well as co-producing the CSN single "Chipping Away," released by Atlantic Records in honor of the Berlin wall coming down in 1986.

He wrote the music score for a new blues/cabaret show with the legendary Judy Henske (review: SMART magazine 6/'90). In addition, Craig co-wrote and produced the song "Better World" (w/Graham Nash) - commissioned by CBS News to anchor Dan Rather's Emmy winning broadcast Year in Review '89. The song was later chosen to be the theme for the first-ever joint United States/Soviet Union peacetime air exhibition.

As musical director, Craig's skills trace back to his work with Tony Berg (producer for The Replacements/ Nickel Creek/ head A&R Geffen records etc) and his work in the Robert Altman movie "A Perfect Couple," as well as playing keys for five different artists at the now legendary No Nukes concerts at Madison Square Garden.

In 1993 Craig toured with the reunited Simon & Garfunkel, playing before audiences of 52,000+ people indoors in Japan. "I was very nervous about playing "Bridge Over Troubled Water" the first time in front of so many people, but even more scared about playing in front of one special guest... Mr. Akio Morita: the founder of Sony. "I am a big fan of Sony…it was cool."

After his years as Musical Director for Art Garfunkel, Craig was asked to join Joe Walsh for a great, wild reunion of Joe's James Gang days band. "Much as I respect and appreciated being Art's MD, and working with Paul & his amazing band from all over the world: Steve Gadd... Michael Brecker...Cyro Baptiste...Vincent N'Guiney…Chris Botti., etc., it was great fun to stretch out with Joe Walsh..to play some straight ahead rock & roll at big state fairs and Army bases where, more than once, an enthusiastic young girl in the front rows would like the music so much she would just fling off her top. That didn't happen much with Art (at least not when I was with him).

After 25 + years on the road (and after daughter Kate was grown and flown), Craig decided to get off the tour bus, stay closer to home and start his own record company, aimed primarily at recording his music and artists. Craig turned his attentions to composing full time and, more important, to a secret weapon... someone so special that he could make a career leap. All it meant was going back to what, and who, got him into show business in the beginning.

Craig & Judy began playing the L.A. club scene from '94 to '97 - testing and working on their sound and material. In 2000 Craig produced Judy Henske's: LOOSE IN THE WORLD. Judy was already set in music history and taking a chance to come back after a 25 year hiatus. Their effort was met with sensational reviews…and internet sales. In 2004 Craig co-wrote and produced a second CD: SHE SANG CALIFORNIA -to even better reviews than 'Loose. In 2006, Rhino Handmade Records approached Craig & Judy to help them make a box set of songs that might best represent Judy's career to date...and twelve of those songs on that box-set set are Fair Star Music master recordings. "The idea of Judy & I being able to have our own record company; writing, recording, and marketing our own songs and ideas worldwide is like some great dream of what drove us both, separately, to come to Hollywood. We are blessed."

On a personal note, Craig was raised in Cleveland, Ohio. He is a graduate of University School, and received his BA degree in Economics from Trinity College. He is involved in benefit work for several organizations, including the TJ Martell Foundation, UNICEF, Bread & Roses, The Seva Foundation, Doctors Without Borders, and the Alliance for Survival - as well as industry organizations NARAS / AF of M / and AFTRA.

(Craig is endorsed by YAMAHA MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS...has been endorsed by Korg Instruments / Baldwin Pianos/ CBS Rhodes... and is a very good ping-pong player.)

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