Doc Van Etten has performed and produced a lot of music in the past fifty some years. Playing flute and percussion in the Walrus Brothers, drums in the cowboy band Good Ole Boys, and keys as well as guitar in the Doc Roc Band are but a few of his highlights. Wherever his booking agent suggested he play, Doc went. In his own telling, “it was a rockin’ blues band screaming down the highway in an old bus. Many a year has passed us by. And in the blink of an eye, life had been lived.”
In 1967, Doc auditioned for a drumming job with a Seattle, WA band called Siddhartha’s Children. After the audition the band leader (David Jackson Gressel) immediately informed Doc that he had the job. Soon afterwards, Doc and Dave began working together, recording original songs. Meanwhile in 1970, the guitar player for Siddhartha’s Children, Charlie Kirk, was forced to make a difficult decision: go to Viet Nam or finish his last quarter at Texas Tech University. Van Etten had in fact just received his own “1-A” card in the mail. Knowing that a draft notice could be in the mail at any time, Doc said, “I would like to see Texas before I see Viet Nam.” So two of Siddhartha’s Children headed south to Texas in an old VW.
In August of 2021, Doc released his debut album with Exquisite Noise Records, titled These Friends. It’s a brilliant, eclectic mix that almost defies categorization, though tremendously catchy throughout and displaying great instrumental dexterity. Since that time, he has issued a number of other classic albums, in addition to producing still other artists for us, and even assembling a handful of compilations. Now based out of Ohio, Doc continues to work at a feverish pace – we’re never quite sure what to expect next from him, only that we will love it. Give him a listen if you haven’t already, and you are bound to agree.
And he’s also an author! In addition to his extensive work creating music, producing, and assembling videos for numerous artists on our roster, Doc has also written novels, children’s books, and musical instruction books. On occasion he even lends his creative talents to what you might term “video short stories” such as the one below.
If interested in checking out his titles, we have all these handy Amazon links at the ready for you:
Ruffy, Just Another Musician Mouse In: Freddy The Crow
Ruffy, Just Another Musical Mouse In: Buster The Bunny
Ruffy, Just Another Musical Mouse In: The Ballerina