Doc was born on the west coast of the United States, in the small coastal town of Bellingham, WA. His dad was, as Doc describes, “a bugle blowing crazed gunnery sergeant from the USMC,” while his mother was “a sweet, timid kind of woman.” However, of greater significance to Van Etten’s eventual music career, she also taught piano.
Doc attributes much of his love for music to his mother. After he contracted polio at a young age, she used her piano as hand therapy for him, teaching him chords to stretch his curled fingers open. These piano lessons piqued Doc’s interest in music, a passion that has never waned.
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.
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.”
For Doc, that was the beginning of a very long road trip, one crammed with enough memories to fill a few books. And songs, which he does – Doc Van Etten is first and foremost a song writer.
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. The uninitiated may wish to begin with Step Outta Line, a memorable upbeat rocker that is bound to get stuck in your head. Still other tracks find him collaborating with cronies such as Order of the Walrus, Barb Henry Kahawai, and fellow Exquisite Noise artist Bishop Robinson. He has also produced many efforts for the label, working with musicians ranging from Bobby Holland to R.T. Colasurdo and others. The results are consistently fresh, on stellar releases that keep the listener continually engaged, wondering what might come next.
Doc has also recently become a published author! His first two books, I-IV-V Technique For Guitar & Piano, parts 1 and 2, are now available on Kindle! These beginner’s guides will teach you the basics for some common chords on both instruments, along with some theory and even charts with proper fingering. Future installments in this series will soon follow. But to begin your musical journey, you can click these images to get started with the first two:
He has also recently published his first novel, in 2024. Titled Cascade Warriors, it’s what Doc describes as “a fictional tale of freedom lost,” and concerns a group of regular citizens turned freedom fighters. Click the image below if you would like to learn more, and order this fantastic tale from Amazon:
