Songs Illuminated Series: Gerald Dowd
The third instalment of Songs Illuminated will feature Chicago drummer/singer/songwriter Gerald Dowd.
Gerald Dowd has been described as “the hardest working drummer in Chicago” (Richard Milne, WXRT), playing on over 100 albums, and averaging 150 live dates a year around the world. In recent years, he’s been releasing solo albums of original material, starting with his 2012 release, Kingsize EP. In 2014, he was the recipient of an IAP arts grant from Chicago’s Dept. Of Cultural Affairs/Special Events (DCASE), which led to his first full-length solo album, Home Now, produced by Grammy-nominated producer Liam Davis, and featuring, among others, Chicago legends Robbie Fulks and Nora O’Connor. And August 2023 found him releasing his second full length album, “Father’s Day” to a packed house at Space in Evanston. He is currently playing to support this most recent release.
As a solo artist, Mr. Dowd has played shows with Jeff Tweedy, Ian Hunter, Delbert McClinton, Kasey Chambers, Heartsfield, Jason Narducy, Rhett Miller, Nellie McKay, Sam Baker and Mr. Fulks. He has also performed and/or recorded with Eddie Vedder, Dos Lobos (feat. David Hidalgo and Cesar Rosas from Los Lobos), A Prairie Home Companion, Mavis Staples, Chris Mills, Bernie Williams, Frisbie, Nora O’Connor, Kelly Hogan, Edith Frost, Lush Budgett, Dave Ramont, Split Single, Dick Smith, Dave Sills, Lloyds Green & Maines, Dennis Crouch, Clyde Stubblefield, Peter Himmelman, Samba Bamba!, Alphonso Ponticelli and Swing Gitan, 500Clown Theater Company, Neko Case, Andrew Bird, EXO, Steve Albini, George Jones, Buck Owens, Tina Fey, Syd Straw, Marshall Crenshaw, Rhymefest, Rich Little, Otis Clay, Catie Curtis, Pinetop Seven, Richie Cole, and Arturo Sandoval, among many others.
