BETA Records - Your music matters!

Doug LaVine was born on Oct 19, 1939 in Utica, New York. When he was only a few years old the family moved to the country and there, on the border with Deerfield, NY, all the things needed to influence him in music began to take shape. Doug used to pick the lock on his Dad's guitar case and try to figure out how to play "that darn thang". He attended Horatio Seymour School in North Utica and when he reached the eighth grade he was voted class president. He then went on to Utica Free Academy High School. While in high school Doug was kind of quiet and shy. Not much went on in high school but after high school he got involved with music and started to play in bands, playing Rock and Roll and Country Music. He then began to grow! After playing in several bands....trying to see where he fit in, he then shifted and moved into Country Rock. After a few years of that he then began to lean to Traditional Country Music. A friend, who was a business man, saw something in Doug and asked him if he would be interested in making a record. He had to write the songs for this deal to be complete. So....he wrote the songs and they were off to record them. The songs, "TICK TOCK" and "ARE YOU LONELY" became local favorites and then things began to move forward for Doug. He did some local TV shows and then was picked up by a country radio DJ at station.. WADR.."The Country Giant" and booked on as the opening act for many Nashville Country acts. Soon he was traveling all over New York State performing Country Music.
He then went to Los Angeles, California and wrote "THE LAST TIME I SAW HER" and was recording at Paramount Records. He wrote several other songs.... "SAY IT AGAIN" and "NO MORE SMOKIN'"....then moved to Ft Lauderdale, FL. He put a new show band together "The Band RODEO".. with a friend, Steve Adkins, and became one of South Floridas most popular Country Music Bands. He then went on to write "WHY DID YA HAVE TO LEAVE ME" and then wrote "SORRY BLUES" another Country song with his friend Steve Adkins.
In May of 1985 he was involved in an accident and was seriously injured and retired from performing. His Son, Eric was born in July of 1985. When Eric was only ten months old his mother walked out. Now, Doug and his son Eric were on their own. Doug then spent the next twenty years away from music and spent all of his time with his Son.

Then, in October 2005, his beloved Son was tragically killed in an automobile accident while riding in a car driven by a neighbors son. Also killed were his Son's fiance' and the driver. Now....on top of all his other injuries Doug had to deal with the horrible loss of his Son Eric!
To fight off depression Doug started to write again. He wrote a special song for his Son Eric called "CHRISTMAS WILL BE BLUE" and a song that he says describes the way he felt after the loss of his son! The song is called "HOMELESS." He wrote several other new songs "I'M YOUR FOOL" and "HOW TO TALK TO YOU". He continued working eight to ten hours a day writing. Sometimes the work day would stretch out to fourteen hours! He then finished a song that he had worked on before his son's accident. He had played this song for his Son, a few months before the accident and his son remarked that he thought that some of the words in the song were a bit too strong! Doug looked the song over and they disagreed. A few months after the accident he looked it over again and deceided to change the song and present it as his son would have liked it. That song is titled "NOW HE'S ALL ALONE". When he finished that song he took a few days off and then wrote "JUST YOU WAIT AND SEE" and "MY LITTLE VOICE INSIDE". He then contacted Larry Rogers at STUDIO 19 in Nashville, Tenn. Larry made some suggestions and in 2007 Doug went to Nashville and met with Larry. After twenty years away from music Doug finally went into the studio and recorded his new music. This new album is called "MY LIFE ~ MY MUSIC" and is dedicated to the memory of his son Eric.