Doug Yule

Who is Doug Yule? He is The Violin Maker. Doug has been a professional musician since his youth in the 1960s, and came to the art and craft of violin making relatively recently. Learn more about his violins at www.dougyule.com.

After moving to Seattle in the mid-1990s, Doug returned to playing music after a long hiatus. His chosen instrument? The old-time fiddle. Previously a member of the Velvet Underground, one of the most acclaimed rock bands in history, in our film, Doug talks about how he came to be The Violin Maker.

Doug plays old-time music with two other musicians in Red Dog and builds violins at Lasley & Russ Violins in Seattle's Ballard neighborhood..

Doug was recruited into the Velvet Underground in the late 1960s after the departure of founding member John Cale. He is most noted for his contributions to the band's last widely-known studio recording, Loaded. After the recording of the record, bandleader Lou Reed left the band, and Doug continued to play and record with others in the band, culminating in the little-known Squeeze, the final studio recording released under the Velvet Underground name.

For more information on Doug:

Doug Yule at fact-archive.com
Doug Yule at Wikipedia
Red Dog band bios at the Red Dog web site
Sound Focus: A streamable September 25, 2008 appearance on Seattle public radio affilate KUOW's local arts show
1995 Perfect Sound Forever interview, an extensive exploration of Doug's years with the Velvet Underground including Doug's recollections of working on Loaded
An appreciation of "Squeeze," the last studio record released under the Velvet Underground name and recorded under Doug's leadership
Squeeze, a site on the last days of the Velvet Undergound which includes Doug's liner notes for a live VU release