DOC OLIVER

"Therapy for Doc Oliver is sitting in his garage with a guitar, a pen and paper, and working on a song. He has quite a bit to write about. The Central Coast-California based Americana singer/songwriter served almost 2 years in Afghanistan with the U.S. Marine Corps as his team’s Combat Medic. He earned the nickname “Doc” from stitching-up wounded soldiers and civilians alike.

Following a severe mass casualty incident in 2012 he was medically retired/ honorably discharged, suffering PTSD after being ambushed, injured by the Taliban, and losing three of his best friends in the event. Shortly after returning home his mother was diagnosed with cancer, and she passed away at age 57, just 2 days after Docs 30th birthday. He uses songwriting as a means of coping with his trauma, and the difficult events he has experienced in his life. 

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Doc now lives in a small town called Old Orcutt in Santa Barbara County, CA with his wife and three children. He has an EP “Helmand”, and two singles “Too Far Gone” and “Vietnam Man” in digital stores. He and his band are currently recording his first album “Welcome Home” and the Station House recording studio with Grammy Award Winning engineer Mark Raines.

After releasing an EP and a full-length record in 2020, Doc began realizing that not only was he healing his own wounds, but he was healing the wounds of others. Though Oliver was in the military, his music is relatable not only to the veteran community, but so many more. 

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Lloyd Baggs of LR Baggs was an early advocate, tapping him for the company’s prestigious “LR Baggs Presents” series. When they first met at a concert they spoke about music and the military, Baggs recounts, “Doc sent me a link to a few of his songs the next day, but there was no way I was prepared for what I was about to hear. Within minutes I knew that I was personally going to do everything I could to help him bring his beautifully raw, poignant songs to a much wider audience. After hearing his songs, I hope others will be compelled as I now am to help Doc reach other brave soldiers with PTSD and stitch their lives back together with his moving music.”

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-Colin Montemarano

American Songwriter 2021

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