Local Country Legend Finally Gets His Music Into Willie’s Hands

Last September, Maine lost one of its most beloved voices in local country music, Doug Baker. He'd been suffering with some health issues for some time, and it was sad to say goodbye to him. Our own Cindy Campbell hosted the benefit after his passing, and recounted some great stories in in this heartfelt tribute she wrote last fall.

Doug was probably most remembered for his band Bootleg, who took the regional scene by storm back in their day. Even when I was a young metal-head teenager, I lived next door to their drummer Kris. He was very nice to me, and was eager to take me under his wing to learn the ropes of the music biz a bit. Doug was also good friends with my dad, Duane Fox, who was also a big fixture in the scene back then.

But yesterday as I was cruising Facebook, I saw a post from Doug's wife Patty, and honestly, it choked me up quite a bit. I've seen her post many times over the last several months about how much she misses her husband, and how hard it is every day, to go on without the man she loves. Every time I read one of those posts, I'd go home and give my own wife an extra squeeze.

Yesterday, she was talking about Doug being a lifelong fan of Willie Nelson, and that he'd written some music with Willie in mind. Patty had been hanging on to a CD of this music, and put it out into Facebook Land, that if someone had any connections to Willie, she'd love to try and get the music to him.

Well, it turns out her nephew is a concert promoter in Portland, and he was able to help connect the dots. She managed to get a digital copy of the music and lyrics to him, and wouldn't you know it...now, that music is in the hands of

WILLIE FREAKIN' NELSON!!!!!!

How about that?! It's a rare thing in life to see the planets align themselves so well. All Patty wanted to do was fulfill her sweet Doug's lifelong dream. To get his music into the hands of Willie.

If you can read this whole thing without looking like you just peeled a bag of onions, you're a bigger man than I am.

Nicely done, Patty.