A talented multi-instrumentalist, Doug Carn is best known as a keyboard and organ player. Born on July 14, 1948, Carn grew up in the St. Augustine, Florida, area and attended colleges in both Florida and Georgia to hone his skills. His first album, The Doug Carn Trio, arrived in 1969 on Savoy Records, after which he moved to the new Black Jazz label for the remainder of the 1970s, when he released his most acclaimed albums. In addition to his own albums, Carn and his future wife, noted singer Sarah Jean Perkins, aka Jean Carne, appeared on the first two albums by Earth, Wind & Fire, both released in 1971.
Carn’s Black Jazz era featured albums including Infant Eyes (1971), Spirit of the New Land (1972), Revelation (1973) and Adam’s Apple (1974), after which he stepped away from his own recordings and pursued work as a sideman for nearly 20 years, and returned to top-billed status in 1995 with In a Mellow Tone. His second act as a recording artist yielded albums for Lighthouse and Doodlin’ Records, and he continued to tour and perform regularly, often alongside his ex-wife.
