Varty, Doug

Websites: No
Origin: London → Toronto, Ontario, 🇨🇦
Biography:

Doug Varty is a rock ’n’ roll survivor whose career spans more than five decades of constant performing, recording, and touring. Born and raised in London, Ontario, he left home at seventeen to join a touring and recording band in Toronto in 1970, beginning a musical journey that has kept him on the road ever since.

His professional career first gained traction with Sea Dog, a Sudbury-Toronto outfit that emerged from Northern Ontario’s late-1960s scene. Alongside drummer Jim Norris, guitarist Paul Weston, bassist Brian Kirkwood, and keyboardist John Redmond, Varty’s gritty vocals and Hammond organ gave Sea Dog its distinct blues-rock edge. Signed to CHUM Radio’s MUCH Records label, the band released several singles—including “It’s a Hot Night,” “I Don’t Wanna Hear,” and “Rock and Roll Business”—earning national airplay and U.S. distribution through Buddah Records. They toured widely, sharing stages with April Wine, Lighthouse, Crowbar, Fludd, and Ike & Tina Turner before disbanding in 1975.

After Sea Dog, Varty joined Studebaker Hawk, recording the 1975 single “Rainbows, Pots of Gold and Moonbeams” b/w “It All Fades Away” on Smile Records SLE 109. The release bridged his transition from blues-rock to the smoother, radio-friendly sound that would characterize his 1980s work. Around the same time, he also performed and recorded with the Old Chicago Band and The Bushdoctors, two well-regarded London-area ensembles that kept him active on the Southern Ontario club circuit through the late 1970s.

In 1982, Varty co-founded Lowdown with bassist Ted Floyd and drummer Brian Salt, steering the group toward a polished melodic blend of rock and adult contemporary. Their independent debut Love Ya (Lady Records, 1982) was followed by Gimme Some (1983), whose title track—written by Varty—reached #1 on the Canadian Adult Contemporary chart, remaining there for ten weeks. Additional hits like “I’m So Happy,” “How Can You Say,” and “Baby I Know” all reached the national Top 5 between 1983 and 1985. Produced by Dee Long at Wellesley Sound in Toronto and distributed by RCA, the group toured Canada from coast to coast, opening for The Beach Boys, John Mellencamp, Roy Orbison, Neil Sedaka, and The Four Seasons, while appearing on telethons and community events nationwide.

By the early 1990s, Varty was fronting his own Doug Varty Band, carrying forward the same high-energy tradition that defined his earlier work. Known for his raspy voice, expressive guitar tone, and unfiltered stage presence, he built a devoted following across Canada and the United States. His 2011 album Feel Free, produced by Robert Breen and recorded live to 2″ analog tape at The Bunker, distilled decades of road experience into a lean, hard-hitting rock record that earned critical acclaim. Fireworks UK hailed it as “a glorious dose of blues-rock … littered with great vocal hooks and memorable riffs,” while The London Free Press ranked it among the Top Ten CDs of 2011.

In March 2025, Varty returned with Keep the Dream Alive on Australia’s MelodicRock Classics label, a 15-track retrospective combining unreleased material and career highlights produced with Jack Richardson, David Tyson, Dee Long, Marc Ribler, and Gerry Mosby. Songs such as “Solid Ground,” “Everybody Needs a Lover,” “The Right Mistakes,” and “This Is My Country” showcase the full range of his craft—equal parts grit, melody, and conviction.

After more than fifty years, Doug Varty remains true to the spirit that first drew him to music. Whether fronting a power trio in a crowded club or recording soulful rock in the studio, he continues to prove that authentic Canadian rock ’n’ roll is alive and well—still passionate, still uncompromising, and still chasing that perfect groove.
-Robert Williston