Thom "Ace" Doucette is an American blues

harmonica The harmonica, also known as a French harp or mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used worldwide in many musical genres, notably in blues, American folk music, classical music, jazz, country, and rock. The many types of harmonica in ...

player from the

Sarasota, Florida Sarasota () is a city in Sarasota County on the Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The area is renowned for its cultural and environmental amenities, beaches, resorts, and the Sarasota School of Architecture. The city is located in the sou ...

region. He is best known for having played with

The Allman Brothers Band The Allman Brothers Band was an American rock band formed in Jacksonville, Florida in 1969 by brothers Duane Allman (founder, slide guitar and lead guitar) and Gregg Allman (vocals, keyboards, songwriting), as well as Dickey Betts (lead guit ...

in the 1970s and later, although he was never a member. In his early days as a musician, Doucette was a friend of bassist

Berry Oakley Raymond Berry Oakley III (April 4, 1948 – November 11, 1972) was an American bassist and one of the founding members of the Allman Brothers Band, known for long melodic bass runs. He is ranked number 46 on the ''Bass Player'' magazine's list ...

; guitarist

Dickey Betts Forrest Richard Betts (born December 12, 1943) is an American guitarist, singer, songwriter, and composer best known as a founding member of The Allman Brothers Band. Early in his career, he collaborated with Duane Allman, introducing melodic tw ...

occasionally ran into the pair in Florida clubs. Once the Allman Brothers Band had formed with Oakley and Betts as members, Doucette became friendly with group leader

Duane Allman Howard Duane Allman (November 20, 1946 – October 29, 1971) was an American rock guitarist, session musician, and the founder and original leader of the The Allman Brothers Band, Allman Brothers Band, for which he was inducted into the Roc ...

, who bestowed upon him the moniker "The Ace". Doucette appears on the group's second album, ''

Idlewild South ''Idlewild South'' is the second studio album by American southern rock band the Allman Brothers Band. Produced by Tom Dowd, the album was released on September 23, 1970 in the United States by Atco Records and Capricorn Records. Following the ...

'' in 1970, playing harmonica and percussion. In particular his harmonica is featured on the track "Don't Keep Me Wonderin'", where it plays along and against the slide guitar of Duane Allman; towards the end the two merge together. Doucette joined the band frequently when they played the

Fillmore East The Fillmore East was rock promoter Bill Graham's rock venue on Second Avenue near East 6th Street in the (at the time) Lower East Side neighborhood, now called the East Village neighborhood of the borough of Manhattan of New York City. I ...

in New York, and consequently his harmonica solos are featured on two of the tracks from the classic 1971 live album ''

At Fillmore East ''At Fillmore East'' is the first live album by American rock band the Allman Brothers Band, and their third release overall. Produced by Tom Dowd, the album was released on July 6, 1971, in the United States by Capricorn Records. As the title ...

'', those being "

Done Somebody Wrong "I Must Have Done Somebody Wrong" is a blues song written and recorded by Eddie Kirkland in 1959. Using the same lyrics but modifying aspects of the music, Elmore James recorded it as "Done Somebody Wrong" in 1960; he took sole writing credit ...

" and " You Don't Love Me". (A solo on a third song, "

Stormy Monday "Call It Stormy Monday (But Tuesday Is Just as Bad)" (commonly referred to as "Stormy Monday") is a song written and recorded by American blues electric guitar pioneer T-Bone Walker. It is a slow twelve-bar blues performed in the West Coast blu ...

", was edited out of the original album release but restored in some later editions.) Duane Allman tried to convince Doucette to formally join the group, but Doucette declined. As

Gregg Allman Gregory LeNoir Allman (December 8, 1947 – May 27, 2017) was an American musician, singer and songwriter. He was known for performing in the Allman Brothers Band. Allman grew up with an interest in rhythm and blues music, and the Allman Br ...

recalled of Doucette in his memoir, "I don't think he wanted the responsibility. I don't think he wanted to have to be anywhere at any time—Thom just kind of drifts, still to this day." Doucette was one of the musicians who played at Duane Allman's funeral later in 1971. Doucette would perform again with the band in the early 1990s, following the group's 1989 reformation; one of those appearances is included on the 1992 live album '' An Evening with the Allman Brothers Band: First Set''. Remaining a Sarasota resident, he sometimes appeared at individual Betts or Gregg Allman shows in the Florida area. He again appeared with the full band at its 40th anniversary shows during its 2009 Beacon run in New York. Besides his activities as a musician, Doucette also became a yoga instructor in the Sarasota area.

References

External links

Entry at Discogs.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Doucette, Thom Living people American blues harmonica players The Allman Brothers Band People from Sarasota, Florida Year of birth missing (living people) 20th-century American musicians