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Doug Rauch

1950 – 1979

American musician

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About Doug Rauch

Lived 1950 – 1979 (aged 28). Doug Rauch was an American jazz musician and musician.

Douglass Haywood Rauch (September 14, 1950 – April 23, 1979) was an American bassist.

Early life Douglass Haywood Rauch was born in New York City. Rauch was the son of opera singer Nadyne Brewer and Jerome S. Rauch.

Career In 1969, Rauch played on Bunky and Jake's album L.A.M.F.

That year, Rauch performed at The Bitter End in New York City as a member of the Buzzy Linhart Quartet, with Buzzy Linhart, guitarist Doug Rodrigues and drummer John Siomos. The group was later called Music and recorded its self-titled album in 1970; Music was released by Eleuthera Records in 1971.

Rauch played bass with The Voices of East Harlem. Carlos Santana first heard Rauch when the Voices of East Harlem and Santana appeared at Tanglewood in August 1970.

In March 1971, Rauch and Rodrigues traveled with the Voices of East Harlem to Accra, Ghana, where the group performed at the Soul to Soul concert at Black Star Square. The concert was filmed for the documentary Soul to Soul. In an interview with Jake Feinberg, Rodrigues recounted playing with Rauch in the Voices of East Harlem and traveling to Africa with the group.

In 1971, Rauch played on Carly Simon's self-titled debut album. He recorded with Papa John Creach the same year.

In 1971, Rauch recorded with Michael Carabello and Greg Errico on sessions released as the album Giants in 1978. The recordings included Carlos Santana, Neal Schon, Gregg Rolie, Herbie Hancock and guitarist Doug Rodrigues. McCarthy called "Attitude" a "raw, burning funk-out", citing Rauch's bass and Errico's drums.

Rauch joined Santana in early 1972. He began recording Caravanserai with the band in February, appearing on five of the album's ten tracks. He played bass on "Waves Within", "Look Up (To See What's Coming Down)", "Just in Time to See the Sun", "Song of the Wind" and "All the Love of the Universe", and guitar on "Waves Within" and "Look Up (To See What's Coming Down)". Rauch co-wrote "Waves Within" with Gregg Rolie and "Look Up (To See What's Coming Down)" with Rolie and Carlos Santana.

Rauch brought guitarist Doug Rodrigues from New York to San Francisco to play on the album. Rodrigues played guitar with Rauch and Santana on "Waves Within". Donn Liston identified Rauch as Santana's bassist in a June 1973 article on the band's tour. Rauch played on Welcome (1973) and the live album Lotus (1974), and on Carlos Santana and John McLaughlin's Love Devotion Surrender (1973).

In 1973, Rauch recorded with Betty Davis and José "Chepito" Areas. He recorded with Bola Sete during this period.

In September 1974, Rauch joined David Bowie for part of the Diamond Dogs Tour. His September 5 performance at the Universal Amphitheatre in Los Angeles was released in 2017 as Cracked Actor (Live Los Angeles '74).

In 1975, Rauch played on Japanese guitarist Shigeru Suzuki's album Band Wagon. Rauch played bass on seven of its nine tracks.

In 1975, Rauch played bass on Lenny White's Venusian Summer. Rauch and guitarist Doug Rodrigues wrote "Chicken-Fried Steak", and with White wrote "Away Go Troubles Down the Drain". The Ann Arbor News rated the album's performance "Dynamic" and named Rauch among the musicians on the recording.

In 1976, Rauch played with Billy Cobham in a band with keyboardist George Duke and guitarist John Scofield. The group recorded Cobham's album Life & Times. Billboard described the quartet's music as "hard-driving jazz-rock".

Death In Rauch's final years, he suffered from depression and numerous addictions. Rauch died of a drug overdose in San Francisco, California, on April 23, 1979, at the age of 28.

Discography 1969: Bunky & Jake: L.A.M.F. 1970: Music: Music (later re-released as Buzzy Linhart is Music) 1971: Carly Simon: Carly Simon 1971: Papa John Creach: Papa John Creach 1971: Giants: Giants (recorded 1971, released 1978) 1972: Santana: Caravanserai 1973: Santana: Welcome 1973: Betty Davis: Betty Davis 1973: Bola Sete: Goin' to Rio 1973: John McLaughlin & Carlos Santana: Love Devotion Surrender 1974: Santana: Lotus 1974: Jose Chepito Areas: Jose Chepito Areas 1974: David Bowie: Cracked Actor (recorded 1974, released 2017) 1975: Shigeru Suzuki: Band Wagon 1975: Cobham/Duke Band: Live at the Electric Ballroom (Dallas NYE 1975 live recording) 1976: Lenny White: Venusian Summer 1976: Billy Cobham: Life & Times 1976: Ike White: Changin' Times (recorded in Tehachapi State Prison) 1978: Giants: Giants

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Important facts

Birth century
Nationality
Education
Little Red School House and Elisabeth Irwin High School
Also known as
Douglass Haywood Rauch

People in Doug Rauch's life

Named in this biography and alive at the same time

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Doug Rauch's

Frequently asked questions

Who was Doug Rauch?

American musician (1950-1979)

When was Doug Rauch born?

Doug Rauch was born on 14 September 1950 in New York City.

When did Doug Rauch die?

Doug Rauch died on 23 April 1979 in San Francisco.

What was Doug Rauch's occupation?

Doug Rauch was a jazz musician and musician.

What nationality was Doug Rauch?

Doug Rauch was American.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Doug Rauch

· Wikidata: Q4188990

· DBpedia: Doug Rauch

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Doug Rauch. https://biography.guide/doug-rauch/

MLA: "Doug Rauch." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/doug-rauch/.

Chicago: "Doug Rauch." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/doug-rauch/.

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