Husband-and-Wife Folk Duo Are Martinsville Natives
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A shared love of music brought Doug and Telisha Williams together at Martinsville High School‚ and the couple‚ who married in 1998‚ have been making music ever since. In March 2006 they released their second CD‚ “Rope Around My Heart.”
Doug describes the duo’s sound as “fuel-injected folk.”
“It has a little more energy than typical folk music‚” he explains.
While the couple predominantly performs original music‚ their repertoire also features cover tunes by Hank Williams and Patsy Cline.
Many of the songs on the CD have personal meaning. “Bringin’ My Daddy Home Again” is about Telisha’s dad‚ whose mother‚ now 97‚ lives in the same house by the railroad tracks in which she raised 15 children. The couple wrote the love song “Rope Around My Heart” for each other.
Doug plays guitar; Telisha plays mandolin. Both sing. Doug’s sister‚ Becki Williams‚ performs on the CD‚ as do a number of well-known folk musicians – “the cream of the crop‚” Doug says.
The CD represents the couple’s decision in 2005 to become full-time musicians. Telisha‚ who has a master’s in counseling‚ previously worked in the mental-health field. Doug was an information technology specialist.
Doug and Telisha now tour all over the Southeast. They’ve gone as far north as Canada and as far south as Texas. They also have dates in Colorado. But Martinsville remains home‚ and not just because family and friends reside here.
“We can get anywhere quickly‚” Doug says. “And the cost of living is better than anywhere else in the world.”
For information on the CD‚ visit DandTW.com.
Story by Pam George
Photo by Brian McCord
