Lachlan R. Doley (born 21 April 1978) is an Australian musician, singer and songwriter best known for playing the Hammond organ and whammy clavinet. Doley has recorded and/or toured with Jimmy Barnes, Glenn Hughes, Billy Thorpe, Joe Bonamassa and Powderfinger. Doley has issued one album as a solo artist, Typically Individual Conforming Anti-Social (2011) and four albums fronting Lachy Doley Group. Lovelight peaked at number 40 on the ARIA Albums Chart.[1]
Biography
1978–2000: Early life
Lachy Doley grew up in Adelaide, where he started a course at university.[2] In the early 1990s his older brother, Clayton Doley, was a member of Sydney-based blues and roots group, Bondi Cigars, before turning to session work.[2] During a break from his uni Doley joined Clayton in Sydney in the mid-1990s also as a session musician, "once I got here I thought, 'This is fantastic,' I dropped out of uni and stayed."[2] In 1999 Clayton travelled to New York while Doley continued his local session work.[2]
2002–2009: Musical beginnings
In 2002 the brothers reunited in Sydney and formed a classic rock and soul band, the Hands, with Doley on a Hohner clavinet and Clayton on a Hammond organ.[2] They issued two albums, Live and Breathe (2004) and Everything Is Wonderful (2008).[2] Brett Winterford of The Sydney Morning Herald observed the first album was "sung by guest soul vocalists Jade MacRae, Kara Grainger and Mahalia Barnes. The band struggled to afford to tour with guest vocalists and so narrowed their act to a four-piece (the brothers backed by drums and bass). By necessity, the brothers took to singing themselves."[2]
Doley provided piano and Hammond organ for Powderfinger's fifth studio album, Vulture Street (July 2003), as a recording session musician.[3] Subsequently, the group used him as their touring keyboardist from mid-2007 to 2010.
2010–present: Solo artist and Lachy Doley Group
As a solo artist, Doley released his debut studio album Typically Individual Conforming Anti-Social in October 2011.[4][5]
In 2013, Doley has fronted the eponymous Lachy Doley Group which has issued four albums, S.O.S (Singer Organ Soul) (September 2013), Conviction (May 2015), Lovelight (January 2017) and Make or Break (March 2019). Lovelight debuted at No. 40 on the ARIA Albums Chart[1]
Doley is a regular member of Jimmy Barnes live shows including, Barnes' brief Australia Day set aboard a ship on Sydney Harbour in 2017.[7]
In September 2021, Studios 301 Sessions debuted at number 13 on the ARIA Charts.[8]
The National Live Music Awards (NLMAs) are a broad recognition of Australia's diverse live industry, celebrating the success of the Australian live scene. The awards commenced in 2016.
"See Lachy live at Lefties". Whyalla News. January 24, 2017. "Lachy’s last album Conviction took him onto the world stage reaching #5 on the UK Blues Broadcasters Charts as well as #1 on the Australian iTunes Blues Charts and #1 on the Australian Blues & Roots Airplay Charts."
