A Jerry Douglas Christmas featuring special guest John Oates (of Hall & Oates) & Maura O'Connell

Grammy-winning Dobro master Jerry Douglas will perform in select U.S. markets as he tours in support of his holiday album, Jerry Christmas. Douglas will appear alongside guitarist John Oates (of Hall & Oates) and Grammy-nominated vocalist/actress Maura O'Connell. The eloquent lyricism and dynamic virtuosity of Jerry Douglas, hailed by the New York Times as "the dobro's matchless contemporary master," is ideally suited to the creation of an Americana Christmas classic. And that's exactly what Jerry has produced: a spirited group of carols, traditional folk tunes, and modern seasonal songs. With a guest vocal by Maura O'Connell, Jerry Christmas gets that warm, down-home holiday feeling just right from the first note to the last.

"The thought of recording a Christmas project has been with me for some time, though I held the idea as a disquieting prospect. After all, these melodies have become established perennials due to the fact they are great songs; to do them disservice would be, to me, unforgivable," Douglas says. "I have tried being faithful to the original versions of these classics precisely because the melodies are so special. My instrument lends itself well, in an emotional sense, to performance of these treasures, allowing me to offer my interpretations of works I have heard sung by such definitive artists as Nat King Cole, Ella Fitzgerald, and Burl Ives."

Jerry Douglas, internationally recognized as the world's most renowned Dobro player, Jerry Douglas undoubtedly ranks amongst the top contemporary maestros in American music. Douglas's musical brilliance has graced over 2,000 recordings. Douglas completed a four-part music series as the 2008 artist-in-residence at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville, TN. Notable guests in attendance included Trisha Yearwood, Garth Brooks, Alison Krauss,Travis Tritt, Emmylou Harris, Earl Scruggs, Bela Fleck, Sam Bush, Edgar Meyer, Guy Clark, Ricky Skaggs, Lloyd Green, Jesse Winchester, and many others.

John Oates (of Hall & Oates), an American rock guitarist, musician, songwriter and producer best known as half of the rock/soul duo Hall & Oates. Though he was a primary guitarist, he also wrote or co-wrote numerous popular songs with Hall, such as, "Sara Smile", You Make My Dreams", "She's Gone", "I Can't Go For That (No Can Do)", "One on One", "Maneater", "Everything Your Heart Desires", "Out of Touch" and "Adult Education". He also sang lead vocals on "How Does It Feel to Be Back", "You've Lost That Loving Feeling" and "Possession Obsession". In addition to his work with Hall, Oates co-wrote "Electric Blue" for the band Icehouse which was a Billboard Top Ten hit.

Maura O'Connell, a Grammy Award-nominated Irish singer and actress. She is known for her contemporary interpretation of Irish folk songs, strongly influenced by American country music. O'Connell's restless muse could not be safely contained under the banner of Celtic music, and she soon discovered both an interest in and affinity for progressive American roots music. Following her self-titled solo debut in 1983, she collaborated with Bela Fleck (then of the NewGrass Revival) on 1988's Just In Time, which inaugurated a string of albums marked by O'Connell's tasteful, moving interpretations of songs spanning many traditions and authors. She recorded three acclaimed albums for Warner Bros. (including the Grammy-nominated Helpless Heart), before moving to Joe Boyd's Hannibal imprint and then to Sugar Hill, for whom she made the rattling, guitar driven Walls and Windows (produced by Ray Kennedy) and the more introspective Don't I Know, the fourth O'Connell album to produced by dobro maverick Jerry Douglas. In addition to her solo work, O'Connell has collaborated with a number Celtic, folk, pop and country artists, including Van Morrison, Brian Kennedy, Moya Brennan, Mary Black, John Gorka, Bela Fleck, Robert Earl Keen, Dolly Parton and Shawn Colvin. She has also sung background vocals for a number of artists, including Van Morrison's 1988 project with the Chieftains, Irish Heartbeat and Stockton's Wing on Take A Chance (Tara3004).