EPISODE 18: DOC OLIVER

Maker's Mic Podcast

Our guest this episode is Central-California based Americana singer-songwriter and U.S. Navy Veteran, Doc Oliver. His story is one of honor, redemption, and hope. Working as a battlefield medic with multiple tours in Afghanistan, Oliver earned the nickname “Doc” stitching up wounded soldiers and civilians alike. He was honorably discharged, suffering from PTSD after being ambushed and injured by the Taliban, losing three of his best friends in the event. He now lives in Central California with his wife and three children, working as an armed guard at a nuclear power plant. Oliver struggles emotionally reliving some of his experiences as he arms himself for his job which, ultimately, led him to turn to music. “My songs are strictly an outlet...I didn’t like individual or group therapy, everyone’s different, but I have this ability to play guitar and write and that’s helped me process some heavy things and try to heal.”

Oliver first met Lloyd Baggs at a concert in California where they spoke about music and his military background. After exchanging contact information Lloyd recounts, “Doc sent me a link to a few of his songs the next day, but there was no way I was prepared for what I was about to hear. Within minutes I knew that I was personally going to do everything I could to help him bring his beautifully raw, poignant songs to a much wider audience. We soon arranged for Doc to come to Nashville where we put together a band and produced an EP and a few videos for him with our Handcrafted Video crew.”