The Enid News and Eagle, Enid, OK

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  • Doug Swanson poses with his keyboard at his home. (Staff Photo by SHAWN YORKS)

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April 24, 2010

Enid’s piano man has the keys to life: Keep playing

By Joe Malan, Staff Writer Enid News and Eagle

ENID — You can hear Doug Swanson’s music at two different churches on Sunday.

He plays piano at 10:30 a.m. Sunday at Cornerstone Evangelical Free Church, and records music for Waukomis Christian Church’s choir, which also can be heard Sundays.

“They desperately needed a piano player that could play the music,” the 66-year-old Enid resident said. “I could do it.”

The church’s worship service has an emphasis on contemporary Christian music, which Swanson enjoys playing.

“I’ve gotten used to it,” Swanson said. “There’s some good contemporary Christian songs.”

Swanson has been a staple as a musician in Enid for years.

He is most well-known for playing piano at Sage Room Restaurant, a former establishment on South Van Buren, for 301⁄2 years.

He was there from January 1979 to July 2009.

“That’s an awful long time for a musician to be in one spot,” he said.

He would sit and play piano at the restaurant every night it was open. He knew all the songs by memory; he didn’t need a book to look at any of the notes.

Swanson, in fact, says he has more than 2,000 pieces memorized.

Most of the pieces he says he’s memorized are nostalgic and easy listening.

Today, Swanson volunteers at retirement homes, most notably The Commons Methodist Nursing Center.

At The Commons, Swanson has helped assemble The Commons Chorus and The  Commons Kids, the latter being a chorus of 4-year-old children.

Swanson said he is assisted by Julie Torson, activities director at The Commons, and his friend, Lois Dean Ellis.

“We’re the only nursing home chorus in town,” Swanson said.

Swanson has been with The Commons Chorus for about a year, and with The Commons Kids for about two months.

During a typical performance at The Commons, the children will sing until they are tired, and then The Commons Chorus, made up of residents, will sing.

Swanson said he sings along with the choir.

“I love to sing,” he said.

In addition to playing piano at nursing homes, he makes accompaniment CDs for groups, including soloists, trios and church groups.

He just finished a CD for a trio last week, in fact.

Swanson uses a tape deck to record his music, then transfers it to his computer and burns it onto a CD.

“The tape deck makes it easy,” he said.

Waukomis Christian Church, Swanson said, pays him weekly for composing music for the church.

As Swanson gets older, he wants to start doing more composing.

His two favorite kinds of music are classical and contemporary jazz.

“I’m grateful to be playing in spite of creeping old age,” he said.

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