‘Falling uphill’: Dunkirk native tours world with rising country star

He recalls the first time he felt famous, as an OBSERVER article chronicling his voyage into the world of music through his family’s band, Rinky-Dink, was shared with him by people at school all throughout the day the article ran.

“I was extraordinarily proud and completely embarrassed at the same time,” Douglas said. He joked that he couldn’t believe his father, Gary, had him agree to step into the spotlight.

Fast forward 15 years. Those seas of classmates in the hallways seem like a small drop of water in a vast ocean compared to the crowds he witnesses on a regular basis.

After moving to Nashville in the fall of 2017 to pursue a career in music, Douglas now tours as the drummer for Ashley Cooke, one of the fastest rising stars in the country music industry.

Photos courtesy of Mick Bodie
Andrew Douglas, a Dunkirk native, is the touring drummer alongside rising country music artist Ashley Cooke.

“I call my whole career just falling uphill,” Douglas said. “This is what I love to do, but there are no rules in this world.”

In Douglas’ favor, there is no rule as to when a career in music could begin. Before he was a teenager, Douglas never had an interest in being a musician. He did not play instruments through his youth up until “a switch flipped” and all of a sudden, he wanted to be a drummer.

Although seemingly out of nowhere, his family encouraged his passion. With the purchase of a drum set from Walmart for Christmas, his career in music began.

From there, Douglas and his relatives started a band. His father, Gary, had played guitar in the past, and together they convinced Andrew’s brother, his uncle, and a local bass player to form Rinky-Dink. Andrew’s father, Gary, gives him credit for naming the band, which he denies, but deemed fitting for the band at the time.

“I had a drum kit from Walmart. He had a guitar with five strings. We were kind of just this little rinky-dink thing. It fit perfect,” Douglas said.

The band performed across Western New York at bars and events several nights each month. With each passing week, Douglas felt his love for performing grow.

“There were a bunch of places willing to let us jam out and do our thing, to let our band play. It really was a big deal to let me get going,” Douglas said. “That was the beginning of it all. I was really lucky to have that experience with my family.”

Douglas, a Dunkirk native and 2013 graduate of Dunkirk High School, took a few courses at Jamestown Community College before he decided the path he wanted to travel in life was as a professional musician. While much easier said than done, a connection Douglas made through his time in Western New York set the stage for what was to come.

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When playing shows around town, Douglas would frequently drum for Sean Patrick McGraw, a native of Fredonia, when McGraw would return to town from his home in Nashville. McGraw’s career in Nashville took off in 2005, and Douglas wanted to follow in his footsteps.

Early in 2017, McGraw invited Douglas to stay with him on a visit to Nashville, and that was all it took to inspire the life-changing leap. From there, it was all about how to make it happen.

“I knew I had to figure it out, but I didn’t know how to figure it out at all,” Douglas said. “… but if I don’t go, I’m not going to figure it out.”

Later that year, Douglas made the leap with the help of McGraw and his wife. The couple took Douglas in with an offer to stay for a few months while he got on his feet. Within a few weeks, he had a job waiting tables and got an apartment of his own.

“I was given this great opportunity, so I just had to figure it out,” Douglas said.

McGraw was the only person Douglas knew who had made it out on his own away from his hometown. He looks back on what McGraw did for him fondly, saying that while McGraw may not have seen it as a huge deal, it was to him.

“I have to give him all the love and thanks for being willing to take a chance on me,” Douglas said.

Douglas worked various jobs outside of the realm of music to “feel things out” in the first few months in Nashville. He recognized immediately how valuable connections are in a place like Nashville, and while McGraw helped get him there, he knew he would have to branch out to make it on his own.

“I knew music was going to take a little time,” Douglas said.

So as he made just enough to make ends meet, every bit of time and money he had left was spent on meeting people around town. He described his path to success by saying, “I’m just going to go out every night, spend a bunch of money to meet everybody I can until somebody needs a drummer. When they do, I’ll shake some hands and be that for that person.”

Eventually, that philosophy paid off. He first got to know Eric Van Houten, who is from Buffalo, and had established himself in Nashville. After playing a few shows with him, Douglas continued to branch out and made many connections, one of which paid off down the road.

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Even with the pandemic causing an interruption to his everyday routine of going out and meeting people, the connections Douglas made led to his opportunity with Ashley Cooke.

Eventually, Douglas was recommended to Cooke “from a friend of a friend who I met just going out and shaking hands, getting to know people.” Douglas called it a classic story of the “old school” music industry.

Douglas met Cooke in the fall of 2021 after his friend’s recommendation and hit the road to perform several shows with her in Texas. Three years later, Douglas is still Cooke’s drummer on tour. From the moment Douglas first met Cooke, he knew it would all work out.

“I had a great feeling about her. … Her thing felt more legit than anything I had been involved with,” Douglas said of Cooke. “Her voice, her music, and her look all just matches. … If you like her, all of it makes sense.”

Douglas was right, as it has all made sense to a lot of people.

Cooke is one of country music’s rising stars, with two songs surpassing 30 million plays on Spotify. Her single “your place” just recently hit the 30 million mark, while a duet titled “never til now” with Brett Young — the 2018 New Male Vocalist of the Year at the Academy of Country Music Awards — has more than 43 million plays. Cooke has also collaborated with Brantley Gilbert, Jimmie Allen, Jackson Dean, Nate Smith, and Colbie Caillat. Her single “Over When We’re Sober” with Gilbert became her third song to crack the Top 50 U.S. Country Airplay charts, while “your place” climbed as high as No. 2 overall on the U.S. Country Airplay chart and 21st on the U.S. Country overall chart including digital sales and streaming data along with airplay on country radio stations.

“She has just climbed every freaking ladder there is, and it’s been so crazy to watch it happen,” Douglas said.

Cooke’s career has taken her on tours across North America and beyond. She has toured with Cole Swindell in 2022, as well as several shows with Brett Young, Luke Bryan, and most recently, a tour around the world with Jordan Davis. For the majority of the ride, Douglas was right along the journey with her, including several shows in the United Kingdom with Davis.

“Once the ball started rolling with her, it did not stop,” Douglas said. “… We signed up for this little gig, and now we’re playing these beautiful theaters in these big cities. This feels really legit.”

As Cooke continued to tour with the biggest names in country music, she also tried to balance performing in shows of her own when she could. Douglas described how one night, they could be playing in a theater full of thousands of fans waiting to see the headlining performer, while other nights would be at quaint venues where Cooke was the main attraction.

“My head has been spinning this year on where I even am,” Douglas said. “… It has been the most natural progression to where we took every step in stride, it just happened so much faster than with anyone else.”

Cooke is still balancing the two, as she hosts solo shows every few weeks while her tour with Davis continues. She begins her own Your Place Tour this fall.

“I was very ready for a gig like hers to come along where we got in from the ground and have been able to grow together. I’m super lucky and fortunate that it all has worked out so far,” Douglas said.

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Cooke will be performing Thursday at the St. Joseph’s Health Amphitheater at Lakeview in Syracuse, NY, as an opening act for Davis. Tickets and other tour dates can be found online at ashleycooke.com

It was a show just like Thursday’s when Cooke’s chart-topping hit “Your place” first caught on with the crowd. Douglas recalled a show in Ohio when the crowd “went crazy” at the bridge of the song. “It was a moment when we kind of stopped the song for a second and she was able to live in the applause for a second,” he said.

But for Douglas, every show is a moment to soak in the applause. His decision to move to Nashville paid off. His passion has turned into a career that many could only dream of.