Doussan Garrett Benoit

Mike Doussan is a New Orleans-born singer-songwriter-guitarist whose music blends the soul of his city with the raw honesty of lived experience. His songs are rooted in funk, blues, and Americana, with storytelling that hits straight to the heart.

Since stepping onto New Orleans stages in 2004, guitar in hand and hungry to play with anyone who’d have him, Doussan has earned a reputation as both a versatile collaborator and a compelling frontman. From jam sessions with Eric Lindell to blues nights at the Apple Barrel and fronting West Bank Mike & the Fisher Project—winners of the 2006 Sonny Boy Blues Society’s “Battle of the Bands”—Doussan’s early years were a masterclass in the city’s musical traditions.

His first album, Muse in the Kitchen, was released under the moniker, West Bank Mike, and was finished just days before Hurricane Katrina struck. The storm spared the recordings, and the 2006 release became a symbol of resilience. His follow-up, Sin or Salvation (2014), mixed rock, funk, and country into a distinctly New Orleans sound. The record took on deeper meaning when Doussan’s brother, Brett, died by suicide just weeks before its release. One of the album’s standout tracks, “Spend the Night,” was co-written by Brett.

Grief transformed Doussan’s life and art. After several years touring with Dave Jordan and the NIA—including co-writing and recording No Losers Tonight—he returned to his solo work. Yesterday’s Troubles, released in 2019 by CSB Roxy and produced by Charlie Wooton, was mixed and mastered by Grammy winners Eric Heigle and Pete Lyman. The album captures both the weight of loss and the light that remains.

In 2024, Doussan was nominated for a Grammy as guitarist for Big Chief Monk Boudreaux and the Golden Eagles for Best Regional Roots Music Album. A year later, he signed with Bent River Records, marking a new chapter in his evolving career.

Offstage, Doussan is deeply committed to mental health advocacy. He is a founding voice in the Brett Thomas Doussan Foundation, which raises awareness through music, and has served as Vice President of Upturn Arts, a nonprofit offering arts education to New Orleans youth.

A devoted husband and father, Doussan now takes his family on tour—turning gigs into road trips and stages into classrooms. His oldest son, Killian (22), is a working musician in his own right, playing regularly with his dad on Tuesday nights at the Apple Barrel. His younger son, August (13) , is the drummer for DGB, already carving his own path as a performer. His daughter, Alexia (25), is a licensed esthetician, a passionate crafter and baker, and a steady source of love and support for her brothers and family. Together, his children represent the same spirit of creativity, resilience, and dedication to craft that has fueled Mike’s own journey.

Mike and his wife Maggie live in New Orleans, where the line between family, music, and purpose is beautifully blurred. Whether on record or on stage, Doussan’s music invites listeners into a story that’s still unfolding—honest, human, and steeped in soul.