Doc began his career in the early 1960's playing for several Eugene, Oregon rock bands including the "The Sires".   Not content with just playing in cheap bars, he struck out to make it in the big time, heading down to San Francisco the year before the "Summer of Love",
and hooked up with the West Coast Blues Band and also gigged with Billy Roberts of "Hey Joe" fame, made famous by Jimi Hendrix.  

Doc always said his biggest thrill, other than the birth of his two daughters, Brittany and Ciara, was playing in Hawaii in front of 100,000 at an outdoor rock concert in an old volcano.  After San Francisco, Doc gravitated toward Los Angeles and became a studio bass player for MoWest, Barry Gordy's west coast MoTown outlet.  During this time, he appeared on network television with Bonnie Bramblett in a show I believe was called "Live Concert".   Perhaps the biggest artist he played with at MoWest was Barry White.  

During this period, he then found himself playing for an early, pioneering band known as Odyssey, which recorded an underappreciated (at the time) album that stretched and honed his creative abilities as a songwriter and player.  That band had a contract with a small label, but couldn't hold it together waiting for that big break to happen.

During the 70's, Doc played for many artists including touring with Tobias Wood Henderson in Texas, Stephen Stills Band in California and eventually hooking up with the Bonnie Bramblett group. 

He also found himself working with Donnie Dacus who was then playing for Stephen Stills and later with work the the band Chicago.   Doc collaborated with Donnie to write songs for both groups.   The platinum selling albums "Illegal Stills" by Stills and "Hot Streets" by Chicago both included songs that Doc helped pen.

He played extensively both live and in the studio during this time and continued on until the mid-80's when he returned to his roots in Oakridge, Oregon and formed a new band known as the Schwebke Brothers Band which featured his youngest brother B.J. Schwebke on keyboards and many of Oregon's best musicians including Gary Beck, Johnnie Moore and his soon-to-be-future wife, the late Rebecca Hobbs.  The band almost exclusively played original music, most of it written by the two brothers.

After two years with the band, which fronted for shows for Taj Mahal and Gil Scott-Heron, Doc and his wife headed for Los Vegas and then Boston, trying to break into the big time.  While on the east coast, both of them toured with legendary New England artist Bill Chinnock all over the east coast.  During that time, his wife sang on a regional hit called "National Hospi-tale" which spent a short time in the top 40 commercial pop market.

Unfortunately, life in the fast lane was catching up with Doc, and a long-time drug habit began to interfere with his artistic pursuits.   Doc and Rebeccah split up and Doc literally hit the streets.

He managed to record three CD's in the last six years of his life, consisting of original material and old R and B standards. 

He also had the good fortune of becoming reacquainted with Rick Berry, who helped Doc regain some of his old dignity by forming a business partnership with him and helping Doc put a roof over his head again.  

Words cannot express the gratitude Doc's family have for Rick.   Rick stuck by Doc when his liver began to fail and in his last weeks, was the rock that Doc needed to survive.   Doc also made amends with his oldest daughter in his last few days on this earth which I know eased his passing.

Doc passed away too soon at the age of 60, but he lived a full life, not afraid to take a swipe at the gold ring, and very often being able to hang on to it for a little while.  How many people in this world can say that and mean it?

 Feel free to add comments as I know I have probably left out big patches of Doc's life that I wasn't privy to at the time.

Written for the entire Schwebke clan by his loving brother Mark.