Eugene Chadbourne (aka Doc Chad) or Dr. Chadbourne, the "doctor" has been said to be appropriate in reference to film titles such as "The Mad Doctor of Market Street" but could also be considered an abbreviation for "drop-out?"

"My very first live music performances took place in and around Boulder, Colorado, both as a soloist imitating Delta blues and the member of a local ensemble modelled after the Mothers of Invention. I was in high school at the time but when my family relocated to Calgary, Alberta, I opted to go to work for a daily newspaper, The Calgary Herald, rather than complete my high school degree.

Despite this lack of "proper" credentials I was able to rise to the level of assistant entertainment editor at the newspaper, largely because I enjoyed savaging popular touring rock and pop acts and this brought in a tremendous amount of negative letters to the editor, in turn allowing the advertising department to cash in: "Look, people are reading the entertainment pages! They are reading the music reviews!"

During this period I became immersed in free jazz and avant garde improvisation. I got on the board of the local jazz society and became involved in presenting concerts by artists such as Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Sam Rivers, Anthony Braxton, Roscoe Mitchell and Steve Lacy. I was fortunate to have a great deal of contact with these artists as they visited Calgary. Mr. Braxton in particular was really encouraging about my future as a guitarist after listening to the solo music I had been working on; while there was obviously a huge repertoire of solo music for guitar, mine was modelled after solo saxophonists, particulary Braxton.

This music became another level launching pad for my own musical career, which continues into 2024 as I celebrate my 70th birthday. I am still doing what I consider a reasonable amount of touring and in the fall of 2023 did 28 concerts throughout Australia. My mentors always encouraged me to create my own world, in my case it is simply about playing music I enjoy on the guitar and the banjo and singing as well if the words mean something to me and I can get it together. My most recent collaborators worked with me on a collection of Australian rock and country songs entitled True Blueugene, this includes the drummer Danny Heifitz from Mr. Bungle, alto saxophonist Philip Johnston who first worked with me in the New York scene of the late '70s, bassist Rory Brown and guitarist Chris Nystock."

“Chadbourne is a great songwriter and a true banjo virtuoso. His inclination to experimentation draws on his love of traditional country and bluegrass. The way he can scoop up techniques and then have them resurface in unexpected guises is part of what made his performance so engaging.” - London Jazz News