Patrick McDougal was born and raised in Charleston, South Carolina. He grew up watching his father perform at the Grand Ole Opry in the late 1960s and early 1970s. He was influenced by the first generation of bluegrass musicians, Bill Monroe, and Flatt and Scruggs. Some of McDougal best known work is writing the title song to Dan Tyminski’s Grammy-nominated CD, Wheels (pictured).