[6] Doherty has been performing since the late 1950s, leading jazz trios, quartets and bands.
In 1965, he competed in the Irish selection for the Eurovision Song Contest; his Jim Doherty Trio performed "Love Me Truly" but did not win.
He has written one play, The Lugnaquilla Gorilla, performed at the Abbey Theatre in 1983, and also wrote the jazz ballet Spondance (1986).
[4] Doherty was a life-long associate of guitarist Louis Stewart (1944–2016);[15][16] they released an acclaimed album, Tunes, in 2014.
[22][23][24][25][26] David added the prefix “O’” to the surname Doherty to distinguish himself from his father and brother.