Considered one of the top acoustic blues guitarists on the West Coast, Terry
Robb is also an inventive and ever-evolving American primitive master. As an
heir to the late, great John Fahey’s musical legacy, Robb is an established
icon in a pantheon that includes Robbie Basho, Leo Kottke, Peter Lang, John
Renbourn, and Stefan Grossman.
Because American primitivism, a transitional style that ranges between
country blues and early 20th century string-band music, is often nuanced by
dissonance and minor tunings, it is sometimes considered esoteric and
obscure, appealing only to a musically intellectual elite. But Robb has
distinguished himself by redefining this complex finger-picking style, using
popular and traditional genres to open up and make this approach accessible
to the general music-loving public.
Robb is that rare talent, a musician’s musician and an enormously popular
performer. Onstage, his fleet fingers, wry humor, and intense focus mesmerize
audiences. The passionate artistry of a Terry Robb event – whether a solo
acoustic performance or a high-energy show with his electric band – often
leaves new and longtime fans with mouths agape.
With the release in 2005 of his critically-acclaimed solo album, Resting
Place, recorded for Memphis’ renowned Yellow Dog Records label, Robb has
increasingly gained national attention. In his music-savvy hometown of
Portland, Oregon, Robb is a celebrity in high demand as a performing and
studio guitarist, and as a bandleader, composer, arranger, producer, and
teacher. With years of real-world musical experience in his gig-bag, Robb
brings this expertise to his most recent role as head of the Northwest’s new
recording label, PsycheDelta Records.
The Terry Robb Story
“When you come right down to it, I basically learned guitar by listening to
old blues players. Today I listen to, play, and produce all kinds of music –
bluegrass, ragtime, country, jazz, Latin, funk, rock, you-name-it – but my
personality as a musician is rooted in the blues.” – Terry Robb
Terry Robb began his career in Portland as a hot-shot guitar-slinger who
could play any style of music and excel at them all. At an early age,
inspired by his uncle, a professional swing guitarist, Robb immersed himself
in all the blues, ragtime, folk, jazz, and country music he could lay his
guitar-picking fingers on. In college, he studied music theory with the
Czechoslovakian modern classical composer Tomas Svoboda; but once classes
ended, Robb hit the road with Frank Zappa/Captain Beefheart alumnus Ramblin’
Rex Jakabosky, who taught him new theories: the ropes of the Northwest club
scene.
In the early 1980s, he struck up a friendship with the legendary Fahey, who
soon asked Robb to play on and produce several of his recordings, including
the extraordinary Let Go, cited by Kurt Loder of Rolling Stone as one of the
top three releases of 1983 – right alongside Prince’s Purple Rain and Bruce
Springsteen’s Born in the U.S.A. Throughout the decade, Robb and Fahey
collaborated on several albums, including Time God Casualty and Old
Girlfriends and Other Horrible Memories.
The 1990s found Robb focusing on his own career and collaborating with fellow
Oregonian Curtis Salgado on Hit It and Quit It. During this time Robb
embarked on a series of national tours with stellar musicians including Buddy
Guy and rocker Steve Miller, concluding the run with an appearance on the
Conan O’Brien Show. In the studio, he contributed to a number of Grammy and
Emmy award-winning projects, including producing a song for the Robert
Redford blockbuster The Horse Whisperer, and later producing a W.C.
Handy-nominated album for blues-woman Sheila Wilcoxson.
In 1994, Robb signed a contract with the Burnside label, where he made
his musical home for nearly a decade, releasing both acoustic (Heart Made of
Steel and When I Play My Blues Guitar rank as two of his best) and stinging
electric blues albums.
Along the way, Robb’s reputation grew. As he began cultivating an original
style that combined traditional blues elements with more eccentric licks
drawn from the jazz world – a la guitar greats Lonnie Johnson and Eddie Lang
– he developed a strong following of fans and protégés, as well as critical
acclaim. To date Robb has won the Cascade Blues Association’s prestigious
“Muddy Award” a record twenty times as best acoustic guitarist, as well as
awards for best traditional act and best record. These awards have led to his
induction into the CBA’s Hall of Fame. His prestige has earned him offers to
perform with the Oregon Symphony Orchestra. His longtime collaboration with
Doug Smith and Mark Hansen as the Acoustic Guitar Summit continues to be a
favorite among finger-style enthusiasts.
A capable teacher in his own right, Robb began teaching acoustic guitar workshops
at festivals like the Port Townsend Country Blues Festival and producing
instructional videos for Stefan Grossman’s Vestapol series, before eventually
opening his own Terry Robb Northwest School of Acoustic Guitar in 2001.
Several of his students have gone on to successful careers in music. He
continues to be a popular teacher at guitar workshops and festivals around
the country.
After dominating the Pacific Northwest blues scene, Robb began seeking out
new challenges. In 2004, he departed Burnside, landing at Memphis-based
Yellow Dog Records. For Resting Place he worked with renowned engineer Roland
Janes – who has recorded giants like Jerry Lee Lewis, Ike Turner, and Billy
Lee Riley – at Sam Phillips’ Recording Studio, located just around the corner
from Phillips’ original Memphis studio, Sun Records. A group of crackerjack
musicians backed him, including Stax alumnus Willie Hall (drums),
contemporary Beale Streeter Charlie Wood (piano), and North Mississippi
All-Star Paul Taylor (bass).
Today Robb is a dynamic solo performer, leader of the electric Terry Robb
Band, sought-after producer of high-quality recording projects, and head of
PsycheDelta Records.
Special Interest
Articles:
1974 - 1993:
·Studies theory at PSU with Czechoslovakian composer, Tomas
Svoboda
·Tours With Ramblin Rex of Capt. Beefheart/Zappa Fame
·Forms own band & establishes himself as hottest guitar
player in the NW.
·Begins to produce and perform with John Fahey
·Produces and plays on Fahey's "Let Go" - Kurt Loder,
Rolling Stone, cites record as one of the top 3 releases of the summer along
with Purple Rain & Born in the USA
1994 - 2002:
·Begins recording & producing for Burnside Records.
·Releases 'Hit it & Quit It' with Curtis Salgado, tours with
Buddy Guy and Steve Miller
·Performs on Conan O'Brien.
·Produces Sheila Wilcoxson's "Back Water Blues', CD is
nominated for WC Handy award.
·Begins recording with the Acoustic Guitar Summit, Performs
several times on West Coast Live
·Performs with the Oregon Symphony "Nerve Endings' series
·Featured teacher at Port Townsend Country Blues Festival
·Begins the 'Terry Robb NW School of Acoustic Guitar'
·Wins Cascade Blues Assoc. 'Muddy Award' 14 times & inducted
into "Hall of Fame" twice
Click the
album cover to listen to song samples from,
purchase a copy of and learn more about When I Play My Blues Guitar
Click the
album cover to listen to song samples from,
purchase a copy of and learn more about Heart Made of Steel
Click the
album cover to listen to song samples from,
purchase a copy of and learn more about Acoustic Blues Trio.
Click the
album cover to listen to song samples from,
purchase a copy of and learn more about Stop This World.
For more
information about Burnside Records artists, contact us:
800.288.2007 ext. 2049 info@burnsiderecords.com
