Rick Robbins was born
in 1946. At age eight Rick took violin lessons and later took up the Cornet.
In 1962 Rick went to the Stockbridge School in Interlaken Ma. There he
had his first taste of folk music and bought his first guitar after listening
to a Jack Elliott record. " We were listening to Woody Guthrie, Leadbelly,
Sonny Terry, Brownie Mcghee, Cisco Houston and Jack Elliott". Alice and
Ray Brock turned Rick on to who Woody Guthrie was. In 1965 Rick and Arlo
Guthrie hit the road looking for Woody & Cisco's footprints. " We found
some footprints, and heard a lot of stories, but best of all we were out
there playing the songs that Woody and Cisco and all those guys like Leadbelly
left behind. These songs are real and worth handing down". Rick was on
the road with a guitar up until 1978 when he settled down to build houses
and learn architectural design. " I stopped touring the country, but I
never stopped picking and singing , the music was always there". One day
in 1995 Rick was trading his construction skills on a music studio for
renowned sound engineer, Ron Bach,in exchange for some recording time to
preserve a few treasured folk songs for his family when award- winning
blues woman, Rory Block, happened to be listening in and loved what she
heard. She added a few vocals of her own and urged Rick to record a whole
album. Making it all happen took over two years, and in 97' Rick was back
into the music with the release of his first CD "Walkin' Down The Line".
The album is produced by Rory Block, and features guest appearances by
Arlo Guthrie, Ramblin' Jack Elliott, John Sebastian, Eric Weissberg, Larry
Campbell and Rory Block. In 2001 Rick released his second album, Rick Robbins
with Rory Block "Don't Deny My Name" produced again by Rory with guest
appearances by Garth Hudson (The Band) John Sebastian ( The Lovin' Spoonful
) Larry Campbell ( Bob Dylan's "Never Ending Tour Band" ) and Steve Ide
( Arlo Guthrie's "Shenandoah" lead guitar player). In 1997 Rick picked
up where Bruce Pratt left off as the legendary Ramblin' Jack Elliott's
traveling buddy and guest performer on what is now known as the annual
"Mud Season Tour". This year will mark the tenth year of ramblin' around
to some of New England's best folk venues. This February 2007 Rick is releasing
his first all original material studio recording of ten new songs entitled
"time & gravity" produced by Rick Tiven and Rick Robbins.
Some venues Rick has
performed at:
Anabel Taylor Hall Auditorium
, Ithaca, N.Y
Club Passim, Cambridge,
Ma.
Club Cafe, Pittsburgh,
PA.
Beachland Ballroom -
Cleveland, OH
West Kortright Center
- East Meredith, NY
Woody Guthrie Tribute
Festival- at "Ice House" Bethlehem, Pa
. The Stone House Music
Club Englewood, New Jersey
The Stone Church Music
Club - Newmarket, NH
The Funk Box / Baltimore,
MD Satalla / New York City, NY
Tupelo Music Hall - Londonderry,
N.H
. The Turning Point -
Piermont, N. Y
. Iron Horse - Northhampton,
MA.
Center For The Arts -
Homes, N.Y
The Grand - Ellsworth
, ME.
Briggs Opera House -
White River Jct., NH.
Performing Arts Theater
- National Music Center- Lenox,Ma.
The Arts Center in Carrboro,
N.C.
Rosebud - Pittsburgh,
Pa.
Savannah Folk Festival
Savannah Ga.
Canal Street Tavern -
Dayton, OH
. Godfrey Daniels- Bethlehem,
Pa.
The Guthrie Center, Gt.
Barrington MA
Kirlland ArtCenter Coffeehouse
- Clinton, N.Y.
Tall Corners Coffeehouse
Rochester,N.Y.
Tin Angel, Philadelphia
PA
. The Bottom Line, New
York, NY
Johnny D's, Sommerville
MA.
Bull Run Restaurant,
Shirley,MA
Common Fence Point,Portsmouth,
RI.
Club Cafe , Pittsburgh.
PA.
12 Corners Coffeehouse,
Rochester, N.Y
Kleinert James Art Center,
Woodstock, N.Y.
The Bitter End , New
York, N.Y
. Roaring Brook Nature
Center , Canton, CT.
Jorma Kaukonen FurPeace
Ranch, Meigs County, Ohio
Columbus Music Hall ,
Columbus, Ohio
Tappan Square, Oberlin,
Ohio
Ocean County Library,
Tom's River, N.J.
"The Tao of Tao" , WAMC
Northeast Public Radio The Berkshire Museum, Pittsfield, MA
From some
reviews of "Walkin' Down The Line" & "Don't Deny My Name" (See
the Press Review page for full text.):
"Don't Deny
My Name" Rick Robbins with Rory Block
All of these songs are time-tested classics that Robbins delivers with
just the right combination of song-familiarity and interpertive freshness
........ Sing Out ! .......... March 2002
"Don't
Deny My Name" Robbins needn't deny his own name on this effort, as good
as any traditional folk-style album that has come out in years. Seth Rogovoy:
The Berkshire Eagle 12/8/01
"Don't Deny
My Name" Rick Robbins with Rory Block...... Rick is good
at what he does...you might also think of Dave Alvin or Tom Russell.
*Don't Deny My Name* sports an overwhelming feel of cowboys old and new.........
Judith Gennett : KPSU......... Green Man review
"Walkin ' Down
The Line" has had extensive radio air play all over the country, and was
number 10 on the Top Albums and Songs for April 1998 ( Compiled by Richard
Gillmann from FOLKDJ-L radio play lists).
"Robbins'
gritty voice delivers chestnuts like " Handsome Molly" and " Yankee Clipper"
with the authority of lifelong familiarity "......" What allows singer
/ guitarist Robbins to stand shoulder -to-shoulder with veteran vocalists
and instrumentalists like Block,Elliott, and Weissberg is his obviously
deep and abiding commitment to the material".
Seth Rogovoy
The Berkshire
Eagle . . . . . . . .
The album is
like a well-worn baseball glove.... A treasury of traditional material...
"Hobo's Lullaby"
and "Handsome Molly"alone are well worth the price of admission.............
Dirty Linen
April /May issue 1999
"Walkin' Down
The Line"
Combine Cisco
Houston / David Mallett / Arlo Guthrie into one singer....
Combine Doc
Watson / Dick Rosmini / Pete Seeger into one picker....
You got Rick
Robbins !! Back up Vocals by Rory Block and you got one dynamite recording
!
My vote for
one of the best of the decade. Sorry I didn't find it sooner !! DAMN
!!
Needless to
say I got no financial interest in this recording ! Wish I had!
David Weide
Producer and host of Mostly Folk(West) KUNV 91.5 ( November 4th 1999 )
photo
by Lori Robbins
