Rob Reynolds

Rob Reynolds singer/songwriter

Rob was born in 1970 in Portsmouth, England. At a young age he moved with his family to Harrogate, where he grew up as a Yorkshireman. During his first decade, both of his parents were plagued by ill health and Rob missed a couple of years of school. As well as caring for his parents, he watched record-setting amounts of television what he missed out on with his conventional educational, he made for by acquiring an encyclopediac knowledge of old films, old music and popular culture, perhaps laying the foundations for his own career as a musician. At the very least, it made him everyone’s ‘phone a friend’. Early musical experiences were as a singer of blues and jazz, starting with performances in local venues in Yorkshire at fifteen. He immediately caught the attention of the local music scene with his extraordinary voice and green (sometimes blue) hair. A succession of bands followed, where Rob was singing other people’s songs, either covers or original material written by other band members. This gave him the impetus to learn to play the guitar “So I wouldn’t excluded from musical discussions in rehearsals.” As his playing improved, he started writing for the first time, and organising jam sessions for other musicians in Yorkshire. When his father died in 1993, he felt the need to leave town and hit London. “I could either stay there and keep fucking up my life or start again and make the most of what my Dad passed on to me.” Rob’s first musical collaboration in the capital was with Alvin Gibbs of the UK Subs, who’d been in Iggy Pop’s band for the previous two years. Through Alvin, Rob came to the attention of then-fledgling south London indie Invisible Hands Music. Initially signed in 1995 to a development deal, IHM put Rob out on the road supporting Midge Ure, Procul Harum and Errol Brown; and he recorded with a band that included drummer Chuck Sabo (now with Natalie Imbruglia), It Bites keyboard player John Beck, and produced by Dexy’s Midnight Runners bassist Nigel Ross-Scott. The debut album, Waiting For The Tide, was recorded in the summer of 1996 in Hampshire with an all-star cast featuring drummer Darren Mooney from Primal Scream, bassist Jon Noyce from Jethro Tull, Lenny Kravitz keyboard player Reg Webb and produced by ace guitarist Greg Bone (Seal, Sting, Take That). Even sound engineer Robin Black was a legend, having engineered albums by Wings, the Who, and Pink Floyd’s classic Wish You Were Here. The sessions were electrifying and the album that resulted is an accomplished opening to a career. The first single was an authentic and beautiful cover of the Arlen/Cohler jazz standard Stormy Weather (the only cover on Waiting For The Tide), considered by many afficianados to be the definitive performance of the song. In the UK, the single was well-received, whether it was beating the likes of Louise and Hanson in a national radio Juke Box Jury, or being given the Single Of The Week accolade by Jazz FM. Second single Take It Easy continued Rob’s take-over of the airwaves as he travelled the length and breadth of the country performing live sessions on dozens of BBC and ILR stations and on the launch of the nation’s newest terrestrial television network Channel 5. A period of writing and touring followed, mixed with more spiritual paths such as studying meditation and Reiki, during which Rob adopted two terrifying pet snakes (scaring the shit out of visiting label staff in the process). In September 2000, a seven-track midprice mini-album entitled Samsara Never Sleeps was released to end the silence and inevitably it met with critical acclaim. Respected UK music monthly Mojo made Samara Never Sleeps one of their four ‘Critics Choice’ for the month, and the album sold well across the world, despite the long gap since Waiting For The Tide. After a period of experimental recording for a label in Germany, which included sessions with the Munich Symphony Orchestra and some 5.1 Surround mixes, Rob returned to the UK in the autumn of 2002 and set about recording his third album Sightseeing in London. The musicians assembled for the recording included live stalwarts Carl Holt on bass, Michael Bramwell on keyboards and the Everest of funk himself, Carlos Hercules on drums. Additional guests included guitarist Steve Harris from Gary Numan’s band, keyboard player Richard Cottle (Seal, Manics, The Beloved) and Sting’s percussionist Miles Bould. The album was finished in December and mastered at Abbey Road and since January has been making friends and influencing people in it’s current form as a highly sought-after promo. First single Sweet Mother hit the airwaves in July, staying on the Radio 2 playlist for an astonishing five weeks; and Radio 2 invited Rob to perform two tracks live to a massive radio audience as part of their Great British Music Debate. Regional radio was equally enthusiastic, racking up over 40 playlists. In Europe the single has been A listed by Belgiums’s equivalent of Radio 1 and Holland is equally positive the Sightseeing release date in Benelux has been brought forward to accommodate demand. Germany is starting to see things Rob’s way as well, and he’ll be heading Down Under for his first Australian tour

I love playing live, i've played all over the UK and Ireland, Holland, Germany, Switzaland, Canada, Sweden, Spain, France... I recently won the Baltic Song Contest in Sweden, I thought it was a normal gig at first so to end up winning it was a real joy and surprise.

Hi there, I've got lots of different influences, some influence and some i just love:George Formby, Pink Floyd, James Brown, Neil Young, The Jam, ELO, Jimi Hendrix, My Nan, Johnny Cash, Nat King Cole, Marvin Gaye, Tex Ritter, Robert Cray, James Taylor, Simon And Garfunkel, Robert Randolph, Squeeze, John Martyn, Fleetwood Mac, The Beatles, The Kinks, The Searchers, Kate Bush,

Gibson LC1 accoustic which is so beautiful to play, Takemine accoustic, Fender Telecaster and a load of pedals

Hope you enjoy my music Love and Peace