Terry Robb is a Canadian fingerstyle guitarist, composer, arranger and record producer living in the United States. He plays electric and acoustic guitar, and is associated with the American Primitive Guitar genre through his collaboration with steel string guitarist John Fahey. He is a member of the Oregon Music Hall of Fame and Cascade Blues Association Hall of Fame, and was honored with the eponymous "Terry Robb" Muddy Award for Best Acoustic Guitar in 2011. His original compositions draw on the Delta blues, ragtime, folk music, country music and jazz traditions.
Biography
Early life and career
Born in Vancouver, British Columbia, Robb moved to the United States with his parents, living briefly in Pittsburgh, Pa., before settling in Portland, Ore., at the age of seven. He was immersed in music and the arts at an early age, and received his first guitar at age eight from an uncle who played swing guitar and was associated with the Lawrence Welk Orchestra. During the blues revival of the 1960s, he was exposed to blues, country, ragtime and early jazz musicians that were being rediscovered, as well as contemporary jazz and blues rock musicians, which led to a lifelong interest in the blues and Americana music. He began performing in bands at age 12, playing dances at local junior high and high schools, and was soon after performing solo sets in coffee houses around Portland. Following his graduation from Parkrose High School in 1974, he studied fine arts and music theory under Czech-American classical composer Tomáš Svoboda at Portland State University before receiving his baccalaureate degree in 1978.
After college, Robb joined multi-instrumentalist "Ramblin' Rex" Jacobosky, an associate of Frank Zappa and Captain Beefheart, touring as a duo throughout the Pacific Northwest. Through Jacobosky, Robb met guitarist Henry Vestine when Canned Heat performed at Murphy's and Me nightclub in Eugene, Ore., during their 1980 tour, where he was invited to join the band on stage and play Alan Wilson's guitar. When Vestine later moved to Oregon, Robb helped him get established in the local music scene, and occasionally joined on guitar during Canned Heat's Pacific Northwest performances. Robb also became acquainted with blues singer and harmonicist Curtis Salgado, who was a member of the Robert Cray Band at that time. When steel string fingerstyle guitarist John Fahey relocated to Salem, Ore., in 1981, a mutual friend gave him Robb's demo recording of "One Way Gal" by blues guitarist William Moore, and the two met backstage after Fahey's performance at Luis' La Bamba in Portland. These relationships proved to have significant influence on Robb's artistic style and guitar techniques, and led to subsequent recording collaborations and enduring friendships.
In 1982, Robb established himself as a solo artist with the release of the Terry Robb Band's debut 45 Psychedelta, followed by the LP Next Window which featured cover art by cartoonist John Callahan. In 1987, Robb's third recording, Nice Try, marked a departure from his electric band format in favor of solo acoustic fingerstyle guitar instrumentals and included guest performances by Fahey and Salgado. On Sensitive Guy, Robb returned to electric band recordings while retaining a comparable number of solo acoustic songs, an electric/acoustic hybrid format he would adopt in subsequent recordings and live performances. In 1990, a collaboration with Ike Willis, formerly of the Frank Zappa Band, led to Robb's fifth release Jelly Behind the Sun, featuring Willis as guest vocalist.
Later career
In 1994, Robb signed a multi-year recording contract with the Portland-based label Burnside Records, where he would release four albums and serve as producer, arranger and guitar accompanist on several recordings for other Burnside Records artists. His second Burnside release, Stop This World, featuring guest artists Maria Muldaur, Eddy Clearwater and Curtis Salgado, topped the Living Blues Radio Chart in 1997. During this time, Robb joined the supergroup Acoustic Guitar Summit with fellow Portland guitarists Mark Hanson, Paul Chasman and Doug Smith, performing throughout the West Coast in concert, TV and radio broadcasts, including "West Coast Live" with Sedge Thomson.