Joined: 01 Jul 2007 Posts: 80 Location: California
Posted: Wed Oct 17, 2007 4:34 pm Post subject: The first time that you heard Robben play
The first time that I heard Robben play was when I was thirteen years old. I will never forget, I went over to my aunt and uncles house for some family gathering and my uncle knew that I had been playing guitar for about two months and told me about a CD that he had and that I should listen to it. At the time, only being thirteen all I had listened to before that was classic rock. My uncle also played guitar and that is why he had the CD, he liked Robben's tone. The CD that he let me borrow was the Anthology Tapes disc one and two, all I can remember that night is that on the way home I was mesmorized and amazed by Robben's playing and his nearly, if not perfect, execution of lick after lick, blue note after blue note, I knew from that minute on that I wanted to play like that. I had never heard any other musicain play with so much feeling and so much raw emotion. It was almost too much listening to Raining In My Heart and Blue and Lonesome and the haunting melodies and sounds of Robben's Saxophone. I went from knowing nothing about the blues to diving head first into it and I have never loved any other music as much as I love the blues. It sent chills down my spine. Ever since then Robben has been my number one influence and I have been doing all that I can, listen all I can, and practice all I can so that one day I might be even 1/100 as good as he is. I just remember listening to the entire tape over and over and over, although I couldnt play what Robben was playing (I had only been playing guitar for two months) I knew that that was the sound, that was the style, and that was what I hoped to emulate as I got older. From there my thirst for anything with Robben's name became and still is unquenchable, after I got the Anthology tapes I got The Charles Ford Band album, man that is some serious playing too this would be my favorite album of all time and my favorite double album would be the Anthology Tapes!! I have posters, articles, magazines, Cut out advertise ments, Robben's CD's, DVD's, and even one of his picks(From the Santa Cruz Blues Festival, where I met Patrick Ford, the best blues drummer ever in my humble opinion and lets not forget about Mark Ford the best harmonica player in my opinion, lets just say that the Ford's have some genetic musical knack). Now I have almost Every album that Robben has put out wether its The Blues Collection, Keep On Running, Mystic Mile, Live Jimmy Witherspoon and Robben Ford, A Tribute to Paul Butterfield, Talk to Your Daugher, Blue Moon, Truth and the list goes on. My favorite Robben recordings are his early blues soaked records where Robben just blows you away and you can't believe that an eighteen/nineteen/twenty year old guitar player is doing what hes doing. And his newer recording are great too, not as bluesy but still have that Robben sound. My favorites, if I had to choose would be Truth, both Blue Line records and Talk to Your Daughter for his newer albums (Even if Talk to Your Daughter came out in 1988). I try to see him play anywhere I can, I just recently saw him at Yoishi's in Oakland on the 26 and 30th of September, man that was amazing!! Overall it is hard for me to imagine what my life would be like if I had never heard Robben that day or ever, to me this is a scary thought.
Joined: 26 Nov 2003 Posts: 916 Location: Fairhope, AL
Posted: Thu Oct 18, 2007 4:14 pm Post subject: First time
Hi Phil,
I'll respond. The first time I heard Robben to know that it was him was when my local radio staion played "Talk to Your Daughter". I knoew right away that I had just heard "the sound". I pulled off the road to write down the artist info so I could get the album. when i had a chance to meet Robben at the National Guitar Workshop in CT, that's the CD I brought for him to sign. I had all of his that could find by then, but that one has always been special to me because it was my introduction to a wonderful and talented musician.
Frank
Joined: 21 Feb 2004 Posts: 243 Location: Rochester, MI
Posted: Thu Oct 18, 2007 6:53 pm Post subject:
The first time I heard Robben was likely the first Yellowjackets record (around ’81 or ‘82), or perhaps a tape that GIT put out called “The Monsters are Here.” That was a tape showcasing the instructors at GIT. In any event, the first song was Imperial Strut. I was totally blown away and, after hearing the whole (Yellowjackets) record, he immediately became my favorite guitarist.
The first time I saw Robben play live was in early 1983. I was a new student at GIT. He was playing a little restaurant/club in Malibu with drummer John Guerin (from Joni Mitchell). On breaks, we got to hang out with him.
The next day, Robben came to GIT and did a Friday lab. This involved hanging out in a room with Robben and 4 students and just playing talking, whatever. I was the first in line that morning and came back again in the afternoon. Robben did these on and off for the next 5-6 months. I must have been gone to over a dozen of these Friday labs—it was Fantastic!
Back when VH-1 was relatively cool, I saw Robben Ford perform live in the studio on Ben Sidran's New Visions show. The tunes were Philly Blues, and I Ain't Got Nothing But The Blues. I immediately went out and purchased Talk to Your Daughter. I've been a loyal fan ever since.
I'm not so sure, but the first time I heard Robben was certainly through the Soundpage recording found in the Guitar Player which had Robben on its cover. Or did I buy Talk To Your Daughter at first ? I'm not so sure about the sequence now
Anyway, I've been hooked since.
Joined: 06 Dec 2006 Posts: 246 Location: San Mateo, CA
Posted: Sat Oct 20, 2007 6:33 pm Post subject:
First time I heard Robben was when the bass player in my band brought in the new Tom Scott and the LA Express LP, "Tom Cat," and put it on. I was a fan immediately and have been since.
I first heard Robben when I was at university, during my music degree they paid for my guitar lessons and my tutor Jasper Smith played me 'Revelation' as a suggestion for a recital!
Joined: 19 Jul 2003 Posts: 32 Location: the Netherlands
Posted: Mon Oct 22, 2007 7:46 am Post subject:
The first time I heard Robben play, was on the first Yellowjackets album a friend had.
I remember noticing that he sort of played blues licks over jazzchanges.
I was a bluesplayer at the time with the ambition to learn to play jazz, and thought that learning to play his licks would help me to understand and master playing over changes.
Was I wrong; the genius of Robben is partly how he applies those bluesparts and makes them work in a jazz context.
Not to mention the sound he gets out of the guitar; simply incredible; it must be in the hands somewhere where we can't see.
Anyway; shortly after that I bought his first solo album The Inside Story.
All great stuff; I am very fond of that music until this day.
Then I bought the second Yellowjackets album, and loved that as well, and read somewhere that he was no longer a member of that band.
The first time I saw him play live was in 1986 with Miles Davis at the North Sea Jazz Festival.
Miles used to open that Festival, and I clearly remember standing outside, waiting for the gates to open, when I heard him soundchecking with Miles' band.
You could really hear it was Robben wailing away; his sound and choice of notes gave him away immediately.
I got all nervous, and anxious to get inside to see my hero play.
Man, what a concert that was; lots of Robben solo's and he was on fire; and I mean on fire the whole concert.
Lots of outside playing; much more than you hear on his records today.
He was playing a strat, with his Dumble amp, and sounded killer.
A year or so later I went with a friend to Bochum in Germany by car to see him play with his own band.
That was just after Talk to your Daughter came out.
That was with I think Bob Malach, Roscoe and Tom; I am not sure if there was keyboards.
Man, what a night that was.
Later, with the Blue Line, he did an acoustic session in a Dutch Radio studio, and I had a chance to talk briefly with all three guys.
That was great; he signed two records, and I gave him a cassette with a recording of him with Miles on it.
He is and always will be a major influence on my playing.
I really like his new record as well; I get a lot of inspiration out of it.
Joined: 26 Jan 2004 Posts: 142 Location: Northern CA
Posted: Mon Oct 22, 2007 2:09 pm Post subject:
Years ago ... at the Golden Bear ... across the street from the pier in Huntington Beach, CA
Robben Ford played with the YellowJackets. I've followed Robben ever since. And now that I live in Northern CA ... I'm lucky to see him often as I can get to many of the Bay area clubs.
The Golden Bear was torn down ... maybe relocated ... I do not know. I would also wait in line to sit up front to hear Larry Carlton play.
It's strange to say this, because I was around and listening to music for probably all of Robben's career, but I only discovered Robben in the last year or so. I first heard him here: ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DA06F7niviQ ) and then in other clips on YouTube. Now I'm collecting CDs and I'd like to see him live.
Joined: 01 Jul 2007 Posts: 80 Location: California
Posted: Sun Nov 11, 2007 10:26 am Post subject:
I have only seen Robben play once at the Montalvo with Larry Carlton (first time) , once at Moe's Alley, once at the Santa Cruz blues festival, and twice at Yoshi's, and my dad saw the Charles Ford Band at Euliphia in San Jose in 1972.
First time was about midnight in the Winter of 1975 as I was doing janitorial duties at a Straw Hat in Denver. It was Blue & Lonesome from the '72 Arhoolie record. I played blues harp at the time so Mark really got my attention, but wow, Robben was great too.
A couple of months later I was driving to work at about 4pm and heard Gibson Creek Shuffle on a different radio station. I was hooked.
I drove all over Denver looking for that album and finally found it at the Denver Folklore Center. I still have it and Robben has autographed it twice - first when I met him in Boulder in '78 on the Inside Story tour, and a 2nd time in 2001 at Guitar Center in San Jose.
I still have my Inside Story and Yellowjackets albums that I purchased when they were first released - autographed as well.
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