Robben Ford Discussion

[AndyR]

Good story, bluenote!

Mine:

When in the US Army, I got a promotion from E3 to E4. We had just gotten a new company commander, who pinned my E4 badge onto my lapel during a lunchtime ceramony.

I remember thinking, "I'll impress the Captain with my firm handshake!" He was kinda a burly guy, a bit bigger than I was, me being only 20 years old. Well, I took his hand and squeezed, and then I felt his knuckles piling up on one another...

I'll never forget the grimace/smile on his face!



Andy

[frank0936]

I've only met Robben once, also and he seemed a little reticent about shaking hands. It put me off at first, but I got over it. I can understand that for a person like a guitar player or anyone who depends on touch for their livelihood that can always be a moment of some tension. Also Robben has mentioned that he has suffered from pretty severe tendonitis at times and that may factor into it, too. But I felt the same way as most of you. I wanted to try to say something that would convey my feelings of respect for such a musical talent and the excitement I felt at finally meeting and especially hearing him, and I walked away feeling like I had just made an idiot of myself (again). Robben was very patient and gracious, and I can laugh at it now, but boy, did I feel stupid!
Frank

[Bluelobster]

In fact i forgot the very first time i talked to Robben FORD, but it was not in a Robben Ford Band situation - same story as i told in many numerous threads : a very good friend who's been in git gave me tapes and introduce me to the very art of what we all like circa 1983-84, so when the Miles Davis Band came to theNICE jazz festival in july of 1
986, with Mr FORD on guitar , two dedicated fans were truly present In fact my wife and i were yet addicted to MilesDavis music, but with robben it was top of the cake.
Around that times there was no such huge securities concerns as much as now, so one could come and get very close to the backstage area , we went there my wife and i and greeted him for the nice guitar, he seems exhausted and very excited in the mean time , once again we were dumb asses coz' we had some cherries comin' from the mountainside and wedared not give to hime, a lifetime regret.
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[Danny]

[JoeB63]

Here's a related story:

In January 2007, I took my wife and then 12-year old son to a Robben show in Austin (great, great show BTW). At the end of the show Robben had to walk through the crowd to get out of the club (there was no backstage area). It was pretty dark in the club.

We were sitting on the aisle. As Robben walked by us, he noticed my son (hey! a kid at the gig!). So he stopped and said to my son "Hey - How'd you like it?" Now it was around midnight at this point and my son was dead tired, struggling to stay awake. My son looked up at him and said absolutely nothing. Just stared at him. Robben waited a few seconds, and then said "well, OK," tapped him on the shoulder, and then started walking again to leave the club.

My wife and I turned to my son and said, "Why didn't you respond to him? That was rude." He said, "I'm so tired, I looked up and saw this woman (due to Robben's long hair) talking to me. I didn't know who it was, so I didn't say anything."

Nice of Robben to do that. And I apologize for my son's accidental rudeness.

True story.

[Danny]

Ahahaha! One of the few times I've truly laughed out loud from something on the internet.
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"Music is the only thing that you can share with a million million people and you don't lose, you gain. It helps you to get energy and to live long, because when your soul is very happy then you don't want to die." - Ali Akbar Khan

[rainmkr63]

I had to laugh at that one too.

I don't know why I still try and say hello to my heroes, I usually regret it later

[alan47]

A couple of years ago I went to a short clinic Robben did at Blue Bear Music in San Francisco. A few months later I went to see him for a Sunday afternoon show at Yoshis. I just happened to be on the street as he was walking by to the back entrance. I hesitated and then decided to open my mouth. I told him I had been to his clinic and that it was one of the most enjoyable afternoons I had spent in a long time. He said "Thanks for saying so" and I asked him if he was going to play Chevrolet to which he replied "I don't know" He did play it for whatever reason.

At one of his most recent shows at Yoshis I watched as he was going through the audience. There must have been many people he knew as he sat at a table or two giving hugs etc. In addition there were people approaching him. I thought to myself that as much as I wanted to he looked like he really had his hands full and I decided not to.

I am reminded of a quote from "To Kill a Mockingbird" it goes........"in order to understand someone you have to walk around in their shoes get inside their skin" or something like that.

Anyway I don't know Robben's personality, but it must be somewhat overwhelming to meet so many people all at once.

[JackD]

Guys:

I have known Robben for almost 25 years (form my days at GIT) and have also spent time with him at a few clincs and other events over the years. I can give some detailed stories later, but all I can say is that Robben has always been a true gentleman and just fantastic in all of my intereactions with him. I can tell a few specific stories (if anyone wants them) that were just amazing and are some of my most memorable music-oriented experiences.

He is A+, #1 in my book!

[Millibobs]

It would be really good to meet Robben but I don't mind if I don't - it was far more important that I 'met' him musically and having done that and given the influence that this has had upon me and my playing, I'm the better for it.

Robben is just another guy but with a special gift to play guitar. If I meet him (which I sincerely hope I do) I will shake his hand. I don't need him to be my friend - I just want him to know that he had a massive impact on how I approach the instrument that I have obsessed with since I was 11.

I may meet him, he may say hello and shake my hand, he may just walk off but believe me, I'm awfully glad I found him when I did. The fact that we are all here, having so much debate about him is as much proof as we need that Robben's is a genuinely pure talent - SRV would approve!

I just hope that when I dash up to Robben in Manchester and swear eternal devotion, that he doesn't say '**** off you old fart!!'

[jconstant]

[Bluelobster]

[JackD]

Ok guys, I’ll give a few stories. I feel kind of funny talking about this. However, please take these stories for what they are worth—just my way telling how a totally cool person Robben has been to me.

When I went to GIT in ’83 -‘84, Robben would do Friday labs for about 5-6 months when I was there. I must have played with him over a dozen times. He was always totally open in telling the students whatever they wanted to know. He was patient, funny, and very willing to share what he could to help students. This was not the case with some of the other special instructors at GIT. A big reason I went to GIT was to try to play with Robben. Learning from him was a unique opportunity. Finding out that he was a totally down-to-early, really cool guy made the experience that much better—this made me have a lot of respect for Robben.

Given that I went to a lot of these labs, I got to know Robben personally and when I left school, Robben gave me his home number and told me to keep in touch (this blew me away). When I returned to Michigan I called him couple times, but due to him being on tour and then moving, we lost touch. In the mid-90s, I would see Robben with the Blue Line and occasionally see him after shows. When I’d talk to him, he didn’t seem to remember me. He apologized, but admitted that he met a lot of guitar players during those years.

Fast forward to early 2004, I was able to arrange a clinic with Robben when he toured in Michigan. In spending more time with Robben before the event, he said that he did kind of remember me (and it had been 20 years). I had my band set up to play with Robben if he wanted during the clinic. He actually wanted to play and we did 4 songs. On every tune, Robben also let me take a solo. It was an absolute blast. Robben didn’t have to do that (people where there to see him). His willingness to have me play with him was a very special gesture. After the event, I thanked Robben and said I hoped the band sounded ok. He looked and me and said “Are you kidding, you guys sounded fuc*ing great! He then told me that I should be playing out a lot more. That encouragement made my day/week/month and meant a lot to me. Then things got even better.

I asked Robben if he wanted to go out and have dinner after the event. He said, sure. My brother-in-law, Steve (who is the drummer in my band and a co-sponsor of the event), joined us. We went out and had a really cool two hour dinner and hung out. During the conversation, Steve mentioned that his uncle was a world renowned classical pianist. As fate would have it, Steve’s uncle (who lives out-of-state) happened to be in town and eating at the same restaurant that night. We invited him over to our table and he and Robben spent a lot of time talking about classical music. When we were done, Steve told Robben that he would like to send him some of his uncle’s CDs and asked for an address for a manager or business office. Robben said sure and asked the waitress for some paper. He then gave me and Steve his home address and phone number and told Steve to send the CDs there and told me to be sure to keep in touch. Talk about totally going above and beyond!

Over the last few years, I call Robben a couple times a year to say hi. I often can only leave him a message since he’s on the road a lot. He will often call me back. There’s nothing like having your cell phone go off and hearing the voice on the other side say “hey Jack, it’s Robben Ford.” One time, Robben called back when I wasn’t around and spoke to my wife. This happened to be a week or so before Father’s Day. When Father’s day came around, my kids got me a framed photo of Robben with him writing me a happy Father’s Day wish on it. It was a really neat thing for me but my kids were thrilled to give me such a special gift. I’ve also sent Robben some stuff on occasion (a book or CDs of interest). I’ve gotten thank you notes back from Robben to show his appreciation. He doesn’t have to do any of this stuff.

I can go on with some other stories, but I don’t want to beat a dead horse. I also don’t want to come off like I’m boasting or like I’m trying to imply that Robben is a good friend of mine. He’s not—I just don’t know him that well. But what has happened is that Robben has taken the time to show me respect and consideration that you wouldn’t expect to see from a musician of his notoriety. I suspect that when people see him for a few minutes after a show or walk past him at an event, it’s not much different than when I walk past a person I don't really know in my office building. Sometimes I look up and say, “hi and have a nice day.” Other times, I might be stressed out or preoccupied due to some deal I’m working on and just look ahead and don’t say anything. It has nothing to do with how I feel about the person I just walked by. I just might have some shit on my mind and forget to look up or say hi. That’s just how stuff like that goes. I think there are many examples (like coming out after shows or doing clinics) of how Robben goes above and beyond for his fans.

Like I said before, I hope these few examples illustrate that in addition to being one of the greatest guitarists on the planet, Robben is also one great guy—at least he has been to me!

[jconstant]

Great stories, Jack! Thanks for telling them to us.

I think you're right about Robben. He is truly a gentleman and I get the sense he cherishes his personal relationships with people he's close to. (think Hey, Brother) But a guy like him who meets literally hundreds of people a year can't possibly remember everyone let alone take the time to get to know all the people who would love to get to know him. That's why I just get a kick out of him recognizing me when I see him at a show even though he doesn't know my name until I remind him. At the show last week he called me "Front Row Guy" at first because I've been to a few clinics and I'm always in the front row.

I don't know how many of you know who Adam Carolla is, but here in LA he has a morning radio show and he's talked about this kind of thing lately. He says he just feels like a regular guy, not a celebrity. He doesn't walk down the street thinking that people are looking at him thinking, "Oh my God, that's Adam Carolla." He just a regular guy, just like you and me, walking down the street.

It has to be a little weird to have so many people want to talk to you and feel like they know you when really, you're just a regular guy. I think Robben may feel a little like that. But what do I know?

Anyway, I'm rambling now so I'll stop. But I must say I like the discussion this thread has spawned.
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"Somebody's got to make some music around here." - Robben Ford

[Michael]

My son and I met Robben at a small guitar shop in Sac Town. I remember him telling my son ... "you need to apply yourself like a mofo ... and now you know" ... I'll never forget it.

Other than many concerts ... we sat next to Robben, et al ... at Hop Sings, a Chinese restaurant in Folsom. He was playing with his brothers at the Powerhouse Pub. Great show, fun time. At the show, I had the chance to talk with Mark and Patrick ...