Robert Randolph Tunes In To Music Education
SLIDE GUITAR MASTER LENDS HIS TALENT TO HELP KIDS AND SHARES THE STAGE WITH INGENUES AND INNOVATORS FROM BROOKLYN TO NASHVILLE AND AROUND THE U.S.
Musician Robert Randolph is wrapping up 2013 with a renewed commitment to music education. The entertainer, who rose to international fame as the leader of Robert Randolph and The Family Band, has spent the past 2 years working to build the Robert Randolph Music and Arts Resource Center in Newark, NJ. As that project nears completion, Randolph has expanded his commitment to music and arts education, volunteering his talents for a once-in-a-lifetime fundraiser for the Notes for Notes organization in Santa Barbara, CA. This year, their annual fundraiser will feature a jam performance with Robert Randolph, Slash and Jimmy Vivino and The Basic Cable Band along with special surprise guests on December 6 at the Libero Theater in Santa Barbara. “I’ve spent years trying to put the resources in place for kids to express themselves through arts and music so that they could experience the opportunities that I’ve had,” explains Randolph “By tying it in with Notes for Notes, I can have a bigger impact, going far beyond the places where I grew up and learned to play.”
The fundraiser concert for Notes for Notes will be one of several collaborative performances on Randolph’s schedule. One November 26,27, 29 and 30 he will be headlining at The Brooklyn Bowl, welcoming several special guests including country singer Charlie Worsham. He will be taking part in an all-star New year’ Eve Bash with Hank Williams Jr. in Nashville, setting sail on the Jam Cruise along with Bootsy Collins, Warren Haynes and Les Claypool, and he’ll be taking part in the Greg Allman Tribute Concert at the Fox Theater in Atlanta on January 10th along with Trace Adkins, Eric Church and John Hiatt. “All real musicians love to collaborate,” says Randolph. “I’ve been lucky enough to play with family and friends on stage for a lifetime but when I get the chance to play with guys like Slash or John Hiatt, especially if it is for a good cause, I’ll always want to be involved.”
Robert Randolph and The Family Band released their newest studio album, Lickety Split, this summer on Blue Note Records and has been touring throughout the U.S. and Europe since its release. Robert Randolph & The Family Band first gained national attention with the release of the album Live at the Wetlands in 2002. The concert recording was taped at New York’s historical Wetlands Preserve Club before it closed in 2001. The band followed that acclaimed live album with their first studio recording Unclassified, attracting the attention of Eric Clapton. Since then, the band has toured with Clapton, Santana and the Dave Matthews Band and, as a headline act, has developed a large, passionate following built upon legendary performances at such major festivals as Bonnaroo, Crossroads, Hard Rock Calling, Montreux Jazz, Austin City Limits and the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. Later albums, Colorblind and We Walk This Road, enjoyed critical and commercial success led by signature Randolph composed songs such as “Ain’t Nothing Wrong With That”. Rolling Stone named Robert Randolph one of “The 100 Greatest Guitarists,” the only pedal steel player so honored, calling him “one of the most intense live acts in all of jamdom” and citing his solos as “perpetually cresting, lightning-fast explorations.” Fans worldwide have taken notice of this American original, with audiences and critics alike singing the praises of this unique superstar.
