Blues guitarist Terry Robb returns to Corvallis for concert, workshop

Blues guitarist Terry Robb returns to Corvallis for concert, workshop

Mike McInally, The Corvallis Gazette-Times, Mar 28, 2019

“When Portland-based acoustic blues guitarist Terry Robb swings by Corvallis for a show on Sunday, it won't exactly be a homecoming, but he won't be on unfamiliar ground, either.

Robb, who's won acclaim for his signature fingerpicking style, lived in Corvallis along Ninth Street decades ago, from 1979 to 1981. He kicked around some, played some shows, occasionally appeared with mid-valley musical legend "Ramblin' Rex" Jakabosky.

Corvallis, of course, has changed since those days, and Ramblin' Rex, a Frank Zappa-Captain Beefheart alumnus, died in 2016.

But Robb is still at it: His stop in Corvallis comes in advance of the release of his latest album, "Confessin' My Dues," and is part of a tour that will take him throughout Oregon, California and the Pacific Northwest. Advance copies of the album, which features 13 Robb-written tunes that pay tribute to his many musical influences, will be available at the show. (Robb also will be offering a musical workshop before the show; see the attached story for details.)

Those musical influences date back to Robb's earliest days, growing up in British Columbia and Portland as a member of a musically inclined family: His grandfather was an accomplished pianist and an uncle played guitar and toured with Lawrence Welk's orchestra. In fact, it was that uncle who gave Robb his first guitar.

In the meantime, he was listening to classical music and musicians such as Louis Armstrong and The Beatles. (After The Beatles, Robb wryly noted, "guitarists became kind of the thing.")

But it was acoustic music from the heart of the United States that made the biggest impact on young Robb: country blues, ragtime, folk, jazz. "There's something about the music that touched me and made me want to play it," he said in a recent interview with the E. "I was really attracted to this Americana stuff."

And, since then, he's carved out a career exploring those musical interests. Robb, a member of the Oregon Music Hall of Fame, has collaborated with musicians such as John Fahey, Maria Muldaur, Eddy Clearwater and Curtis Salgado. He's toured nationally with Buddy Guy and Steve Miller and has appeared on "Late Night with Conan O'Brien." You can hear his work on soundtracks to movies and TV shows such as "Game of Thrones," "The Horse Whisperer" and "Don't Worry, He Won't Get Far on Foot," about the late Portland cartoonist John Callahan. (Robb also produced an album by Callahan.)

He's drawn critical praise for his big one-man band sound in live performances, but his Corvallis show will feature a guest: guitarist Adam Scramstad, who played rhythm guitar on "Confessin' My Dues."

"Confessin' My Dues" also features Robb playing with jazz musicians Gary Hobbs on drums and Dave Captain on bass. Robb said he wanted the album to have "some of that big rock sound on an acoustic record."

Robb produced the album, and he said that work can be a chore. "The hardest part is producing yourself. You just can't go in and play. ... I've got to be aware of my surroundings. You've got to know what you're doing."

But he's also not someone to ask for take after take during a recording session: "I'm not really a demo guy," he said. "I'm also a one- or two-take guy." Otherwise, he said, you run the risk of losing a sense of spontaneity.

Robb is playing smaller venues during this tour, and he likes the intimacy they provide. And since smaller crowds can be easier to read, he always has the option of scrambling his set list to match the moods of his listeners.

"I'm there to entertain," he said.

As for his workshops, Robb considers those a way to share his love for the music that's shaped him: "Basically, I want to show people how to learn this stuff. ... I was just born with a gift and I have to just go out and use it. I don't take it for granted."“