Rob STONE

 ROB STONE 

& The C-Notes

(5CD)

 BIOGRAPHY 

Stone got started on his harmonica-blowing odyssey at age 18. He slipped into a blues joint in his native Boston to check out harp legend Charlie Musselwhite and was instantly transfixed. Rob bought his first harp the next day and immediately began emulating classic recording –– later studying with ex-Muddy Waters harmonica man Jerry Portnoy and and playing regularly with rockabilly legend Sleepy LaBeef.

Relocating to Colorado for college in 1990, Stone honed his technique on bandstands around the Denver and Colorado Springs area, learning to tame riotous crowds in the Southwest biker bar circuit. 

Then in 1993, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame drummer Sam Lay––the mighty engine that powered the Paul Butterfield Blues Band during their mid-‘60s heyday––rolled into town with his own combo. After meeting at the KRCC radio station where Sam was being interviewed, the blues legend invited the young harpist to sit in and dug what he heard, hiring Rob the next year. 

Touring with Lay’s band introduced Stone to blues fans worldwide, and allowed him to refine his approach to the harmonica and music in general. Lay’s experience with Little Walter, Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, Sonny Boy Williamson and others instilled a strong emphasis on the tight Chicago ensemble sound –– stressing musical interplay, responsive improvisation, dynamics, intensity, and inventive arrangements. Lay has since said of Stone’s playing: “I have worked with many harmonica players, and he turned out to be the best. That cat is a monster harmonica player and musician!” 

In addition to continued work with Sam Lay, Stone became a “go to” player in the competitive Chicago blues scene –– performing and recording with many of the genre’s legendary acts. Learning to play Chicago blues directly from the masters who created it was a profound apprenticeship. “Every facet of my approach to music is to some extent influenced by playing alongside my heroes. These experiences were enormously important to my development,” says Stone. 

Soon, Rob stepped up to form his own band, the C-Notes, with veteran players Chris James, Patrick Rynn and Willie “The Touch” Hayes. Their self-produced debut CD, No Worries, earned considerable critical acclaim. In 2003, Rob and the C-Notes signed with the Earwig Music Company label to release Just My Luck (Nominated for a Chicago Music Award in the Best Album category). That same year, Rob appeared in the Martin Scorsese-produced “Godfathers and Sons” episode of The Blues series that aired nationwide on PBS Television.

In 2010, Stone returned to the CD racks with Back Around Here, again for Earwig. The album, featuring Sam Lay, Willie “Big Eyes” Smith, Aaron Moore, David Maxwell, and others, remained on the Roots Music Radio Charts for 54 weeks and was named in Living Blues’ Top 50 Albums of 2010. Since then, he has also been featured in the documentary Sam Lay in Bluesland, as well as Six Generations of the Blues from Mississippi to Chicago (alongside Honeyboy Edwards, John Primer, Aaron Burton and Big Jack Johnson).

Since relocating to L.A., Rob’s blues-blasting harmonica artistry has gained him some new fans of a high-profile nature. But there’s no need for longtime fans to worry about Rob Stone going Hollywood on them. He remains committed to keeping the traditional Chicago blues flame burning brightly while bringing his own inventive twists to his blistering sound.

NEW:

2014-Gotta Keep Rollin' @FLAC

2021-Trio in Tokyo @FLAC