Bob Andrews (keyboardist)
| Bob Andrews | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Background information | |
| Born |
20 June 1949 Leeds, Yorkshire, England, United Kingdom |
| Genres | Rock, new wave, soul, rhythm and blues |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, producer, songwriter |
| Instruments | Hammond organ, piano, vocals, bass, guitar |
| Years active | 1966–present |
| Associated acts | The Rumour, Brinsley Schwarz, The La's |
| Website | neworleanspiano |
Robert Charles "Bob" Andrews (born 20 June 1949) is an English keyboardist and record producer. He lives in Taos, New Mexico.
Born in the UK, just outside Leeds, Yorkshire, Andrews grew up in the district of Kirkstall, attending a small, local church elementary school, St Stephens. He started piano lessons at age seven after his mother detected his enthusiasm for banging on his grandmother's neighbour's piano. He switched teachers at age 11 to a local piano master, Charles Seed. Passing the 11+-entrance exam to attend grammar school, he learned ukulele playing in a skiffle group formed at school. Bob’s earliest introductions to music came through the radio and his teenage next-door neighbor who bought Elvis and Bill Haley records. Hanging out at a local penny arcade in Blackpool while on a family holiday, he was exposed to The Everly Brothers, where he would sing along to the harmonies. At 13, he discovered Chuck Berry, the Stones, the Beatles and girls, not necessarily in that order, stopped piano lessons, and learned to play bass and electric guitar. A whole new musical world opened up when Bob heard Howlin’ Wolf and the Chicago blues, and learning those infamous guitar riffs, played underage in pubs. By 1965, At age 16, he had been kicked out of high school (for having long hair), secured a job as a trainee surveyor, and with a newly minted Farfisa organ, was gigging 5 nights a week.
Bob became a professional musician in 1966, spending two years working in Germany and Spain, in nightclubs and on U.S. military bases. In these musically formative years, Bob honed his chops on keyboards, playing six or seven nights a week, sometimes 12 hours a day. The US Army and Air Force bases provided rich musical fodder, as the enlisted men’s clubs often had jukeboxes packed with the latest releases from the States. During this period Bob learned the art of improvisation, something used extensively during those long hours. In 1968 he returned to the UK, moved to London and picked up a gig playing organ for P.P. Arnold's backing band. Bob's immaturity lost him that job, but a chance reply to an ad in the Melody Maker newspaper, landed him a position with pop act Kippington Lodge, and he moved down to Tunbridge Wells. In 1969, the band went through personal and musical changes and named this new entity after their guitar player, Brinsley Schwarz.
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