RebbeSoul
| RebbeSoul | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Bruce Burger |
| Born |
June 11, 1958 Utica, New York, United States |
| Origin | Zikhron Ya'akov, Israel |
| Genres | Jewish rock, folk, soul, jazz, worldbeat |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, songwriter, guitarist, composer, producer |
| Instruments | Vocals, guitar, balalaika, mandolin, piano |
| Years active | 1980-present |
| Labels | Global Pacific, 33rd Street |
| Associated acts | Jazzburger, Common Tongue, Hamakor, Shlomit & RebbeSoul |
| Website | rebbesoul |
Bruce Burger (born July 11, 1958, Utica, New York), known by his stage name RebbeSoul, is an American-Israeli Jewish singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, composer, and producer. Performing since the early 1990s, he has released five solo albums and has recorded with the bands Hamakor and Common Tongue. He has also collaborated with singer Shlomit Levi of Orphaned Land for the world music duo Shlomit & RebbeSoul.
Burger was born in Utica, New York to a minimally observant Conservative Jewish family. When he was 12, his parents bought him a plastic guitar, not believing he would take the instrument seriously. He later began playing at local bars, despite being underage. He attended Syracuse University and graduated with a degree in engineering.
Burger left home at 22 and moved to Los Angeles, where he worked as a session musician for various artists, including Barbara Mandrell, and provided music for shows like Baywatch and Cristal. During this time, he founded a jazz fusion group called Jazzburger with saxophonist Dave Koz, drummer Alex Acuña, and keyboardist Cornelius Bumpus.
In 1992, Burger was invited to a Shabbat dinner at the home of Chabad Rabbi Shlomo Schwartz. Moved by the traditional prayers and melodies, Burger felt he had "found [his] sound" and decided to start a career in Jewish music. The following year, assembling a band of non-Jewish musicians he knew from his session work, he released his debut album, the self-titled RebbeSoul. One of the album's songs, an instrumental version of Avinu Malkeinu simply called "Avinu", received radio play on the local station KKSF.
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