Way back in the mists of time (well 1969 to be precise) in the sleepy Kent village of Wittersham, Rob -  the future ‘Stigs Country’ - was unleashed into the world. He has remained Kent based ever since and although he has tried to leave on many occasions he always forgets something and has to go back.

Rob was brought up on country music, “My Mum was always playing records by Jim Reeves, Slim Whitman and Don Williams to name a few, and I remember watching the Wembley festivals on BBC2”.

At an early age Rob knew he wanted to be an entertainer. Whilst in primary school he took lead roles in school plays, and began experimenting with music; “I got a Stylophone for Christmas with a play along record, that’s where it all started, then later during secondary school I got a part time job to pay for a Casio keyboard”.

At sixteen years of age came a turning point in Robs life; “I was getting a little bored with keyboards and then one day I watched a film called ‘Stardust’, where, for the first bit of the film, David Essex and co. travel around in an old van playing gigs. This inspired me to buy a second hand Stratocaster copy from a neighbour for £50. I thought this is the life for me – the freedom of the open road and lots of screaming girls!... I didn’t think for one second I would have to learn to play it first!”

“I had no money left after buying the guitar to get an amp so I wired it into an old school record player I picked up at a boot fair and made a microphone and stand by sellotaping old plastic tubes together with a CB microphone on the top!”

A major influence for Rob was, and indeed still is, Joe Brown; “The first song I learnt to play all the way through was ‘Picture Of You’. When I met up with him a few years later he asked if I had put the ‘A minor’ in, I replied ‘yes’… Sorry Joe I lied about that!”

Rob did eventually learn to play well enough to start gigging pubs and clubs with a
girl singer, before forming the ‘Lost For Words’ duo with Pete Brown (not THE Pete Brown, but the other one) in 1992. They turned professional for a few years playing clubs and holiday camps. During this time they decided to give the country music circuit a go; “We both loved the music and we found the circuit to be an incredibly warm and friendly place to work”. After a short stint as on-board entertainers on cross channel ferries Lost For Words was wound down around 1997/98 as Rob and Pete drifted off to pursue other avenues of business.

In 2006 Rob made the decision to work towards getting back into country music as a professional solo entertainer. After a short spell as lead guitarist with a line dance band to blow out some cobwebs he went solo in November 2007, and certainly hasn’t looked back.

“It’s the best way forward for me - I can play the songs I really enjoy and create a stage presence and image which I am totally comfortable with. I love performing live and the happier I am with my work, the better job I will do and the more entertaining I will be”.

Rob both sings and plays lead guitar to backing tracks which he creates himself in his own studio, even recording his own backing vocals! He is often bemused by the debates that go on about artistes using backing tracks; “Backing tracks or band it doesn't matter as long as they can entertain - that's the bottom line in my opinion” he says.

If you are wondering where the name ‘Stig’ came from; “Way back in primary school I discovered a children’s book called ‘Stig Of The Dump’ and I thought ‘what a cool name! I must have it!”

Rob is still to be found living in Kent, along with his lovely wife Tracie, daughter Hollie, two excitable cats, an overweight goldfish, and the worlds friendliest hampster.

  
  
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   Site updated 9th January 2012
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