NEW NEWS!! R. BRUCE FACEBOOK FAN PAGE!!! Click here... FACEBOOK
MEET ME AT THE CAMPER!!!!
THE NEW COLLABORATION ALBUM WITH MATTHEW LUMPKIN, "DOUBLE BILL" IS NOW AVAILABLE ONLINE!!! Just click right here... CD BABY
R. BRUCE'S NEW CD, LATE BLOOMER, IS AVAILABLE ONLINE!!! Just click right here... CD BABY His first and second CD's are available on CD Baby as well, just scroll down that page and click on the titles.
And here is the Melbourne International Comedy Festival poster (it drives on the left)
There are a lot of artists that I really like that are not on this list. What I have listed are the artists that I feel have truly had an influence on what I do (I am sure that some of them would be horrified).
These are in no particular order, but Dylan should be first... and I KNOW I have forgotten some important ones.
Bob Dylan
Brother Dave Gardner
John Prine
Billy Connolly
Shel Silverstein
Martin Mull
Hank Williams
Kris Kristofferson
Jerry Jeff Walker
George Carlin
Pinkerd and Bowden
Richard Pryor
Dr. Jazz and Mr. Uncle Wiggley Esq.
Chris and Kent Ippolito
Steve Martin
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band (The first "Will the Circle Be Unbroken" album specifically)
Bill Cosby (early albums)
Jimmy Buffett (early albums)
Willie Nelson
Willis Alan Ramsey (the only album)
Johnny Cash
Randy Newman
Tom Lehrer
Leon Russell
The Band
Guy Clark
Alan Sherman
Waylon Jennings
Steve Goodman
The Smothers Brothers
Ray Wiley Hubbard (mainly just Redneck Mother, but what a song!)
Gary P. Nunn
Merle Haggard
Arlo Guthrie
Steve Earl (a later influence)
Sounds Like
Longer G-Rated Video of R. Bruce at The Birchmere (New Clip!)
Video R. Bruce Live at Glenn Nicholl's Fun Studio
(And now, here's a little poem)
The Whoodle Doo
(an homage to Lewis Carroll)
Carpet Tommy had a clue
to get back at the Whoodle Doo.
With calm avengence he did seek
a bird with cold and pointy beak.
He grasped it by its tiny feet
and loudly swore his foe to beat.
Will he win? Or will he won't?
The Whoodle do or the Whoodle don't.
"All in time," the old man said,
as he put the panties on his head.
"It's been fifty years, give or take,
since the Whoodle Doo took Tommy's cake
and left it outside in the rain
and made little Jimmy go insane.
Oh, Tommy fought the Whoodle Doo
and smote him with both bird and shoe.
They fought all day and they fought all night
until the early morning light.
Carpet Tommy was tired and sore,
but the Whoodle Doo still wanted more.
His bird was broken. His shoe was frayed,
but Carpet Tommy bravely stayed
and fought until he dropped stone dead,
and the Whoodle Doo snipped off his head."
The old man took the panties off
and cleared his throat with a racking cough.
He said, "Carpet Tommy was no fool!
He had gone to business school!"
Then the old man did a dance,
and jumped real high, and dropped his pants,
and yelled as loud as loud can be,
"THE WHOODLE DOO WILL NOT GET ME!"
R. Bruce combines true talents for both stand-up comedy and music into a uniquely hilarious entertainment experience. An acclaimed international performer, he has delighted audiences across the U.S., as well as the UK, Australia, Canada and the Cayman Islands.
“Outrageous observational humor with catchy melodies and fluid finger picking”. -- The Washington Post
The College Music Journal said, “Not only can he make you laugh with his humor, as a song writer he is actually quite good”. And the Freelance Star called him, "A unique voice in a crowded field."
His "unique voice" is his humor. Among the myriad of singer/songwriters, there are very few who write truly funny songs and among comedians who include some music in their shows, there are very few who can really perform it. As John Starling (Grammy Award winning artist of Seldom Scene fame) said, "He's dedicated his life to the service of the only two things in life that are worth anything. That's music and humor."
It was also Starling who captured in one sentence the essence of R. Bruce's performance when he said simply...
"Humor is his band."
His are the kind of songs that people tend to learn and share with their friends. Ian Gillan, the British singer and songwriter of Deep Purple and Jesus Christ Superstar fame said, “His performance is sensational! His observations on life are what we all understand to be true but somehow we never quite looked at things that way before. I am the self-appointed president of his U.K. fan club. We play his albums at parties… it's even funnier because it is part of our lives."
In December 2004 tour orchestrated by Gillan, R. Bruce performed to sold out audiences in the U.K., including breaking the attendance record at the i.e. Theatre in Axminster.
He has perfected his style in literally hundreds upon hundreds of venues, performing to wonderfully appreciative audiences. He was also one of the featured performers at the 2008 Melbourne International Comedy Festival in Australia.
“U.S. comedian R. Bruce is undoubtedly one of the most anticipated performers at this year’s festival, bringing his quintessential R. Bruce mix of stand-up and musical humour to eager audiences.”--Brigitte Stone, Inpress Magazine, Melbourne, AUS
“His songs are bordering on genius.”--Phillip Brady, Night Line, 3AW Melbourne, AUS
A respected songwriter and performer, R. Bruce is a member of the Advisory Board for The Virginia Music Hall of Fame.
His first two independently released CDs are titled, "Album?" and "Still Laughin'". They feature original songs such as: "Dysfunctional Family Reunion", "If Cowboys Could Fly", "Bleach Blondes", "Sharks Ate My Baby Brother", "It Must Be Love (or we'd have killed each other by now)", "Make Florida Your Last Stop On Earth" and "Too Much Butt (for one pair of jeans)".
R. Bruce's 3rd album "Late Bloomer" has new songs such as: "Im Glad That We Have Skin", "Momma Dont Eat No Carbs", "Ive Had It With Linear Time" and "A.D.D. Cowboy" and the morning drive-time hit, "Morning Song". It is also his first album to contain live tracks and was produced by Christopher Ippolito with whom Bruce has had an almost life-long collaborative relationship. Ippolito produced his first album, Album? and brought his incomparable talents for both music and humor to the new CD.
R. BRUCE'S LATEST SOLO CD, LATE BLOOMER, IS AVAILABLE ONLINE!! Just click right here... CD BABY His first and second CD's are available on CD Baby as well, just scroll down that page and click on the titles.
NEWEST NEWS!!
TOO MUCH BUTT IS A NUMBER ONE SONG FOR 3 MONTHS IN A ROW!!!
R. Bruce's song, Too Much Butt as recorded by Saffire- The Uppity Blues Women on their new Alligator Records release, "Havin' The Last Word" has rocketed to the number ONE position on Cashbox's Roadhouse Blues and Boogie Top 40 for April, May and June 2009!.
Long time fans of the song will notice that it is a little different. R. Bruce rewrote it for them in the first-person with one new verse. The whole album is excellent! You can check it out here... SAFFIRE
AND... THE COLLABORATION ALBUM WITH MATTHEW LUMPKIN, "DOUBLE BILL" IS AVAILABLE ONLINE!! Just click right here... CD BABY
R. Bruce's humor is fun and personal and real. He brings people together in laughter about the things that we have in common, not the things that irritate and separate us. Share your laughter. Share your love.
For booking information email: rbruce@rbruce.net
Hi Bruce...I wonder if Matt or Patrick have been on a camel ride yet? Hard to imagine that one but it would be funny to watch. Have a great week! glitter-graphics.com
Thank you so much..!!! All of my friends cant wait to see you again.... Have a safe trip and have tons of fun.. I know you will... keep in touch... laura