Randy Cobb

Besides Bach's 'Jesu Joy Of Man's Desiring" and Mozart's " Ave Verum Corpus" i have always had two favorite bands - 'WEATHER REPORT and LITTLE FEAT !" (with a side of RY COODER thrown in) (That pretty much sums up my lil' woop-ti-doo as far as my music tastes go.) What sings to my Heart is ones "Life Thru Music" and " THEIR HANDS!!!" I listen to their "HANDS or VOICE!" I have been Blessed by sooo' many influences - James Taylor was my first concert in a big round Civic Center in Ft. Worth. He made my cells start wiggle'n and to this day is my favorite " OLE' FOLK-SINGER!" (I was to shy to go into Will Rogers Auditorium in 1968 to hear this guy named "JIMI' HENDRIX!") ( blew that one, eh?) Jaco Pastorius and Joe Zawinul had a HUGE IMPACT on my SOUL as far as Music is concerned. I'm not a Bass player, nor do I play Keyboards well. I spent time with those two guys and their band Weather Report, and it "CHANGED MY LIFE!" I met and hung with Robben Ford which meant allot to me. (HANDS) Jeff Beck (HANDS) (Larry Carlton (UBER-HANDS) Roy Buchanan- (Don't get me started on GUITARISTS) So many talented Artists that are " THEMSELVES-" To this day I get so EXCITED and EMOTIONAL when I hear "MUSIC PLAYED FROM A SOUL" - the "REAL-DEAL" - "Originals" that "DON'T KNOW HOW TO PLAY BAD! " Delbert, JT, his sister Kate and his brother Alex, Dave Wilcox, Jaco, Zawinul, Dave Crosby, Joni Mitchell,Mike Mcdonald, Jeff Beck - "MUSIC PLAY'IN PEOPLE !!!" Bill Ham was my first guitar teacher. I sat in front of him in Ft. Worth at "The HOP" for two years crying before I could muster-up enough balls to say "How did you do that?" I paid $10 for my first lesson, then followed him around like ah' dog for the next ten years. He taught me that a "GUITARIST" should play "MUSIC - NOT GUITAR!" HOWEVER - Bill kind'a screwed that up for me. His "INCREDIBLE" ABILITY to play EVERYTHING" (CHET ATKINS-JERRY REED, CLAPTON, WES MONTGOMERY, HENDRIX, WORLD CLASS SEGOVIA, STYLE CLASSICAL, ALBERT COLLINS) blew me away. Then he "WENT ON FROM THERE !!! He has his own "thang" - MUSIC !!!! This "thang" has little or nothing to do with a name or label Record Companies provide for us. (Years later, I asked Zawinul if he'd always played " J A Z Z ???? " As he looked at me from the passenger seat of my Volvo on the way to where Kennedy was shot in Dallas - I KNEW I'd just taken a "cosmic dump" - unveiling the true "AWE-STRUCK" Music goof-ball I was. He then said " Randy - What is J A Z Z ????" ---silence--- blank --- Joe said "Its a LABEL Record Companies use to define a product they sell!" As we walked around the spot Kennedy was shot - He stated " THIS IS WHERE MUSIC COMES FROM - DO YOU FEEL THIS - THIS IS MUSIC !!! ABSORB IT INTO YOUR SOUL, THEN SHARE IT WITH OTHERS BY PLAYING WITH YOUR HANDS AND HEART !!" He went on- "MORE PEOPLE ARE INTERESTED IN WHO SHOT HIM THAN WHAT THE MAN STOOD FOR !") Bill hammered me with "If someone asks you what you do for a living - and you say "I'm a GUITARIST" - you better be able to play any style - RIGHT !!! " THEN - blow it all off and play YOUR MUSIC!" Bill is on myspace somewhere, and to this day is my friend and Mentor. I saw Eric Johnson when he was 17 at the HOP. I was never quite rite after that! recently saw Anson Funderburgh recently at "The House Of Blues" in Dallas. He invited me to sit-in. I requested he start a song, play a solo, then hand me his plank. He did. The reason I mention this is he is probably my "FAV" guitarist when it comes to his style of nasty-ass BLU"Z! I LOVE HIS HANDS ! The sound he gets from his hands - I wanted to see if I could get that "spank" he gets from his rig. We had a blast !!!!! Anson plays "MUSIC!" He's the real-deal. Now that I've "Played Guitar", Produced, performed on Records, and Composed for some films and Documentaries for about 35 or so years, I have to say my favorite thing to do is back-up an 'Original" Singer/ Song Writer. A Duo with "Croz" or band member with JT or Mike Mcdonald, Willie Nelson, Bonnie. I DIG being a "Band Player" and have what I do Fit Musically with an Artist who's "got it go'n on!" I work to thrill and inspire the 'Star" - to hopefully in some small way "Give Back" what they have given so many of us for sooo' long. I have listened to just about everything is this particular part of the Universe. I have deep groove/shuffle tunes play'n right now. I think Susan Tedeschi nails it with a song title "BE THANKFUL FOR THIS FEELING THAT MUSIC BRINGS!" (Or something like that.) Check out Tim Jackson, Jeff McBride and Davin McCoy's MUSIC. Very fortunate to have met these fantastic MUSICIANS. I am "FOREVER THANKFUL" to the people that the BLESSING OF MUSIC has brought to my life. THANX - ..