The Bob Pittman Band

Bio:

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Prince meets Buddy Holly. Liz Phair meets ELO. Just how do you describe this one of a kind iconic innovative unprecedented prototypical autochthonal artist? Handsome, sensual, sexy? Smart, shrewd, ingenious? Congenial, affectionate, wholehearted? Coy, modest, humble? Vigorous, compelling, courageous? Foreboding, perilous, controversial? Any way you slice it, one thing is certain. Bob Pittman is bitchin’.

Born amid the biggest blizzard in Chicago history, Bob Pittman was delivered by his own father on the bar of the infamous Woodlawn Tavern on Chicago’s dangerous south side after the car his father was driving with his hysterical mother moaning in the back seat on the way to the hospital careened out of control before plowing into a sixteen foot snowdrift dangerously close to the edge of a twenty foot drop into the raging abyss of the churning frigid waters of an angry Lake Michigan.

The mulatto son of a white Wisconsin farm girl and a black Chicago numbers runner, Bob Pittman grew up fast on Chicago’s badass back streets and alleys during the rough and tumble 60’s. Constantly harassed for not being black enough by the warring gangs, the Disciples and the Blackstone Rangers, poor little Bobby, “Oreo” they taunted, was shaken down for spare change and beaten senseless on a routine basis. And then when he wandered past the arbitrary borders that separated black from white in America’s most segregated city this wretched child was once again accosted. Now as the sons of Irish and Polish immigrants pummeled him he was dubbed “Sambo,” as he was beaten and battered into a buttery bloody pulp.

Fun fact: From 1960 until 1974 Bob Pittman was mugged (robbed, beaten, hit by rocks, sticks, cans, bottles or other thrown objects, stabbed, shot at, or shot) 123 times!

Bob Pittman’s only solace during these tumultuous times was the wondrous music emanating from his AM radio. Rickey Nelson, Sam Cooke, Chuck Berry, the Beatles, the Supremes, the Beach Boys, the Four Tops – They were his friends, his mentors, the shining light guiding him out of the shameful misery of his desolate condition. It was listening to these artists that he learned not only his musical chops, but valuable life lessons that enabled him to overcome the nearly insurmountable obstacles that had been piled before him. Bob learned that he did not have to stay put, that he could “get around” and become a “travelin’ man.” He learned “all you need is love” and that if he stopped in love’s name, hearts would not be broken. He gradually learned that if he “reached out” someone would be there and that this was indeed a “wonderful world.” And finally, though “Midwest farmers’ daughters really make you feel all right,” at the age of twenty-one, with his guitar on his back, he stuck his thumb out, and headed for the sun and surf of California, “the promised land,” “where the girls all get so tanned.”

Bob Pittman arrived in San Francisco during the height of Punk Rock mania and immediately felt at home among the lost and abandoned outcast and forsaken youth of that generation. Dubbed, ‘Bob Pitiful’ by nefarious punk promoter and manager of San Francisco’s punk palace Mabuhay Gardens, Dirk Dirksen, Bob enjoyed a brief stint as a solo artist before meeting fellow punk and now well known rock historian, Blair Miller, and forming San Francisco’s influential new wave band, the Delusions. This well respected band, remembered primarily for its searing run of performances as the house band at Mabuhay Gardens’ short-lived offshoot Aldo’s, featured crisp songwriting as the dual frontmen, Pittman and Miller, tried to out do each other at every turn. Ultimately the two headed beast could not be contained and infighting between the two leaders resulted in the beleaguered band’s untimely demise in early 1981. Unfortunately all known copies of the only publicly released recording of the Delusions, the double hit single ‘Do You Wanna Be My Girl/Acid Rain,” have been lost.

Bob Pittman’s next band, the critically acclaimed Good Samaritans, had two remarkable incarnations. First there was the punk cabaret noise band originally the brainchild of the charismatic guitar god, Dan Houser. This incarnation of the band featured Houser on lead guitar, his girlfriend the beautiful and edgy vocalist Pat Costa, legendary Saxophonist and vocalist Darvin Bowen, rock solid bassist John Anderson, former Delusions drummer Mark Berndt, and Bob Pittman, second guitarist and vocalist. This band was known for its outrageous stage shows that were as much performance art as musical event. If the Delusions had its problems with its twin fronts, imagine early Good Samaritans with the temperamental dangerous and egocentric Houser, the diminutive dynamo Costa, the uncontainable Bowen, and Pittman all clamoring for more time front and center. Not unexpectedly this first incarnation of the Good Samaritans came to an end one night at the Mabuhay Gardens when, after fans rushed the stage during an encore performance of the band’s instrumental classic, ‘Nightmare’s Theme,’ Houser went berserk putting five of those fans in the hospital, nearly beheading one after strangling the unfortunate fellow with a string from his smashed guitar. Neither Costa nor Houser ever performed publicly again.

With Costa and Houser now out of the band and bassist John Anderson replaced with funk thumper Kim Anderson, the second incarnation, the crowd pleasing urban soul-punk version of the Good Samaritans was born. Anchored by Kim Anderson’s booming funk riffs, Mark Berndt’s driving backbeat, and the rhythmic crunch guitar chops that Bob Pittman pried loose from roots in the heart of Chicago’s south side, singer Darvin Bowen unleashed a fury and a style that combined the intensity of James Brown with the passion of Otis Redding and saxophonist Bowen released a wail reminiscent of Clarence Clemons and a squawk reminiscent of John Coltrane. In 1981 the band performed a string of concerts at the nightclub the Sound of Music in the middle of San Francisco’s Tenderloin district that it put the club on the map. The band developed a following so intense that it was temporarily blacklisted from renowned college radio station KUSF when, after a concert one night, a hoard of Good Samaritan fans spray painted the band’s name on nearly every building of the University of San Francisco campus.

The Good Samaritans permanently disbanded after two years when tensions over the solo projects of Bowen and Pittman reached a boil. One hot summer night in 1983 Bowen and Anderson had just finished a solo gig at the San Francisco south of market club the Stud, when Pittman and freelance drummer Jonathan Keenan stormed the stage demanding the return of Pittman’s Roland TR-808 drum machine. Tempers flared and fists began to fly. The battle escalated substantially in the alley outside of the club when bottles were broken and knives were drawn. Pittman’s ear was partially severed and Bowen lost two pints of blood. Though apologies were made in the emergency room of San Francisco General Hospital, Pittman and Bowen have not spoken since.

The only official release of the Good Samaritans was the 45rpm single, “Nightmare’s Theme/The Dotted Line” from the group’s original lineup. It was the first release on Dan Houser’s and Paul Dawson’s illustrious Fowl Records label.

In 1984 Bob Pittman released his only solo recording from that era. The Fowl Records 45rpm single, “Wanderer/I Just Do,” while not well received in the United States, garnered extensive airplay in Europe where it charted on numerous radio stations. Though poised and ready for worldwide acclaim, Bob Pittman’s European tour was cancelled with his wife’s unexpected pregnancy and the subsequent birth of his only son.

After the birth of his son, Travis, Bob Pittman then vowed he would continue his music career after his son learned to walk. Having learned the lessons of his own tumultuous childhood Bob did not want to abandon Travis, but, unfortunately for music fans everywhere, it turns out Travis was a little slow. It took him twenty-four years, but now, finally, Travis is walking.

And so the wait is over. Here it is. 10 Totally Catchy Songs By Some Guy You’ve Never Heard Of! Songs of sex. Songs of love. Songs of existential life in working class suburbia. From the bombastic opener “A Million Plus X” to the working class blues of “Sorry Charlie” and “Waiting For My Ship To Come In” to the lilting new age ballad “Except When She’s Hungry” to the raucous toe tapping smart rockabilly closer “Foolin’ Around,” every song is a classic. By a class act. Two thumbs up. Check it out!

Paul Simon meets the New Pornographers. Richard Hawley meets Moby. 10 Totally Catchy Songs By Some Guy You’ve Never Heard Of! Eleven original musical gems sprung like geysers from the infinite creative well that is the foundation of Bob Pittman’s special talent.

Member Since:

August 25, 2008

Members:

Bob Pittman: Vocals, Guitar
Nazar Eljumaily: Lead Guitar
Ralph Elliot: Drums, Vocals
John Costill: Bass, Vocals

Influences:

Bob Mould, Bob Dylan, Bob Marley, Bob Seger, Bob Newhart, Bob Roberts, Bill Roberts, Dr. Robert, Robert Mitchum, Robert Dinero, Robert Goulet, Bobby Darin, Bobby Ewing, Bobbie Gentry, Bobbie Jo Bradley, Billy Bob, Billy Bob Thorton, Barbara Ann, Bob Welch, Bobby Helm, Bobby Womack, The Bobs, What About Bob, Bob The Builder, Bob Lind, Bob Gibson, Bobby Allison, Bobby Thompson, Robby Thompson, Robin Roberts, Mr. Roberts, Robert Smith, Robert Cray, Roberta Flack, Roberto Gonzales, Roberto Clemente, Robert Fripp, Robbie Robertson, Robert Wagner, Bob Hope, Bobby Voltage, bob@totallycatchysongs.com

Sounds Like:

Buddy Holly meets Prince. Liz Phair meets ELO. Paul Simon meets the New Pornographers. Ryan Adams meets Gilbert O'Sullivan. Beck meets Boyce and Hart. Brian Wilson meets Sufjan Stevens. The White Stripes meet James Taylor. Richard Hawley meets Moby. The Silver Jews meet Cracker. Imperial Teen meets Kris Kristofferson. Elvis Costello meets Lavender Diamond. The Hollies meet Sleater Kinney. Golden Shoulders meet KC and the Sushine Band. M. Ward meets Bobby Womack. Tom Petty meets LCD Soundsystem. Gossip meets Billy Joel. Sam Phillips meets the Maroon 5. The Dave Clark 5 meets Cynthia Dall. Spiritualized meets Bob Dylan. REM meets Cat Stevens. The Silver Jews meet Brian Eno. The Foo Fighters meet Ricky Nelson. Alice Cooper meets Lori Mckenna. Ivy meets the 13th Floor Elevators. The Replacements meet Jewel. Leonard Cohen meets Garbage. Magnetic Fields meets Madonna. Johnny Cash meets the Cure. Gordon Lightfoot meets Trans Am.

Gabe Meline, North Bay Bohemian:

It is refreshingly easy to become completely beguiled by the homespun charm of Bob Pittman’s recent CD, 10 Totally Catchy Songs by Some Guy You’ve Never Heard Of, released on Your Record Company Here, 123 Happy Ln., Anytown, USA. Whether through the Lou Reed talking-singing of “Waiting For My Ship To Come In,” the Erasure-esque synth-pop of “Pit Stop” or the Being There—era Wilco twang of “The Hard Line,” Pittman has made an utterly unpretentious record—despite the back cover’s declaration that it’s “the only album you’ll ever need!” Lighthearted humor and subtle social commentary surround poignant stories, such as “The Palm of Her Hand,” and even though it bears no resemblance to the accepted genre, it is truly an indie rock record.

Beverly Paterson, TWIST AND SHAKE REVIEWS:

Though he’s far from a household name (but hopefully that will change on account of this great record), Bob Pittman is no stranger to rock and roll. The late seventies saw him flee the mean and seedy streets of Chicago and head to San Francisco. It was there, in the city by the bay, that Bob became Bob Pitiful and joined a punk band called The Delusions. In 1984, he put out a single, “Wanderer” backed by “I Do,” which attained a good amount of regional airplay. But Bob soon gave up the rock and roll life in favor of marriage and a family. After a twenty-five year hiatus, the man has returned with a vengeance, armed with an album celebrating a diverse selection of rock and roll fashions. From the rockabilly flavored “Sorry Charlie” to the jaunty new wave nuances of “Every Tear” and “A Million Plus X,” here’s a disc that leaves no stone unturned. A little bit country, a little bit rock and roll, a little bit pop and a little bit hip hop, “Waiting For My Ship To Come In” bristles with quirky hooks, and then there’s “The Palm Of Her Hand,” which could pass as a long lost Lou Reed treasure. A run of cool guitar licks arise on the Tom Petty styled “The Hard Line” and “Summer Of Discontent” sounds like Bob Dylan on a woe is me bender. Lighthearted and fun, “10 Totally Catchy Songs By Some Guy You’ve Never Heard Of!” may be all over the map, but still hangs together in a most splendid way.

Myspace listeners:

“Cool songs with a great guitar sound. “Sorry Charlie” stays in your head all day. It's a hit.”

“Thanks for the jams man. I really dig "Pit Stop" and "Fooling Around.” You got a little of that Dick Dale/Robert Cray Mix going on. Very hip!”

“Awesome and catchy! I gotta get these downloaded to my ipod.”

“Your music is amazing. It’s got that fire!!!”

“Wow. I love your music. It’s exactly what I really like to listen to. I love your song “The Palm Of Her Hand.” It’s beautiful and very touching.”

“Dude you're giving me flashbacks to when all I played was King Crimson, Beatles, Hendrix, Joplin, Dylan, Blood Sweat and Tears, and the Woodstock album. Makes wanna roll a big one. Great fun.”

““Sorry Charlie” reminds me of a Buddy Holly/ Tom Petty mix. Totally original. “Waiting For My Ship To Come In” sounds like it was meant for an artist such as the late Johnny Cash.”

“Bob we are huge fans. We like to take a break from recording and just dance around (usually drunk) to your songs.”

““Waiting For My Ship To Come In” has now been added to my myspace profile. More people need to know about Bob Pittman!”

Record Label:

Your Record Company Here