Rob Strong, has been one of the greatest legends of the music scene in Ireland for many years and I am so proud of what he has done. If that other legend, Paul McCartney of the Beatles could play the base like Rob, he would be a happy man and I do mean what I said. This musician has been on music scene for over SIXTY years and is still top of his game and performs better than ever before. Just before the pandemic Rob was always a guest at the Guinness Jazz Festival in Cork, Ireland that was the hardest ticket to get. The reason I am writing about this festival is because they come from all over the world for it and it is one the highlights of Tourism Ireland’s list of things to do when visiting Ireland.
Rob’s original band, the Plattermen showband were the top draw on the showband scene back in the 60s and 70s in every ballroom in Ireland. The legendary blues/soul singer may be 75 years old this year but as the title of his forthcoming biography suggests, Rob is STILL GOING STRONG! He is celebrating a remarkable 60 years on the road and has sold out concerts in theatres all over Ireland in 2020.
Included in the biography is Rob’s fascinating account of his life story from humble beginnings in Springtown Camp, Derry, in Northern Ireland. Friends, family and musicians recall Rob’s early days and his first bands. Rob looks back at the Showband era when he moved to Omagh and played with The Polka Dots and fronted the iconic Plattermen, one of the biggest bands in Ireland. Rob also performed with Johnny Logan in The Giants as well as The Las Vegas Showband, The Rockets, The Commitments band and The Rob Strong Band in a career that has spanned almost six decades. The foreword is written by Barry Devlin (Horslips) who also produced many of U2’s videos.
Among the extensive interviews are household names such as his son Andrew Strong, Phil Coulter, Johnny Logan, Colm Wilkinson, Brian Coll, Paul Brady, Don Baker, Paddy Cole, Brush Shiels, Mary Coughlan, Frankie McBride, Pat Shortt, DJs Dave Fanning and Smiley Bolger, Fr. Brian D’ Arcy, Barry Devlin from Horslips and Thin Lizzy original guitarist Eric Bell. They recall many memorable moments of Rob’s career with most agreeing that his voice and bass playing have always been world class.
In the early 1970s nobody in Ireland personified the raw energy of rock and blues music like Rob Strong. The man known as “The Godfather of Irish Soul” once turned down the opportunity to join Deep Purple while his son Andrew starred as Deco Cuffe in “The Commitments” smash-hit movie in 1991.
Rob and his wife Noreen have one son, Andrew, and two daughters, Niamh and Alex, all of whom are interviewed about Rob and their own love of music. For more updates, please go to Rob Strong Band LIVE on Facebook.
He told me that the biography comes with a free CD and is only available at their gigs and from his website at www.robstrong.ie.
Now what more could you ask for, so just log on to Rob’s website and you can order his memoir also check out his video playing on our main page.