Artists:Robb Johnson
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Robb Johnson is now widely recognised as one of the finest songwriters working in the UK today. His songs feature in the repertoires of a wide variety of musicians, from folk legend Roy Bailey to acclaimed cabaret diva Barb Jungr, & he enjoys a similarly diverse spectrum of critical acclaim – “a modern-day Dostoyevsky” said the US’s Dirty Linen, Mojo made the double CD Gentle Men Folk Album Of The Month, while The Daily Telegraph made it their Folk Album Of 1998, & Tony Benn says Johnson’s “Winter Turns To Spring” is his favourite song.
He has played pubs, clubs, pavements, pickets & benefits, arts centres & festivals, local radio, BBC Radio 3 & 4, Belgian Radio 1, Nicaraguan TV & Channel 4, the Albert Hole in Bristol &, as part of Roy Bailey’s 1998 concert, the Albert Hall in London. In February 2006 Robb appeared at the Barbican as part of the prestigious BBC “Folk Britannia” series, where “for the encore, Robb Johnson leads all the artists (and the audience) in the World War I song (‘Hanging On The Old Barbed Wire’)” (BBC Folk Britannia website) in a concert that was screened later that month on BBC4. Earlier this year Robb was the featured guest on Andy Kershaw’s Radio 3 programme. Robb also plays extensively in Belgium, Holland & Germany, & he has toured Britain supporting Chumbawamba, & the US with David Rovics.
Robb has worked with a variety of bands, with friend & fellow songwriter Leon Rosselson, as well as solo. In 1997 Robb wrote the song suite Gentle Men, an ambitious family history of the first world war for the Passendael Peace Concert, where the musicians were a jazz combo led by Belgian jazz legend Koen De Cauter, and he subsequently toured it successfully in Britain too. Robb’s album Metro (released in September 2005) featured piano accompaniment by the late Russel Churney, who had previously worked with Julian Clary, Barb Jungr & Fascinating Aida). Again, the album received widespread praise in both music & national press: “unquestionably classy... excellent songs (that) show again what a fine, if provocative writer Johnson is” (The Daily Telegraph).
His label, Irregular Records, has also facilitated releases by a variety of song-orientated artists, including an album celebrating the work of Jacques Brel that has done much to focus a renewed interest in the chanson genre. He has translated several of Brel’s songs & performed concerts celebrating Brel’s life & work. Robb has also co-written Woman, a biography of Yoko Ono, published by Chrome Dreams.
Last year, Robb released a live album, Saturday Night at The Fire Station, recorded at his 50th birthday gig at Windsor Arts Centre, featuring contributions from various musicians Robb had worked with. Everybody had so much fun, It was decided to record Robb’s next album as a band album, featuring The Irregulars, a band that includes old friends Roger Watson on melodeon, Saskia Tomkins on violin, Roger’s mate Paul Midgley on percussion & john Forrester on bass & backing vocals. The album All That Way For This is due for summer release, and is one of Robb’s strongest & most accessible set of recordings to date.
External links
| Robb Johnson on MySpace |
| Robb Johnson on Wikipedia |
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This artist lives in England. |
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The gender of this artist/group is male. |
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Listener Tags & Comments
Simply The Best writer of songs of political and social comment in Britain today. Apart of his overtly political songs, about Thatcher Blair or Bush, there are some great ones about ordinary people. Here's the arresting start of one such:
Mary said "Jesus Christ! I'm pregnant!
He's married, Mum, what an I going to do?"
Mum said "You marry Wayne, Darren, or Gary.
How d'you think I got your Dad when I got you?"
(from "Fairy Tale in Feltham". Feltham is a suburb of London - under the flightpath of Heathrow Airport. This is the start of a whole series of songs about Mary, her children, and their feckless Dad.)
He wrote several songs about the young children he used to teach, such as '6B Go Swimming'
His double CD 'Gentle Men' is about his two grandfathers and their experiences during and after the first world war. One of them was a regimental bandsman, later playing in a swing band across Europe until the rise of the nazis forced them to quit because the leader was Jewish.
Robb himself also sings and plays accross Europe. He started off busking in Paris and wrote the song 'Sunday Morning St.Denis' about it. He has been influenced by, and produced a double CD of the songs of, Jacques Brel - 'Ne Me Quitte Pas: Brelsongs'.
His range of subjects is very broad, but nearly all of it rooted in politics or real life. I guess many of his songs are very English - like 'Evergreen' - which is probably incomprehensible to most Americans (and most English people, unless they've been to Bekonscot) or his funny songs about football. Great.
DaveR 03:48, November 7, 2006 (AKST)
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Request a show of songs by Robb Johnson
| Song | Album | Length | Played | Overall | You | Tags | Single Request |
| The Siege Of Madrid | Tony Blair - My Part In His Downfall (Acoustic CD) | 4:16 | 3 |  0 votes |
You have to login to give your opinion about songs. | Protest / Acoustic guitar / Slow / Solo vocalist / Acoustic | No Statues | Tony Blair - My Part In His Downfall (Acoustic CD) | 4:35 | 7 |  11 votes |
You have to login to give your opinion about songs. | Protest / Acoustic guitar / Thought provoking / Slow / Solo vocalist / Acoustic | Evergreen | Margaret Thatcher My Part In Her Downfall | 4:28 | 13 | 9 votes |
You have to login to give your opinion about songs. | Guy with guitar / Acoustic |
| Total Time | 13:19 |
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Artist name is|Robb Johnson Last played| more than 1 month ago ---------------------------------------- Show name| Songs by Robb Johnson Length| 15 minutes Order by| random Limit| 3 songs ----------------------------------------
Stats
- Spotlighted: Saturday, January 29th 2005
- Songs on WWR: 49
- Total plays: 484
- Total requests: 149
- Total listens: 9880
- CDBaby referrals: 0
- CDBaby sales:
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