Robin O'Herin
"Growing up in the Sixties, I was probably the only kid in my neighborhood listening to such legendary blues artists as Leadbelly, Robert Johnson, Mississippi John Hurt, Bessie Smith, Blind Willie Johnson and Lightning Hopkins, among others. My father still has boxes of his old 78s stored in his garage (someday they’ll be mine). My mother liked folk music, especially Joan Baez and Pete Seeger, but I liked them all - blues, folk and gospel. I wore out my mother’s Odetta records. My choices in music covered a wide spectrum. Leo Kottke and John Renbourne were my heroes. I found myself listening to and learning from a diversified group of musicians: everything from Phil Okes to the Staple Singers, Emmy Lou Harris to Taj Mahal, Bonnie Raitt and Rory Block to Paul Simon and Joni Mitchell. I learned to sing by making up harmonies and singing along with the albums." - Robin O'Herin |