The Bob Patterson Interview
When and where were you born? What was your childhood like growing up? When did you first begin to fall in love with music, more specifically song-writing and the guitar? Was this something that was relevant around your household growing up?
I was born in Newark, NJ In 1941. I lived there until the end of 3rd grade before the Universe rescued me from the bowels of the inner city. My Dad bought a little house next to a river in a remote part of the state where I first experienced the feeling of wilderness. It was a profound event. My young life was all about living next to that river. I hunted, fished, trapped and swam. I listened to music at night while going to sleep, I just know I loved it. My parents had no music interest and it was never encouraged.
Do you have any siblings? What would you and your friends do for fun growing up? Who were some of your earliest influences in your more formative years? When and where did you see your first show and when did it dawn on you that you wanted to be a musician yourself?
I had two sisters and we sang with the radio every night while cleaning dishes. My friends and I played in the woods, soldiers, Tarzan, etc. I never had thoughts of being a musician, or songwriter. I had the desire to maybe play the drums, but not encouraged by my parents. In high school it was football and track. Then in my senior year of high school we moved to Tyler, Texas. It was a major culture shock when I graduated high school. We were listening to the Kingston Trio and dancing to Jimmy Reed in those days. I was president of my freshman class and was invited to spend a weekend at the University of Texas. At a late night party I saw a guy playing a 12 string guitar surrounded by a bunch of people all singing their hearts out and I said to my self, ‘I want to do that’. That guy turned out to be a friend. He gave me a Folkways Album, “How to Play the 12 String Guitar” by Pete Seeger.
Prior to your solo career in music you participated in a psych outfit called Elizabeth. Tell me a little about this band and how it came to be. How did you initially meet your bandmates? The band recorded one LP on the mighty Vanguard label back in ‘68. Tell me about writing and recording this album and what that experience was like.
So, it’s the 1960’s, folk music was mainstream, but so was Elvis. I was busy learning all I could about how to play the 12 string. Then my parents moved to Louisville, KY so I transferred to the University of KY. I was more interested in playing guitar than school. I dropped out of school for a semester to try and make some money and got a draft notice from Uncle Sam. I joined the Navy and eventually wound up at a naval hospital in Philadelphia where there were lots of folk clubs and coffee houses where most artists I saw were writing songs. Then one night in center city Philadelphia someone gave me a piece of candy and did not tell me it was LSD. As time went on I found myself playing as an opening act for a lot of my folk music heroes. I loved performing and playing the 12 string. In the meantime, Bob Dylan came to Newport Folk Festival playing electric guitar and The Beatles released the Sargent Pepper album. The times were a changing. I got out of the Navy in December of ‘66 and really wanted to see if I could make a living as a folk singer while folk music was dying out. So I got together with a friend to start a folk rock band and that was Elizabeth. We became very popular in Philadelphia and eventually signed with Vanguard Records. Living in the 1960’s was culturally significant. I was writing now and the band was interpreting my music. I could write a book about all this. Eventually I left the band for a more quieter lifestyle and a return to writing and performing as a single artist recording my first album. During my days in Philadelphia, I also did a formal photography apprenticeship under TimeLife photographer Steven Tillis. Photography is a big part of my life too.
You released your legendary solo debut entitled “Instrumentalist, Singer, Songwriter” in ‘71 on R.D.P Records. Can you tell me about writing and recording that album and what you wanted your debut to sound and feel like? How did the deal with R.D.P Records come about and would you mind giving some background to songs such as “Bed or Roses” and “Friends of Mine”?
I made St Augustine, FL my home from where I traveled up and down the coast, Maine to Key West and embedded myself in the Florida music community. Backing up a little. While growing up alongside that river I read a book by Rachel Carson called ‘Silent Spring’ and it forever made me aware of the environment. As a folk singer, I felt it was my job to confront my audience about the degradation of the environment and I would call for awareness and action. It’s still my mantra! Songs like “Bed of Roses” and “Friends of Mine” just came to me as a hopeless romantic. I’ve never been a consistent writer. Always waiting for the universe to inspire me. I write about the people I’ve loved and the environment. I’ve always told stories as introductions to songs, but eventually realized that stories can stand by themselves. I started to do storytelling festivals using my guitar and writing as tools.
I understand you're also a visual artist, public speaker and author. What have you been up to more recently? Are you currently working on any new projects as we come to a close for 2023?
The History Press published my first Book “Forgotten Tales of Florida” and I followed with two more. I’ve just been nominated for a Florida Folk Heritage Award. I’ve received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Florida Storytelling Association, The Mother Earth and Fellow Man Award from the Stetson Kennedy Foundation and inducted into the St. Augustine Music Hall of Fame. I co-founded the Gamble Rogers Folk Festival and The Lullaby of the Rivers Festival. I’m 82 now and still performing!
