ALLYN ROBINSON
I have the soul & the sound of New Orleans in my blood. Born & raised here I have been working since 1966. I have been lucky enough to have worked with some of the creators of the New Orleans sound, such as Professor Longhair, (I subbed for Johnny Vidacovich), Ernie K Doe, Frankie Ford, Eddie Bo, Robert Parker, Irma Thomas to mention a few.
At 20 I was lucky enough to do the Wayne Cochran & C C Rider gig, the best school of life & music ever. From this band passed some of music's greatest such as Red Rodney (played with Charlie Parker), Jaco, (the name speaks for itself) I appear in Jaco's book & on two tribute cd's. One for Warner Brothers (Punk Jazz) & the other Holiday Park Records (Jaco / The Early Years). Some other players were Lee Thornburg (Tower of Power), Dick Oats (New York jazz great) & the list goes on forever. During that time I did The Midnight Special with Jerry Lee Lewis as well.
After that I quit touring for 15 yrs. to raise a family. During that time I was part of an extension of Wayne's band. Charles Brent who was the musical director for Wayne along with Luther Kent formed a six piece horn band called Luther Kent & Trick Bag. With former horn players from Wayne's band & one of the rhythm sections, myself, David lee Watson (bass) & Charlie Brent (guitar & arranger). This band proved to be one of a kind to never ever be surpassed or duplicated. During that time I appeared with Marsha Ball on The Songs Of Boozoo Chavis CD. I also recorded a CD with Brook Benton, but he passed away before it could be released.
In the early 90's I was asked to do some world tours with Dr. Hook featuring Ray Sawyer.
In 1994 I joined national touring blues man Tab Benoit. I toured & recorded with Tab for 6 yrs.
In 2000 I returned to New Orleans to reestablish my roots. Since then I have been back into the local scene with occasional road trips. Luther Kent, Charles Brent, & I played with a Dallas All Star band that featured players like Lou Marini (Blues Bros. fame), Jon Smith, & Steve Howard of the White Trash Horns. I played with Chuck Berry during this time as well.
In 2005 unfortunately, my house was flooded with 20 ft. of water during Hurricane Katrina. But like most of us I have rebuilt my life & continue to play with many groups around town such as Luther Kent, Andy J. Forest, Benny Turner, Paul Varisco & the Milestones. I do sub-work for groups like The Wiseguys, Etc.
I have released my first solo CD in October. It features tunes written around my many different styles of playing over the years. I am doing a showcase for the CD release at Rollins College in Orlando with a lecture before the Music Department as well. I have a series of lectures & clinics lined up for the year.
I also have been interviewed for an article on me for Modern Drummer.
I appear in the highly acclaimed photo book of drummers from around the world called, "Sticks N Skins"
I have & continue to play N.O.'s Jazz Fest every year with a host of different performers
over the years, such as Luther Kent &Trick Bag, Tab Benoit, Lenny McDaniel, AndyJ.Forest, Mason Rufner, Brian Lee, Robert Parker, & hope to have a chance to exhibit my own project highlighting my style of playing that has made me a mainstay in the music community for some 40 years.
