Official Bobby Long Biography via MusicBobbyLong.com
Bobby Long moved to London from Calne, Wiltshire, South West England in 2004 to attend university, write and play music as much as possible. Playing open mic nights around London, Bobby honed his craft, bringing him to the attention of Phil Taylor, founder of Up All Night Music, who recognized in Bobby a raw, honest talent for telling stories in song and the makings of a superb guitarist.
In 2009, he played 160 shows in seven months in seven countries. He sold over 10,000 copies of his bootleg EP "Dirty Pond Songs", available exclusively at his shows. The Boston Herald praised his "likeable, rough-hewn voice" and "catchy way with a chorus," while Pollstar reported that he "continues to amaze audiences with a bare-bones sound reminiscent of early Bob Dylan." Radio, too, has done its part, beginning when WXPN in Philadelphia added “Who Have You Been Loving” from Dirty Pond Songs to its playlist and invited him to perform live in their studios. He played over 100 gigs across Europe and North America on The Dangerous Summer Tour and sold over 10,000 copies of his bootleg EP “Dirty Pond Songs", available exclusively at his shows. The Twilight Soundtrack, which included “Let Me Sign”, a song co-written with Marcus Foster, also won an American Music Award for Best Soundtrack.
2010 has already exceeded expectations as Bobby signed a record deal with ATO Records on April 23rd and on February 1, 2011 the release of a much anticipated first studio album, A WINTER TALE. Grammy®-winner Liam Watson (The White Stripes’ Elephant) and his analog Toe Rag Studios in London—where they put down five initial tracks in just three days—proved an ideal match for the artist's old-school recording approach. Backed by a coterie of studio musicians on many of the tracks, he would end up recording 18, finally making a taut selection of 11 original songs.
Finally, after countless solo shows, Long is fleshing out his acoustic sound with a band behind him, though he still steps out during the set to play alone. "I'm writing more with a band in mind now. I love how good that feels, when your playing is matched by the snare, the bass." Inspired by everything from old Jack Teagarden recordings to Dylan going electric, he also says he "learned a lot from touring about how a show can be like theater."
It's been a fast rise, but he's not looking for a cheap route to success. "I'm in it for the long haul. This first [ATO] record is just the first step on a ladder. I want every day to be a learning experience and to have the same kind of career as some of my heroes," he says. And he's determined to work hard to do just that.
Bobby describes his music as being like drops of rain on a bull fighters back, like punches breaking through a Windy Gail. To fans, this is music stripped down to its purest form. No pretenses, no airs, no electronic or computer generated enhancements. When you listen to Bobby Long, you are reminded of what music is meant to be . . . naked emotion that only knows how to be honest with itself and the listeners. It doesn't take long to realize you are listening to the next generation of music.
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