Bob Patin has been passionate about the piano since he was 5 years old. One of his childhood dreams was to work in recording studios; another was to perform on stages in front of large crowds. Still another was to get the chance to play with great musicians.
Bob has realized all of these dreams countless times.
After leaving graduate school at the prestigious North Texas State School of Music, Bob moved to Nashville, where he lived for 34 years. He was part of thousands of recording sessions, played with some of the finest musicians in the world; he's played for crowds as large as 90,000 people, played in 48 of 50 states, toured the world as a professional musician; he's played on stage, on national TV or in the studio with hundreds of well-known recording artists over the years.
Some of the great musicians Bob's played with include The Everly Brothers, Jerry Reed, Glen Campbell, Larry Coryell, Bela Fleck, The Beach Boys, Bela Fleck, Buddy Emmons (who was a good friend), Steve Morse, Albert Lee, Bill Watrous, Chet Atkins, Tommy Emmanuel, Joe Bonamassa, Nokie Edwards, David Clayton-Thomas (BS&T), just to name a few.
Bob has played for 4 U.S. Presidents--Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, and George H.W. Bush.
Bob was part of The Everly Brothers' last concert in Central City, Kentucky, on September 1, 2001.
Bob's CDs have been bought by listeners from 5 continents. In addition to 15 CDs as an artist, he's played on thousands of CDs by artists in a wide variety of musical genres.
Bob started playing jazz piano when he was a teenager; after listening to blues for several years, he discovered jazz and found his musical place in the universe. His earliest influences included Chick Corea, Keith Jarrett, Herbie Hancock, Oscar Peterson, George Shearing, McCoy Tyner, Leon Russell, Les McCann, Ramsey Lewis, Professor Longhair, Mose Allison and most of all, Bill Evans, who remains his greatest influence. During his career, he's had the opportunity to play with a huge array of well-known performers in all areas of music.
Bob got a music degree in 1978 from McNeese State University, then studied for his Master's in jazz studies at North Texas State University in Denton, Texas, played in the NTSU Lab Bands and working in clubs all over the Dallas-Fort Worth area.
It was during this time that he also played his first large concerts, with Dallas-based country artist Ray Price.
In late 1979, Bob auditioned and was hired for a job as keyboardist for country artist Ray Price; he then drove back to Denton to hear his favorite jazz pianist Bill Evans play that night at North Texas State.
Bob worked in Ray's band until mid-1981, when he was called by guitarist, actor and recording artist Jerry Reed and asked to join his band in Nashville; in a few months he had left Denton for Nashville, a destination he hadn't foreseen.
For the next 20 years, between recording studio dates in Nashville, Bob toured with various artists, most notably The Everly Brothers, Crystal Gayle, Jerry Reed, and Ray Price. He has performed with lots of other artists, including The Beach Boys, Willie Nelson, Leon Russell, Merle Haggard, Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, jazz trombonist Bill Watrous, Marty Stuart, Dolly Parton, Glen Campbell, Alabama, Vince Gill, Loretta Lynn and many others.
Everly Brothers, 2000; Willie Nelson, 1981In 1990, Bob quit working on the road to work as a studio musician, but continued to tour with the Everly Brothers from time to time. He has played on thousands of recording sessions in Nashville and Muscle Shoals, including albums by Alabama, Sawyer Brown, Mel Tillis, Jerry Reed, Ray Price, Pam Tillis, Crystal Gayle, Marty Raybon (Shenandoah), Russell Smith (Amazing Rhythm Aces) and many others.
Bob has released 16 CDs under his own name, including "If Not Now, When?" and "Threads," which were released in 2020.
Bob bought his first computer in 1984, taught himself to program, eventually writing software for both Windows and Macs. His focus has remained on web applications, database development, and mobile development.
He turned his hobby into a second business in the late 90s. In the late 90s he founded Longterm Solutions, a computer consulting and hosting company. Longterm Solutions hosts FileMaker databases for hundreds of clients worldwide, and provides other Internet-related services. Bob also writes custom solutions for clients, both for the web and for use in networks.
Rarely does a day go by when Bob doesn't spend some time sitting at the piano in his new studio, writing a tune, picking a favorite from the list that has been on his piano for more than 30 years. These days, you'll find him compiling a list of songs for his next recording project.
In November 2021, Bob and Mary moved to north Texas, where he's found some great clubs to play in Dallas and Fort Worth, and drives down to Austin to play on a regular basis.
Threads |
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If Not Now, When? |
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Singularity |
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Because |
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Remembering the Beatles |
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In a Mind's Eye |
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Tyrol Hills Minnesota Morning Series |
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Timeless Favorites Volume 1 |
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Timeless Favorites Volume 2 |
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Timeless Songs About Love |
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On Eagles' Wings |
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You Raise Me Up |
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The Best of Minnesota Morning |
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