Capt. Bob was born and raised in the Bronx, NewYork. His love for the maritime life started when he worked as a runner for a Freight Forwarder in lower Manhattan. He spent many lunch hours sitting and watching the tugboats, ferries and fireboats in New York harbor, and decided that this was the life he'd like.
Capt. Bob actually began his seagoing career as a cadet at S.U.N.Y. Maritime College, Fort Schuyler in 1960. In the many years since he has worked on Merchant ships in many capacities. from Able Bodied Seaman, 3rd Mate, 2nd Mate, Chief Mate and finally Captain from 1977 until retiring in 2002.
It was during his college years that he picked up a discarded guitar and began to teach himself to play. Bob says "Tom Dooley" was probably one of his first songs! Bob's repertoire included the typical fare of the 60's... Peter, Paul and Mary, Bob Dylan, Kingston Trio and the Beatles along with Chuck Berry, Buddy Holly and Johnny Cash.
During his years as a sailing man, Bob continued to play guitar and expand his song list. Bob's family's favorite times where when he came home from a trip and when dinner was over Bob's guitar came out. There was a lot of musical history recorded on the family reel-to-reel tape recorder.
Pots and pans, homemade guitars, harmonicas and kazoos were accompanied by "Dad" on the guitar. The family's own renditions of "Popeye the Sailor" "Itsy Bitsy Spider" "Rocky Raccoon", "Freight Train" "I Don't Want A Pickle" and "Swinging on a Star" surely raised the blood pressure of Bob's apartment neighbors.
Shipboard, Bob was being influenced by Texas, Cajun and southern rock music. Bob's finger-picking style developed later on and progressed with the help of Roy Bookbinder, Doc Watson and Keb Mo teaching DVD's. Walking the beach to learn the words, picking while at sea, wherever there was Bob there was guitar picking and of course there was practice, practice practice!
It was St. Petersburg, Florida musician Dennis Wallace, who encouraged Bob to play in public. With advice, support and enthusiasm of his musical friends, Bob got his first few gigs and his new career took off.
