Pianiste et keyboardiste Country US, né Hargus Melvin Robbins, le 18 Janvier 1938 à Spring City (Tennessee). Hargus Pig Robbins, aveugle dès l'âge de quatre ans, a accompagné les plus grands chanteurs de la country (Patsy Cline, Loretta Lynn, Dolly Parton, Connie Smith, Tanya Tucker, Crystal Gayle, Ernest Tubb, Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, Bobby Bare, the Statler Brothers, Gary Stewart et Kenny Rogers). Il a aussi enregistré sous le nom de Mel Robbins.

Perhaps the greatest session pianist/keyboardist ever to grace a Nashville recording studio, Hargus "Pig" Robbins maintained an amazingly prolific career from the late '50s on into the new millennium. Robbins was born in Spring City, TN, in 1938; an accident with his father's knife resulted in the loss of an eye, and he went completely blind before the age of four. He started taking classical piano lessons at age seven, and as he advanced, he learned to play country music by ear, particularly that of his idol, Tex Ritter. Robbins played the Nashville club scene after graduating and got his first session gig helping a friend record his demo. He subsequently joined the musicians' union and got his first big-time exposure on George Jones' 1959 hit "White Lightning." Over the next few decades, Robbins played behind a who's who of country music, recording with Patsy Cline, Loretta Lynn, Dolly Parton, Connie Smith, Tanya Tucker, Crystal Gayle, Ernest Tubb, Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, Bobby Bare, the Statler Brothers, Gary Stewart, and Kenny Rogers. Additionally, his appearance on Bob Dylan's 1966 classic Blonde on Blonde created demand for his work among folk (Joan Baez, Peter, Paul & Mary) and pop/rock artists (John Denver, Doug Sahm, the Everly Brothers, Ray Charles, Tom Jones, et al.). Robbins recorded his first solo album, A Bit of Country Piano, in 1963 and issued three more solo records on the Chart label during the late '60s. Robbins later returned to solo recording for Elektra, issuing a trio of albums — Country Instrumentalist of the Year, A Pig in a Poke, and Unbreakable Hearts — over 1977-1979. Over the '80s and '90s, Robbins was able to maintain his standing as Nashville's top session keyboardist with a new generation of contemporary country stars, playing with Randy Travis, Alan Jackson, Travis Tritt, Mark Chesnutt, Vince Gill, and Reba McEntire, among others; he also backed alt-rock pranksters Ween on their 12 Golden Country Greats album of 1996.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hargus_"Pig"_Robbins

Talents : Vocals, Piano, Keyboards

Style musical : Rock 'n' Roll, Traditional Country, Western Swing, Nashville Sound

SAVE IT (1959) (Mel Robbins)

TO KNOW YOU (1959) (Mel Robbins)

ARE YOU WITH ME (19??) (Mel Robbins unissued)

Fidgety (1961) (Mel "Pig" Robbins)

FOREVER (1963) (Hargus Robbins)

Years in activity :

1910 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 2000 10 20

DISCOGRAPHY

Singles

07/1959 SP ARGO 5340 (US) Mel ROBBINS - Save It / To Know You
1961 SP WILDCAT F-820/1 (US) Mel ROBBINS - Go Ahead On (instr.) / Teenage Tears (instr.)
03/1961 SP WILDCAT 1001 (US) Mel ROBBINS - Go Ahead On (instr.) / Teenage Tears (instr.)
12/1961 SP MR. PEACOCK MP 103 (US) Mel "Pig" ROBBINS - Fidgety (instr.) / Loneliness (instr.)
12/1963 SP TIME 1070 (US) Hargus ROBBINS - Happy Boy / Forever
11/1968 SP CHART 59-1060 (US) Hargus (Pig) ROBBINS - Bridge Washed Out / Love's Apparition
07/1969 SP CHART CH-5022 (US) Hargus (Pig) ROBBINS - Penguin Walk / Unknown Love
10/1969 SP CHART CH-5039 (US) Hargus "Pig' ROBBINS - Tequila Float / Funk Chunkin'
11/1977 SP ELEKTRA E-45440 (US) Hargus "Pig" ROBBINS - Diggin' In / Near You
03/1978 SP ELEKTRA E-45469 (US) Hargus "Pig" ROBBINS - Canadian Sunset / Roamin' Round
08/1978 SP ELEKTRA E-45514 (US) Hargus "Pig" ROBBINS - Little Bitty Pretty One / Forever
04/1979 SP ELEKTRA E-46037 (US) Hargus "Pig" ROBBINS - Chunky People / Whatever Happened To The Girls I Knew
07/1979 SP ELEKTRA E-46512 (US) Hargus "Pig" ROBBINS - Unbreakable Hearts / Love Love Love




Unissued Tracks

19?? Unissued track - Ace CD 473 (#7) / Bear Family CD 16123 (#16) / Chess LP 6025/6 (#10) / Chess LP 9173 (#9) / Chess (England) LP 9124 213 (#7) / Detour LP 204 (#9) / Stomper Time CD 13 (#9) / Vogue LP 522016 (#16) / Vogue CD 670076 (#16) Mel ROBBINS - Are You With Me
19?? Unissued track - Stomper Time CD 13 (#27) Mel ROBBINS - Foghorn
19?? Unissued track - Bison Bop LP 2007 (#2) / Buffalo Bop LP 2007 (#2) / Stomper Time CD 13 (#20) Mel ROBBINS - Joy Ride

Albums

1962 LP 12" SMASH MGS-27012 (mono) / SRS-67012 (stereo) (US) HULLY GULLY TO THE HITS - Mel "Pigue" ROBBINS - Hey Baby / (Baby) Hully Gully / Blueberry Hill / Searchin' / Lucille / Rockin' Pneumonia And The Boogie Woogie Flu / Splish Splash / I Know / Mother-In-Law / White Silver Sands / Young Blood / Stand By Me
1963 LP 12" TIME 52107 (mono) / S-21074 (stereo) (US) A BIT OF COUNTRY PIANO - Hargus ROBBINS - Happy Boy / Forever / Night Runner / In The Midnight Hour / Pop Up / Before You Go / General Flunkie / Why Do I Love You / Don't Knock It / I'm Hurting / Rip Tide / Night Life
12/1968 LP 12" CHART CHM-111 (mono) / CHS-1011 (stereo) (US) ONE MORE TIME - Hargus ROBBINS - Love's Apparition / Almost Persuaded / Bridge Washed Out / Autumn Of My Life / Funk Chunkin' / Big Girls Don't Cry / Strangers / It Keeps Right On A Hurtin' / Tequila Float / Love Takes Care Of Me / Lonely Lovers / Let It Be Me
07/1977 LP 12" ELEKTRA 7E 1110 (US) COUNTRY INSTRUMENTALIST OF THE YEAR - Hargus "Pig" ROBBINS - Diggin' In / Torn Between Two Lovers / Cool Whip / Sweet And Warm / Near You / Get Up And Get It / Sweet Dreams / Muskart Love / Another Lonely Night Ahead / She Never Knew Me
02/1978 LP 12" ELEKTRA 6E 129 (US) A PIG IN A POKE - Hargus "Pig" ROBBINS - Alley Cat / Canadian Sunset / It Was Almost Like A Song / Roamin' Round / Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue / Little Bitty Pretty One / Blue Bayou / Swingin' Safari / Forever / White Silver Sands
05/1979 LP 12" ELEKTRA 6E 185 (US) UNBREAKABLE HEARTS - Hargus "Pig" ROBBINS - Unbreakable Hearts / I Don't Care / Too Bad She Don't Love Me / Love Love Love / Whatever Happened To The Girls I Knew / Anna / Chunky People / Get Off And Get On It / Patchwork / Easy Does It

© Rocky Productions 15/12/2004