A Brief History of Dave's Times...

For anyone interested I am the same Dave Robinson who played Fender Jazz bass in local Sheffield and Bristol groups from 1958–2000. I played with New Orleans Barrelhouse vocalist and piano player Champion Jack Dupree, I formed Essential Bop in 1978, and supported and headlined countless name bands.

I played from 1961–1995 but not a great deal towards the end as I was diagnosed with M.E. and had to give up my job and most other things for quite a long time.

Circa 1968 ‘Bob Davis Mood’. I am far left. Sheffield (my oil painting).

‘Westering Home’.
103 pages A5 - @ £6 + p&p

However in time I was able to paint and write, and chaired two writing groups, first of all ‘Cloister Writers’ which later became ‘Claptrap’ in Bristol, and ‘Writers Meet’, a local group.

In this period of time I published five books, two of which are for sale :- ‘Westering Home’ which contains 103 of my poems, and ‘Butterflies & Diamonds’ a collection of short stories and poems from the group which I belong to now, here in Clevedon.

‘Butterflies & Diamonds’.
225 pages A5 - @ £8.50 + p&p.

Exhibition Poster 1999

I have had quite a bit of success with poetry in recent years, with quite high placings (1-4) in national competitions with ‘Spring Display’, (‘Ottakars/Faber & Faber’) ‘The Failand Tractor Racer’ (‘Torbay Poetry Festival/Arts Council’) ’Equal Writes’(Northern Lights’ – Aural Images). Etc.

I have turned some poems into songs aka ‘The Failand Tractor Racer’ (now available on iTunes, see below), ‘Farming’s Such A Funny Game These Days’, ‘The Windmills of Delabole’, ‘Candlepower’, ‘Uncle Sam’s Allotment’ and ‘Real Ale for Snails’. I am still trying to get an acceptable mix for these and at the moment am playing bass/baritone ukulele/vocals, with Wendy my wife on vocals and recorder and Peter Cook from Gloucester on fiddle. I am hoping to add G banjo shortly and am still looking for a pedal steel player to record on ‘Windmills’. – Watch this space!

The Failand Tractor Racer		Zummerzetting

Champion Jack Dupree

I have recently made contact with our old roadie, Ian Gill, who has sent me a YouTube clip of the band I played Bass with, 'Dupree's Premonition' with Champion Jack Dupree. It is from Bremen Beat Club in 1969, which went out right across Europe in the sixties, and even to many other parts of the world including America. The band was formerly called 'Pure Gold, and were from Sheffield and Barnsley. We moved to London followed by Bristol. We were Jack's backing group from 1967 - 74, although Jack did solo gigs as well.

 Personnel:
  Granville Hill - Lead Guitar
  Dave Robinson (myself) - Bass Guitar
  Alan Stretch - Drums

We also played a set of our own songs (which Jack Dupree sometimes played on), and we had our own vocalist Steve Walker.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RLavYjBEUmM

New book now available

Sunsets and Sea-Frets:
Tales from Western Shores

213 pages A5 @ £9.00 plus p+p

Purchase