Bio

Rob Blaney is a songwriter who doesn't tell stories so much as cast spells. He works his magic using his voice and a piano to explore a passionate honesty in his music. He writes simple songs about complex things: love, family, hurt, and forgiveness. He writes about the people who come in and out of our lives: the person who offers unconditional love, the woman in an abusive relationship, the friend hanging on to the last moments of life. You sing along even though you've never heard the melody before. The subjects and places are familiar, almost as if they are a part of your own past. Rob's songs are the hopes, dreams, and sorrows of our lives.

While growing up in Orange County, California, Rob listened to musicians who became his musical heroes: Billy Joel, Bruce Hornsby, David Benoit, and Phil Collins. These artists challenged him to look around and observe life as it really is, and to share the story with anyone who will listen. He learned to take risks and to write music for himself and not just to conform to the current musical "fad of the month". He learned that for a song to be his song, it had to be honest. It had to be real. Today he is inspired by a wide range of musical styles: from Sarah McLachlan to Trisha Yearwood, Frank Sinatra to Sting. Refusing to be pigeonholed, Rob's music both embraces and challenges the current trends and fads, resulting in a unique blend of melody, lyrics, and power.

Although he has been writing lyrics since jr. high school, Rob began his recording career with solo piano arrangements. It was George Winston's classic solo piano album, December, that inspired Rob to explore new interpretations on some of his favorite Christmas carols. In 1993 he released Christmas, and followed with an album recorded during his 1996 Christmas concert, Christmas Live! His latest offering is the result of half a lifetime of writing lyrics and melodies. The three song demo, released in November of 2000, is a prelude to his first full-length album as a songwriter. From the opening energy and pointed lyrics of Common Ground, you know you are in for a captivating ride. Waiting To Fly is seen through the eyes of a man who watches as his friend stays in a controlling relationship. The final cut on the album, Anywhere, tells the story of a modern day Casablanca tale.

Whether live or on a recording, Rob's music will captivate you. It will entertain you and it will challenge you. It will engage you and will uplift you. Through his music he fleshes out images of faith, hope, love, and forgiveness with both grace and raw power. This is real life. This is the music of Rob Blaney.


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