Last night I heard an old friend had relocated to the spirit world. Seems we are all on our way at some expiration date that is never far way. As a “sexagenarian” I know this is real. Thank you Marshall Chapman for giving me that word addition to my vocabulary. That is why I keep saying to myself “Self, you only have today let’s see what we can do to live it up.”
So I will get to the story…about a quarter century ago give or take a few years I met this guy in person from South Carolina. He was a happy soul and he loved music just like I did. We both had the mutual love of music from A to Z, most all genres and some more than others. One of our common threads was the music and love of the lifestyle of Jimmy Buffett. I think I first met “BobRob” on the Buffett Listserv which started somewhere around 1993 give or take my lack of research and reliance on my memory given the recent ingestion of a grilled beef filet and a couple of glasses of Italian wine.
So Bob Robinson and I kinda’ knew each other before we met having exchanged internet threads during the formative days of the internet in the early 1990’s and by the turn of the century we were seeing each other at various events from Key West to North Carolina. We had the same friend groups and without going into detail we had a small secret society known as “The Lunch Money Punks,” “LMP” for short.
I knew BobRob had produced a concert in South Carolina that ended up with the creation of a CD. The CD which was produced by Coral Reefer #001 Roger Bartlett. I just called Roger a few minutes ago who was out playing in the panhandle of Florida to refresh my memory on this experience and to pass on the the news of our friend’s passing. I have several copies of this CD in my collection but I am listening to the tracks right now on Apple Music in my studio as I write this. I remember this time very well and it was a good time. I was not at that event but did attend once soon after in Charleston and had a blast. They called it “Parrotstock.” The audio tracks survive thanks to Roger putting this CD collection together. If you like Jimmy Buffett music you should listen to it. Deb McColl, Roger Bartlett, Greg “Fingers” Taylor, Keith Sykes, and the old rhythm section of the CRB. It is a live recording and captures a moment. It also captures some great musicians that helped Jimmy make it big in the music world. That intensity was tough to ever match on a live stage. You likely won’t find a copy of the CD these days unless you want a $167 dollar version on Ebay. The good news is you can still stream it on Spotify and Apple Music.
Somewhere in my terabytes of photos I don’t have time to organize is some photos of those days. They were good ones.
So not long after all this history, I had seen BobRob play with his band at some local gigs in a friend’s aka Captain Willie’s bar. I had met Bill aka Captain Willie through my recent circa 2000 adventures and we became fast friends. He was an expert bar manager, business owner, seafood restaurant guy, and he was the guy you would want to run your business. Bill knew how to run a bar and a restaurant, he knew how to manage people. If you were around baseball people you could tell them this was Bill Buckner… I have seen Bill give out tips to a half dozen young waitresses at the end of a night and they treated him like he was their Daddy. Bill took care of people and he was one great guy. He was funny and just a damn straight up guy. He managed some businesses in Myrtle Beach and then found his way into my backyard in North Carolina to run a large great bar. We had some fun times. He would even have BobRob and his band up to play at times in Greensboro. I have so many stories hanging with Captain Willie in Key West over twenty years ago.
February 5, 2003. I was on my way to Columbia Center now Colonial Life Center to see Jimmy Buffett. BobRob and his band were “opening.” Loosely said, this meant they were playing a private party up in the McGuire Club that now hosts 300 people. Back then it was likely different. I do remember we had an ice sculpture and lots of fresh shrimp. The food was great. How did I get in? Well Bob told me in advance I had been added to his roadie crew. I would show up and likely not do much but I am pretty good at knowing how to manage moving gear and helping things happen around music. So I asked a pal at the time if he wanted to go to the show. I scored two tickets through a method I can’t exactly remember right now but it had something to do with Margaritaville. I was doing a guest DJ thing about this time on Radiomargaritaville and I knew a few people. I had a pair of tickets for the show on the eighth row center later that night.
I remember riding to the gig in my old Mercedes and arriving early in the day to help with the load in. Early in the afternoon we were all loaded in and Bob was ready to roll. Soon it was time for the Buffett sound check. We knew the drill. We were in a room looking at the stage and the room had these dark curtains. The concert rider said we had to draw the curtains and ignore the JB sound check. So we drew the curtains and everyone was looking at the action below through a crack in the blinds!
I remember those heavy curtains and what was going on below. There was not a soul in the place and all the entrances were covered in curtains. The Coral Reefer Band was standing on the stage as Jimmy walked in. He had a ball cap on his head backwards and he had on shorts. He was wearing flip flops and had a briefcase in one hand.
I tell people and its true that I can “feel” people at times. Not everyone but many people I just get who they are from just looking at them or being around them in a room. Jimmy Buffett had a spirit that would fill an amphitheater. I think that is why I loved the guy. When he walked on that stage as in all the other way over a hundred times I saw him or stood beside him he just beamed life and positive energy. He had a smile you could see from a football field away. If he was not in deep thought and almost far away talking to you he just telegraphed this positive spirit. It was like that in this moment all those years ago. Jimmy walked out and he was in band leader mode. The band went through a few new songs and laughed a bit after they got the groove down. You could tell they were working up a new song to play just for that set later that night. Meanwhile Jimmy’s bodyguard was walking all around the facility below looking for any danger. Charleston Miles was the best. He was a great guy and he took his job very seriously. You could watch him and just see how serious he was about making sure Jimmy was always safe. I got to know Charleston in later years and you could not help but just like the guy. That story is for another day.
BobRob went on to work as a music booking agent at times and I remember talking to him about artists and hiring people. We kept in touch at times and sometimes would bump into each other at concerts.
The last time I remember seeing Bob was the afternoon before a John Prine concert in Charlotte. We knew we were both going to the gig and we arranged to meet a bar in Uptown Charlotte. That was some time ago but it was good to see him and give him a man hug.
Over time I spent quite a few Tuesdays listening to vinyl and putting things on Facebook. Many times I would add Bob as a tag because I always knew he enjoyed some of the same music as me. When I heard he had checked out on May 5 I was a bit stunned. We needed to hang again before that happened. But that is the way life can be. Sudden and without warning. I will miss my pal BobRob and wish I could call him up to laugh about old days. They were good ones and oh so fast. I will see you in the spirit world my friend.