A Tulsa native transplanted to England Bob Collum”s excellent ,accomplished but earthy roots rock outfit Welfare Mothers cover the Americana waterfront. He’s the very grain in the wood of the great forest of  Rock Family Trees. Check out his myspace.

Mail Scarlet at our shop for details of how to obtain an exclusive signed print of Pete Frame’s astonishing Family Tree of Buddy Holly, a formative Collum influence .

And now ?
Over to Bob at the FRock inquisition.

When and Where were you born
Nov 25th 1969 Claremore Oklahoma USA

How might people have heard of you without meeting you
5 lps of conspicuously obscure yet fairly fab music.

What’s your earliest musical memory
My granddad singing Bob Wills songs in behind the wheel of the family car

When did you first play an instrument
Cheap Norma brand electric guitar at 13 years old

What was the first instrument you owned
A Sears catalog acoustic that I got when I was 3 that was used for miming in the mirror to Elvis records.

What and where was your first public appearance
Highschool talent show at age 15.
How did it go
better than expected

What was the specific appeal of the music you were into and/or the music you played then
It was and is a place to dissapear for three minutes and forget about the troubles around you

Tell me about your musical education
Self educated really. I have always had friend with good musical instincts to turn me on to new stuff.

Who was the first musician you met who you had admired from afar
Elvis Costello

What was it like meeting them
Very cool. We had a chat about Cains Ballroom in Tulsa

What advice would you give to any young folk going on the musical path
Enjoy the act of creating and remember that the feeling of making something cool is the actual measure of sucess.

Music has the same root as magic tell us a few, as many as you like, magical music experiences you’ve had
Randy Newman singing “Real Emtional Girl” live 1996
The first Buddy Holly record I ever heard (Chirping Crickets when I was 9)
Wonderful from Beach Boy’s SMILE
Black Dog by Jesse Winchester
Gold by Peter Blegvad

Any regrets
I’ve had a few, but then again, too few to mention.

What music would like played
At your birthday party

Anything by the Spinners

On thanksgiving day –

Thanksgiving Day by Loudon Wainwright III
At your funeral

Bangcock by Alex Chilton

Your three favourite drum breaks/raps/vocal performances/guitar break/bass lines/horn arrangement (your own or/ and others – delete where applicable, fill em all in or create a category of your own…)
drum breaks
1. Al Jackson Jr – Hip Hug Her
2. Hal Blaine – I saw Her Again Last Night
3. Bobby Graham – Look Through Any Window

bass lines
1. Paul McCartney – Old Brown Shoe
2. Rick Danko – King Harvest
3.

guitar breaks
1. Steve Cropper – anything
2. Don Rich – anything
3. Hubert Sumlin – anything

Vocals
1.Rick Danko –  When You Awake
2.Bob Dylan – Po Boy
3. Judee Sill – Lady-O

Fave gigs or recording sessions you have been involved in
gig – me and Peter Case at the Blue Door in Oklahoma City circa 2007
recording – My Little Hurricane/She Hates Me, Pat Collier’s studio, 2009,