Someone said, "Robert went down to the crossroads, kicked the devil's ass and stole his blues."

Robert Stanley is a fearless musical mastermind, a world-class guitarist, an unforgettable vocalist, and an exceptional songwriter. Plus, those who have seen him perform add one other thing: He performs like his hair is on fire.

His vocals can range from bone-shaking to even child-like; you feel his music has been poured out of his soul, indeed his lyrics are drawn from the pages of his own life. Robert is also an exciting and innovative guitarist: fiery, passionate, and elegant always, with an undercurrent of blues.

Robert grew up in Chicago and became avidly interested in music at an early age. More than once, he was thrown out of the local clubs after sneaking in. As a teen, he became enamored with the blues as many of Chicago’s great bluesmen would visit a neighbor on summertime Sundays and enjoy an afternoon of music, ribs, and various forms of liquid refreshment.

Around that time, Robert’s parents bought him his first guitar and at the age of fifteen he began playing in a band. He showed a knack for writing music and, more and more, introduced his songs into the band’s repertoire. This was the pattern in all of his early bands and at the age of 17 he began writing songs for the stable of bands of a small Chicago record label.

As a performer, Robert came to be known for his scorching vocals and guitar style, as well as his unpredictable stage antics. As time went on, he found his stage persona was becoming his identity and he was losing control of his whole life. As Robert was searching for his true identity, a friend introduced him to the spiritual realities of life and Robert found the answers and peace he’d been searching for.

Robert’s music is a progressive mixture of Rock, Blues, Appalachian, Gospel, and Psychedelic music. He draws from a deep well of influences: you might hear Muddy Waters, the Beatles, Eric Clapton, Led Zeppelin, Roots music, even Irish and English folk finding their way into his songs. He has assimilated all of this into a style that is distinctly his own — Rockabluesic! Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.