“Wherever he roams, and whatever size band he finds himself fronting, Rob Stone can always be trusted to deliver the searing, soulful, supremely enjoyable goods.”
– Living Blues Magazine

Deeply rooted in traditional Chicago blues, yet delivering high-energy performances with a thoroughly contemporary impact, harp-playing vocalist Rob Stone has long been internationally renowned for hard-driving, house-rocking music that makes his concerts an exhilarating experience.

Stone spent 20 years cutting his musical teeth in the gritty clubs of Chicago’s north, south and west sides, learning from from certified blues masters. Since then, he has released a series of critically acclaimed albums on several well-respected blues labels, and headlined international tours––playing clubs, concerts, and festivals throughout Europe and Japan. He has been honored with Blues Blast Award and Chicago Music Award nominations, landed endorsement deals with Seydel and Hohner harmonicas, opened major shows for B.B. King, Etta James, Robert Cray, James Cotton, Los Lobos, Sheryl Crow and others, as well performing with Chicago blues heroes like Robert Jr. Lockwood, Hubert Sumlin, David “Honeyboy” Edwards, Pinetop Perkins, Jimmy Rogers, Sam Lay, Koko Taylor, David Myers, and Henry Gray to name a handful.

After relocating from Chicago to the West Coast, Stone dove head-first into the Los Angeles music scene and to write, record, and perform with top-tier musicians including: iconic saxophone blaster Big Jay McNeely, keyboard legend Barry Goldberg, Jimmy Vivino, and toured as harmonica/vocalist with the Electric Flag Reunion­ (including Goldberg, Nick Gravenites, and Harvey Mandel). Being in LA has led to opportunities to split bills with Charlie Musselwhite, Junior Watson and James Harman, as well as performances with Joe Bonamas­sa, and rock ‘n’ roll royalty including: Slash, Elliot Easton (of the Cars), Billy Gibbons, legendary drummer Jim Keltner, Nancy Wilson (of Heart), and many others.­

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Stone’s harmonica-blowing odyssey started at age 18. He slipped into a blues joint in his native Boston to check out harp legend Charlie Musselwhite and was instantly transfixed. He bought a harp and immediately began emulating classic recording –– later studying with ex-Muddy Waters harmonica man Jerry Portnoy and playing regularly with rockabilly legend Sleepy LaBeef. Relocating to Colorado, Stone honed his technique on bandstands around Denver and Colorado Springs, learning to tame riotous crowds in the Southwest biker bar circuit. Then in 1993, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame drummer Sam Lay––the mighty engine that powered over 40 Howlin’ Wolf Chess recordings, Bob Dylan’s first electric show, and the Paul Butterfield Blues Band during their mid-‘60s heyday––rolled into town with his own band. After meeting at the KRCC radio station where Sam was being interviewed, the blues legend invited the young harpist to sit in and dug what he heard, hiring Rob on the spot.

Touring with Sam Lay’s band introduced Stone to blues fans worldwide and allowed him to refine his approach to the harmonica and music in general. Lay’s experience with Little Walter, Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, and Sonny Boy Williamson instilled a strong emphasis on the tight Chicago ensemble sound –– stressing musical interplay, responsive improvisation, dynamics, intensity, and inventive arrangements. Lay has since said of Stone’s playing: “I have worked with many harmonica players, and Rob turned out to be the best. That cat is a monster harp player and musician!”

While continuing to work with Sam Lay, Stone became a “go to” player in the competitive Windy City blues scene –– performing and recording with many of the genre’s legendary acts. Learning to play Chicago blues directly from the masters who created it was a profound apprenticeship.

“Every facet of my approach to music is to some extent influenced by playing alongside my heroes. These experiences were enormously important to my development.”
– Rob Stone

Rob soon stepped up to form his own band, the C-Notes, with veteran players Chris James, Patrick Rynn and Willie “The Touch” Hayes. Their debut CD, No Worries (1998), earned considerable critical acclaim. In 2003, they signed with the Earwig Music Company label to release Just My Luck (Nominated for a Chicago Music Award in the Best Blues Album category). That same year, Rob appeared in the Martin Scorsese-produced “Godfathers and Sons” episode of The Blues series that aired nationwide on PBS Television.

In 2010, Stone returned to the CD racks with Back Around Here, again for Earwig. The album, featuring Sam Lay, Willie “Big Eyes” Smith, Aaron Moore, David Maxwell, and others, remained on the Roots Music Radio Charts for 54 weeks and was named in Living Blues’ Top 50 Albums of 2010. Soon after, he was featured in the documentary Sam Lay in Bluesland, as well as Six Generations of the Blues from Mississippi to Chicago (alongside Honeyboy Edwards, John Primer, and Big Jack Johnson). Gotta Keep Rollin’, released on Vizztone Records in 2014, featured Eddie Shaw, Henry Gray, and ­John Primer, and racked up sterling reviews as it sailed high on the International Blues Charts and Roots Music Report Radio Charts for over a year (peaking at #2).

Rob’s most recent release, Trio in Tokyo on Blue Heart Records, an all acoustic outing recorded live in the studio in Tokyo, Japan, was nominated for a Blues Blast Music Award for Best Acoustic Album, and named in Living Blues Magazine’s Top 50 Blues Albums of the year, who described the album as “Ten tracks or pure, stripped-down power!”

Stone continues to perform and record around the world––always collaborating with top-tier musicians––and always bringing an original, inventive twist to his blistering sound, while remaining committed to keeping the traditional Chicago blues flame burning brightly.

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Over the years, Stone has performed or recorded with…

Robert Lockwood Jr., Hubert Sumlin, Koko Taylor, Pinetop Perkins, Honeyboy Edwards, Jimmy Rogers, Henry Gray, David Myers (of The Aces), Jody Williams, Eddie Taylor Jr., Sam Lay, Big Jay McNeely, John Primer, Eddie Shaw, Barry Goldberg, Harvey Mandel, Electric Flag, Benny Turner, Barbara Morrison, Willie Kent, Joe Louis Walker, Big Time Sarah, Johnny “Yard Dog” Jones, Bonnie Lee, Mary Lane, Billy Branch, Taildragger, Popa Chubby, Floyd McDaniel, Sugar Blue, Denny Freeman, Charlie Musselwhite, James Harman, Junior Watson, Maria Muldaur, Katherine Davis, Little Smokey Smothers, Rod Piazza, Bob Margolin, Johnny B. Moore, Dennis Binder, Sandra Hall, Dave Specter, Seigel-Schwall Band, Eddie Kirkland, Lil’ Ed Williams, Roosevelt “Booba” Barnes, Lovie Lee, Mud Morganfield, Laurence Juber (of Wings), Mark Naftlin, Nick Gravenites, Carla Olson, Marcy Levy, Bruce Willis, Kirk Fletcher, Jimmy Vivino, Joe Bonamassa, Lurrie Bell, Philip Walker, Sleepy LaBeef, Jim Belushi, Deacon Jones, Detroit Junior, Aaron Moore, Jimmie Lee Robinson, Arthur Adams, Robert Randolph, Slash, Elliot Easton, Jim Keltner, Johnny Lee Schell, Billy Gibbons, Nancy Wilson (of Heart), and many many more.

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