Bruce Robb

Robb with Evan Dando Cherokee 2006

An A&R rep named Tom Carolan, who had known the Robb brothers for years at Cherokee, brought them their first major record to produce together with a new alternative band he had scouted for Atlantic Records called The Lemonheads.[4] The album “It's a Shame About Ray” was a commercial success for Evan Dando. The Robbs also did production work for Buffalo Tom and Lita Ford, and then another gold record for The Lemonheads with “Come on Feel the Lemonheads.” During pre-production of the all female Japanese pop-punk band “Shonen Knife,” Dee Robb was diagnosed with cancer.[5] Bruce and Joe completed the album as “The Brothers Robb,” and then shifted focus back to their individual careers. After several years of treatment, Dee returned to the studio and the brothers joined together one more time for Ronnie Laws’ “Everlasting.” Although the production charted, their individual producing schedules rarely aligned again. (The partnership ended with Dee's sudden passing in 2008.)

Bruce Robb collaborated with Steve Cropper on a record for John Cougar Mellencamp.[6] They also worked on recordings for Levon Helm (of The Band),[7][8] Harry Nilsson[9] and Robben Ford[10] while Cropper made Cherokee his permanent home. The production duo also contributed to Justine Bateman’s and Julia Roberts’ singing debut in the film Satisfaction.[11] Cropper's membership in The Blues Brothers fostered creative relationships with Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi for their movies, such as Dragnet,[12] The Great Outdoors, and the title track by Fear[13] for Neighbors. They also produced two full-length albums for Cropper[14] as well.

With John & Cody Carpenter Cherokee 2005

The sci-fi/horror director and composer John Carpenter first hired Robb to produce the soundtrack for Village of the Damned. “Bruce Robb guided our compositions, molded them, shaped them, and when they came out of the speakers they were transformed into one of the most full, most romantic scores I've ever done,” says Carpenter on his official website for the Village soundtrack.[17] Their collaboration on Vampire$,[18] which won a Saturn Award for Best Music from the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films, and Ghosts of Mars,[19] for which Robb produced the original heavy metal score performed by Anthrax with Steve Vai, Robin Finck, and Buckethead.

Bruce Robb first gained exposure in the music industry as a member of “The Robbs”. The 1960s folk rock band was composed of brothers Dee Robb (lead vocals, guitar), Joe Robb (sax, vocals), Bruce Robb (Hammond B3, vocals) and “cousin” Craig “Robb” Krampf (drums, vocals). After some regional touring success, The Robbs were discovered by Dick Clark while performing at his Teen World's Fair at the International Amphitheatre in Chicago.[20][21] Clark invited the band to guest on his hit music television show, “Where The Action Is.” Fan reaction to The Robb's first TV appearance resulted in the band extending their stay to become series regulars for the final year of the series in 1967. During that same year, the band became one of the three house bands (with The Doors and The Chambers Brothers) at The Whisky on Sunset. The daily TV exposure catapulted the band to a brief celebrity period with heavy coverage in the major teen magazines alongside major groups like The Beatles, The Monkees, and The Kinks. Over the course of their performing years, The Robbs were recorded on Chess, Argo, RCA, Mercury, Atlantic and ABC/Dunhill record labels, and toured with major acts like Jerry Lee Lewis, The Byrds, The Turtles, Buffalo Springfield, and The Beach Boys. The Robbs released a total of two full-length albums and a number of singles with mostly "bubbling under" appearances on the charts. The band never officially “broke up,” but rather got distracted by the spontaneous success of their own studio during the production of their third album (never released).[22]

In 1968, the new arts festival conceived by Milwaukee's then-mayor Henry W. Maier was in the final planning stages, with music noticeably absent. At the urging of business leaders who wanted to attract the youth, the Mayor's office was prompted to contact a Wisconsin native band for help. With a TV show and heavy touring schedule at the time, The Robbs were one of the most successful bands to come from the Milwaukee area. They agreed to headline and produce a music counterpart to the event. But, The Robbs insisted on expanding the city's vision from small concerts on plywood staging at the lakefront, to a giant circus big top with professional sound and lighting and a 3,000-seat capacity. Beginning July 20, Summerfest’s inaugural eight-day concert series stole the spotlight with sold-out daily matinee and evening performances. The Robbs, who were the backup band for other acts throughout the run, were joined onstage by: Ronnie Dove, Freddie Cannon, The Esquires, The New Colony Six, Eric and Errol, The Lemon Pipers, The Next Five, The Destinations, The Messengers, The Picture and The Wet Wild and Away Dancers. Teenage pandemonium far surpassed the conservative city’s expectations requiring additional security, but ultimately drawing the highest attendance of all the events of Summerfest.[23][24][25]

The success of the music series attracted many major artists from The Doors, The Beach Boys, and Bob Dylan, to Sting, Metallica, and Prince. After years of planning for Summerfest, the last minute music event launched what has grown to become “The World’s Largest Music Festival” (certified by Guinness World Records in 1999) attracting up to 1 million people today.

Quarter 2 Three Records is Robb's indie record label. Artists include: blues and classic R&B artist Robert Bradley's Blackwater Surprise, hip hop group JustMATTER, and new artists in development. Recent label releases include: "Out of the Wilderness" by Robert Bradley's Blackwater Surprise and the original soundtrack for the motion picture "Love N' Dancing" by Various Artists.[26]

In addition to record production, Bruce Robb Productions focuses on original music production and music supervision services for the film, television and commercial industries. Robb's production company handled all of the music department tasks for the Amy Smart dance movie "Love N' Dancing" which was released in 2009.[27] BRP delivered over 30 original songs created for specific dance choreography, with Robb as the lead music producer/composer/supervisor for the film's original score and soundtrack.

A&R Studio Design + Construction is a firm specializing in professional studio builds for the entertainment, broadcast and recording industries. A&R is: acoustic architect George Augspurger, former News Corp./Fox Studio's Project Manager John ANDerson and Robb.[28][29]