About
It was just after the dawn of the millenium that Bob Collum bade farewell to the prairies of America and flew to the delta of Essex, bringing with him the music of his native Tulsa, Oklahoma. With two Stateside albums already under his belt, Bob set about commandeering the tightest rhythm section East of Canvey Island in Dan Wilkinson (Bass) and Paul Quarry (Drums).
The Welfare Mothers were born and through extensive gigging, began to build a following both around and outside the UK. The resulting album 'The Boy Most Likely To..' (2004) added a potent shot of Anglophile power pop to Bob’s swinging alt-country.
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After a few cracked-hearts, frayed guitar strings & many a memorable live show along the way (taking in SXSW, The Borderline, The Cavern & Cambridge Folk Festival), 'Set The Stupid Free,' (released in January 2008) marked a turning point. Steeped in playful, crying steel guitar (provided by the legendary BJ Cole and later by Allan Kelly), its melodic, Byrds-ian country-edged soul was to lie at the heart of Bob's sound.
The music that has followed over seven albums is a treasure trove of great hooks and trenchant wit. Songs of love and loss jostle with murder ballads. Slices of Western swing share floor space with Holly-esque rockabilly. Memories of growing up in the America he left behind keep company with wry glimpses of the Essex he's made his home.
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It's all captured with Bob's inimitable quicksilver writing, and performed by a phalanx of excellent musicians with CVs that include Nick Lowe, REM and The Rumour.
His current band – now simply monikered the Bob Collum Band - features Mags Layton on fiddle and vocals, Martin Cutmore on bass and vocals and long-serving sideman Paul Quarry on drums and squeezebox. A formidable live unit, they bring the swing of a Tulsa bar band to every venue they play.
Artists Bob has supported include Dave Alvin, Ron Sexsmith, Handsome Family, John Wesley Harding, Robbie Fulks, Hot Club of Cowtown, The Arlenes, Marshall Crenshaw, Peter Case, Nikki Sudden, Greg Trooper, Alejandro Escovedo, The Deadstring Brothers, Danny George Wilson, Ben Weaver, Amy Rigby, Robert Earle Keen, Wilko Johnson
Venues that Bob has played include South By Southwest Festival - Austin TX, Cambridge Folk Festival - Cambridge UK, Beyond Nashville Festival - London UK , The Cavern - Liverpool UK , 12 Bar Club - London UK Schuba’s - Chicago IL, Fitzgerald’s - Chicago IL, Cain’s Ballroom - Tulsa OK, The Blue Door - Oklahoma City OK
Discography
I'm Not Lonely (Single) - 2022, This Heart Will Self Destruct - 2021, Saved (EP) - 2021, Pay Pack and Carry - 2020, Little Rock - 2015, Twisted Lines and Mixed-Up Rhymes (EP) - 2009, Set The Stupid Free - 2008, The Boy Most Likely To… - 2004, Low Rent Romeo - 2001, More Tragic Songs Of Life - 1997