Bob Macklin
Born of a musical family - Dad and Mom were voice, piano and choir
instructors - music easily became a way of life for me. When I was
growing up, local schooling and band music instruction were invaluable. They
led to the early years of the '50s spent in Roanoke with such groups as The
Chromatics, The Intervals, The Aristocrats and various pickup bands. All of
this was the result of listening to radio and Jazz at the Philharmonic Record
Series, which featured all the performing stars. We listened, we learned and
we played with them.
My musical awareness was heightened by playing at Henry Street's Hotel Dumas,
Morocco Club, Ebony, 308 Club and other local spots, and by backing up stage
shows like Gloria Jean from New Orleans.
In the autumn of 1955, I studied composition, theory, concert and symphony
and marching band at Virginia State College. After leaving school in '58
to get married, I headed north to New York City for gigs with Lionel Hampton
("Gates" as he was fondly called by the guys on the road). Touring through
the area, we were then headed for world shows in Europe, Israel and Japan.
That's when I said, "Hey, I'm going home to Roanoke!".
I continued to play during the '60s while enjoying a happy family life with
my wife, Lorraine, and children in Roanoke. In 1998, I'm still gigging
whether it's jazz, rhythm and blues, rock and roll or country western. Yes,
jazz had and continues to have its attractions and rewards!