05/04/2024
CHARITY RELEASE: A long one but please spare a few minutes to read it.
From Mark Cole: "One of the best songwriters you’ve probably never heard of, Robbie Fisher, passed away in December 2023 and left a legacy of great songs. Robbie was a mainstay on the Cheltenham and Gloucester live blues and (what we now call) Americana scene in the 80s through to the 00s.
He was a mentor to me and helped me get started in the music business. If it hadn't been for Robbie showing me the ropes and those basic first steps on slide guitar and harmonica, I wouldn't be performing music. Also, his wonderful songwriting inspired me to write and to try and equal his lyrical genius. I was lucky enough to be asked to sing with him on some of his earlier demos because I had borrowed the four-track cassette recorder from a friend so that he could get his ideas down and I was there at the sessions to help with the technical stuff. He was generous like that. Later on we formed the Dockery Boys so for a few years I got to perform with him. It didn't last forever and most bands of Robbie's didn't as he was very particular about his vision of what he was trying to achieve and if he felt he wasn't getting there he would pull the plug, much to the annoyance of those in the band. This made him difficult to work with sometimes but I guess talented, driven people can be like that. It's the flip-side of genius, the balance if you will. He was definitely driven, passionate and strove for the sound he desired. He should have been far more widely known and more successful than he was, but it wasn't to be.
He did have some success with a song he co-wrote with Pete Douglas called "Medicine Man", which went on to be recorded by blues guitar legend Johnny Winter on his "Let Me In" album and there was the possibility of more songs being placed with other artists but, again, him being sometimes difficult to work with prevented publishers from taking him on board. They couldn't see his talent through their need for an easy relationship. Their loss, ultimately.
Robbie didn't leave any partner or dependents so with his brother's blessing a Bandcamp page has been set up with many of Robbie's original recordings, until now only heard by a handful of people as he didn't embrace the internet as a means of getting his music out to a wider audience. They have been restored and remastered and are available to purchase, with all proceeds going to the British Heart Foundation charity. Please visit, listen and buy. If you like what you hear you can buy the whole collection and get a 20% discount. And that's a superb deal! Thank you."
https://robbiefisher.bandcamp.com
