Bob Curiano is an American musician, songwriter and producer, who performs primarily on guitar, bass and vocals. Since 2015 he performs with
Rainbow
A rainbow is an optical phenomenon caused by refraction, internal reflection and dispersion of light in water droplets resulting in a continuous spectrum of light appearing in the sky. The rainbow takes the form of a multicoloured circular ...
using the name Bob Nouveau. During 2000 to 2006 he performed and recorded with
Blackmore's Night
Blackmore's Night is a British-American neo-medieval folk rock band formed in 1997, consisting mainly of Ritchie Blackmore (acoustic guitar, hurdy gurdy, mandola, mandolin, nyckelharpa, and electric guitar) and Candice Night (lead vocals, lyr ...
with the stage name Sir Robert of Normandie.
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Biography
He began touring during the late 1970s as the bass player with the Manhattan-based band Mink De Ville. Curiano was with Mink De Ville for a decade before moving on to pursue his own musical interests of writing and producing.
In 1993, he was the first producer and writer for the Backstreet Boys
Backstreet Boys (often abbreviated as BSB) are an American vocal group consisting of Nick Carter, Howie Dorough, AJ McLean, and cousins Brian Littrell and Kevin Richardson (musician), Kevin Richardson. The band formed in 1993 in Orlando, Flori ...
. “A friend of mine (Lou Pearlman
Louis Jay Pearlman (June 19, 1954 – August 19, 2016) was an American music manager and scam artist. He was the person behind many successful 1990s boy bands, having formed and funded the Backstreet Boys. After their massive success, he then dev ...
) called and said, ‘I found these kids. Can you come down to Florida?’ They were these nice little kids, but they couldn’t really sing harmonies very well,” recalls Curiano of that initial meeting with the teen band calling themselves “the Backstreet Boys”. In the beginning, the Backstreet Boys
Backstreet Boys (often abbreviated as BSB) are an American vocal group consisting of Nick Carter, Howie Dorough, AJ McLean, and cousins Brian Littrell and Kevin Richardson (musician), Kevin Richardson. The band formed in 1993 in Orlando, Flori ...
were actually performing Curiano’s work: “When Jive Records
Jive Records (later stylized as JIVE Records) was a British-American independent record label founded by Clive Calder in 1981 as a subsidiary of the Zomba Group of Companies, Zomba Group. In the US, the label had offices in New York City and Chic ...
entered the picture, they cleaned house, brought in their own people, and I sort of got lost in the shuffle”, recalls Curiano.[
Curiano first met ]Ritchie Blackmore
Richard Hugh Blackmore (born 14 April 1945) is an English lead guitarist. He was a founding member and the guitarist of Deep Purple, one of the pioneering bands of hard rock. After leaving Deep Purple in 1975, Blackmore formed the band Rainbow ...
at the ''Normandy Inn'', a Long Island
Long Island is a densely populated continental island in southeastern New York (state), New York state, extending into the Atlantic Ocean. It constitutes a significant share of the New York metropolitan area in both population and land are ...
tavern. They talked music over a few pints and subsequently played music there, earning Curiano the stage name "Sir Robert of Normandie". In October 2000, Curiano joined Blackmore's Night
Blackmore's Night is a British-American neo-medieval folk rock band formed in 1997, consisting mainly of Ritchie Blackmore (acoustic guitar, hurdy gurdy, mandola, mandolin, nyckelharpa, and electric guitar) and Candice Night (lead vocals, lyr ...
for the last few shows of the Under a Violet Moon
''Under a Violet Moon'' is the second studio album by the group Blackmore's Night, released May 25, 1999. ''Under a Violet Moon'' won the New Age Voice award for the best vocal album of the year.
Track listing
Personnel
;Blackmore's Night
*Ri ...
tour. Curiano announced his departure on September 22, 2006 at the end of the second European tour of that year.[ He returned to his passion of writing music. He and Blackmore parted on good terms and remain friends.][
In 2015, when Ritchie Blackmore decided to recommence ]Rainbow
A rainbow is an optical phenomenon caused by refraction, internal reflection and dispersion of light in water droplets resulting in a continuous spectrum of light appearing in the sky. The rainbow takes the form of a multicoloured circular ...
he invited Curiano as the bass player; the new lineup was announced on November 6, 2015. Curiano was listed under the stage name
A stage name or professional name is a pseudonym used by performers, authors, and entertainers—such as actors, comedians, singers, and musicians. The equivalent concept among writers is called a ''nom de plume'' (pen name). Some performers ...
''Bob Nouveau''. Nouveau means new in French. "That’s a Blackmore prank at its best. He said, “You need a stage name.” I’m thinking to myself, “I have to be a ‘new’ Bob?” So I went with the French. When they announced the band, the reaction was, “Who the hell is Bob Nouveau?” So I started the Facebook
Facebook is a social media and social networking service owned by the American technology conglomerate Meta Platforms, Meta. Created in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with four other Harvard College students and roommates, Eduardo Saverin, Andre ...
page to clarify what happened".
Bob lives in Ridgefield, Connecticut
Ridgefield is an affluent New England town, town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. Situated in the foothills of the Berkshire Mountains and on the New York state border, Ridgefield had a population o ...
, where he is writing, producing, and freelancing as a guitarist and bass player.
Discography
;Blackmore's Night
* Fires at Midnight (2001)
* Ghost of a Rose
''Ghost of a Rose'' is the fourth studio album by the folk rock group Blackmore's Night, released June 30, 2003. It features covers of Joan Baez's " Diamonds and Rust", and Jethro Tull's "Rainbow Blues".
Background
Allusive to the alchemical f ...
(2003)
* Castles and Dreams (2004)
* The Village Lanterne (2006)
* Paris Moon (2006)
;Rainbow
* Memories in Rock - Live in Germany (2016)
* Live in Birmingham 2016 (2017)
* Waiting for a Sign (2018)
* Memories in Rock II (2018)
References
External links
* http://www.bobcuriano.com/
* Giulio Benevent
Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow (Bob Curiano)
// 20/01/2016
Interview with Bob Curiano. The Exclusive Interview with Bob Curiano alias Nouveau for Christopher Willow of Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow Live 2016.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Curiano, Bob
Curiano
Mink DeVille members
1952 births
Living people