Bob Rafkin (30 March 1944 – 2 May 2013) was an American singer, songwriter and guitar player.

Biography

Rafkin was born in New York City in 1944. His musical career really took off when he moved to Greenwich Village in the mid-sixties. Here he met David Blue and together they formed ''The American Patrol''. During this period in the Village Rafkin also met

Phil Ochs Philip David Ochs (; December 19, 1940 – April 9, 1976) was an American songwriter, protest song, protest singer (or, as he preferred, "topical singer"), and Political Activist, political activist. Ochs was known for his sharp wit, sardonic h ...

and

Eric Andersen Eric Andersen (born February 14, 1943) is an American folk music singer-songwriter, who has written songs recorded by Johnny Cash, Bob Dylan, Judy Collins, Linda Ronstadt, the Grateful Dead, Rick Nelson, and many others. Early in his career, ...

and he played on Andersen’s 1966 album ''More Hits from Tin Can Alley'' on

Vanguard Records Vanguard Recording Society is an American record label set up in 1950 by brothers Maynard and Seymour Solomon in New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the so ...

and later on Phil Ochs’ legendary album '' Gunfight at Carnegie Hall''. Rafkin knew

Erik Jacobsen Erik Jacobsen (born May 19, 1940) is an American record producer, song publisher and artist manager. He is best known for his work in the 1960s with Tim Hardin, the Lovin' Spoonful, The Charlatans (American band), the Charlatans, and Sopwith Cam ...

– the record producer for among others,

the Lovin' Spoonful The Lovin' Spoonful is a Canadian-American folk-rock band formed in Greenwich Village, New York City, in 1964. The band were among the most popular groups in the United States for a short period in the mid-1960s and their music and image influ ...

and

Tim Hardin James Timothy Hardin (December 23, 1941 – December 29, 1980) was an American folk music and blues singer-songwriter and guitarist. In addition to his own success, his songs " If I Were a Carpenter", " Reason to Believe", " Misty Roses" and " ...

– and in 1967 when Jacobsen moved to San Francisco Rafkin relocated there to work as a producer and session guitarist. In 1968 after breaking with Erik Jacobsen, Rafkin moved again, this time to Los Angeles. In 1972 he played on the David Blue album ''Stories'' and worked with producers

Lenny Waronker Lenny Waronker (born October 3, 1941) is an American record producer and music industry executive. As the president of Warner Bros. Records, and later, as the co-founder and co-chair of DreamWorks Records, Waronker was noted for his commitment ...

Henry Lewy Henry Lewy (May 31, 1926 – April 8, 2006),Arizona Obituary Archive: Henry Lewy< ...

and Larry Marks. Rafkin was a session musician for

The Everly Brothers The Everly Brothers were an American rock duo, known for steel-string acoustic guitar playing and close-harmony singing. Consisting of Isaac Donald "Don" Everly and Phillip "Phil" Everly, the duo combined elements of rock and roll, country, ...

and

Gene Vincent Vincent Eugene Craddock (February 11, 1935 – October 12, 1971), known as Gene Vincent, was an American rock and roll musician who pioneered the style of rockabilly. His 1956 top ten hit with his backing band the Blue Caps, "Be-Bop-a-Lula", is ...

. In 1971

The Byrds The Byrds () were an American Rock music, rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1964. The band underwent multiple lineup changes throughout its existence, with frontman Roger McGuinn (known as Jim McGuinn until mid-1967) being the so ...

covered Rafkin’s song "Lazy Waters" on the album '' Farther Along''.So You Want to Be a Rock 'n' Roll Star: The Byrds Day-by-Day 1965-1973 by Christopher Hjort page 224 and 280 Around the same time Rafkin worked on NBC TV’s ''

BJ and the Bear ''B. J. and the Bear'' is an American action comedy television series which aired on NBC from February 10, 1979, to May 9, 1981. Created by Glen A. Larson and Christopher Crowe, the series starred Greg Evigan. The series was produced when th ...

''. His song "Ain’t Gonna Rain No More" was featured in the 1996 movie ''Spree''. In 1973 Rafkin played guitar on the

Tim Buckley Timothy Charles Buckley III (February 14, 1947 – June 29, 1975) was an American musician. He began his career based in folk rock, but subsequently experimented with genres such as psychedelia, jazz, the avant-garde, and funk paired with his ...

album '' Sefronia'' and on

Augie Meyers August "Augie" Meyers (born May 31, 1940) is an American musician, songwriter, studio musician, record producer, and record label owner. He is perhaps best known as a founding member of the Sir Douglas Quintet and the Texas Tornados. History ...

's ''Western Head Music Company'' on

Polydor Records Polydor Limited, also known as Polydor Records, is a British record label that operates as part of Universal Music Group. It has a close relationship with Universal's Interscope Geffen A&M Records label, which distributes Polydor's releases in ...

. By the mid-1970s Rafkin had enough of the pressures of the music industry and set up his own woodworking business. Rafkin moved again in 1991, this time to Florida, and started to release his own albums (see discography). In 1994 he won the Florida Guitar Finger Picking Championship. In both 1997 and 1999 Rafkin opened for

Willie Nelson Willie Hugh Nelson (born April 29, 1933) is an American singer, guitarist, songwriter, actor and activist. He was one of the main figures of the outlaw country subgenre that developed in the late 1960s as a reaction to the conservative restr ...

. In 2002 and 2003 he toured the UK with country artist Annie Sims - after which Rafkin came to the UK every year performing as a solo performer. While on tour in 2011 Rafkin met UK songwriters Malcolm Barnard and Chris Godden, the start of a strong friendship. Their country rock band, Rocky and the Natives, performed and released Rafkin’s "Lazy Waters" in 2012 and the same year Rafkin joined them on several tour dates. In 2013 Rafkin played on their ''Let’s Hear It For The Old Guys'' album. In May 2013 Rafkin died following a struggle with cancer.

Discography (Solo albums)

* 1998 ''Velvet Hand'', Lake Ridge records * 2001 ''Down This Road'', Lake Ridge records * 2001 ''Out of Jericho'', Lake Ridge records * 2001 ''The Circus Is in Town'', Lake Ridge records * 2001 ''Six String Christmas'', Lake Ridge records * 2003 ''One Man Band'', Lake Ridge records * 2006 ''Songs of Bob Rafkin'', Lake Ridge records * 2007 ''Eclectic Treehouse'', Lake Ridge records * 2011 ''Twenty Eleven,'' Lake Ridge records

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rafkin, Bob 1944 births 2013 deaths Singers from New York City American folk guitarists American session musicians American acoustic guitarists American male guitarists Guitarists from New York City 20th-century American guitarists 20th-century American male musicians American male singer-songwriters Singer-songwriters from New York (state)