Ireland’s legendary Blues and Soul singer, Rob Strong, may be in his seventies, but as the title of his biography suggests, Rob is still going strong! In 2020, the Derry native celebrated a remarkable 55 continuous years on the road in Ireland, from The Polka Dots in 1965 to fronting the iconic Plattermen in the Showband Era, fronting his own bands (Las Vegas, The Rockets and later The Rob Strong Band) and known as ‘The Godfather of Soul’ in Ireland.
The book not only follows the amazing musical journey of Rob Strong over six decades in Ireland, but in the words of Brush Shiels “also offers a unique insight into the Irish music scene from the Showband Era, to the beat scene in Dublin and the progress of Rock Music in Ireland.” The foreword is written by Barry Devlin from the legendary Horslips .
Rob recalls his fascinating life story, starting with the humblest of beginnings, in the tin huts of Springtown Camp, where he grew up in Derry, Northern Ireland. His peers in the music world describe Rob Strong as ‘world class’, ‘underrated’ and ‘The superstar Ireland never had’. Rob once turned down the opportunity of joining Deep Purple, one of the world’s biggest ever Rock bands. Author, Paul Holland, who is also Rob’s manager, interviews a host of Ireland’s best musicians- Colm Wilkinson, Johnny Logan, Phil Coulter, Don Baker, Barry Devlin, Brush Shiels, Frankie McBride and Mary Coughlan, amongst others, in an amazing insight into the music scene in Ireland, during the ‘60s, ‘70s and ‘80s. Rob’s son, Andrew Strong, gives an exclusive interview into the making of the smash hit movie ‘The Commitments, in which he starred in 1991 in a dedicated chapter on Andrew, the movie and the influence of his father.
The Rob Strong Biography also includes a 15 track album ‘Soul Affair’ and is available from www.robstrong.ie
