Robby Vee 'The Prince of Twang'

Rockabilly artist Robby Vee speaks to Jason Barnard. Robby shares memories of his father Bobby, his influences and collaborations with rock legends, and how he breathes new life into classic sounds.

Your latest album, “Double Spin”, has received positive reviews. Can you tell us about the inspiration behind it and the significance of the tracks “Buzz,” “Monsoon Sunset,” and “Before Majesty”?

Thanks Jason and Strange Brew for the opportunity.

“Double Spin” has a few chapters to it. The common thread that runs through all 13 songs is my inspiration from roots music and a love of musical heritage. With this project, I was really focused on crafting each song separately as apposed to navigating the overall project. I wanted to make each song unique to itself.

“Buzz” is a fun song to play live…I open my shows with it. It has a celebratory kind of vibe, a rockin’ up beat feel. I like the message of it, “to take the high road.” I’t’s one of a few songs on the record where I turn up my guitar a bit and just play. I generally take a more focused approach to writing parts and strive for simplicity. One of the first artist I experienced as a kid was Bo Diddley, he stood out different then other artist because of how he would direct his show and songs with his guitar. Bo had a real guitar slinger persona. Buzz has a bit of that approach to it.

“Monsoon Sunset” is another song I put in the intro of my shows. It feels like a good song to introduce the “Double Spin LP” with. It has a late 60’s even 1970-72 California Country spirit to it, which happened kinda by accident. Sometimes live, I throw a verse of “Who Will Stop the Rain” by CCR in the middle of it like it could be a sequel, strange how that happens. Lyrically its about generational family disfunction and how we pass it down to our own kids…as much as we try not to!

“Before Majesty” (and Song of Songs) are probably the most eclectic songs on the record. The song is the biography of an artist in a way. The idea of never feeling like you fit in anywhere, so you always strive to create your own reality and path with your art. All four of these songs were co-written with long time family friend Andrew Hall who is a poet from Las Vegas. He’s a true artist and he inspired me to go outside of my box a bit and touch on some of these themes that originated with him in his very talented and creative mind.

You’ve been recognized by the American & Canadian Rockabilly Hall of Fames and, in 2022, you were inducted into the Iowa Rock n Roll Hall of Fame. How does it feel to receive these honors and what do they mean to you as an artist?

It means a lot to me to be recognized for my work. I feel incredibly lucky to be on this path as an artist. The honors remind me that their are people that are on this journey with me. People who watched me grow up in the music business from a young age and saw me put a path together for myself one project after another. That support I’ve felt is everything. Connie Valens (Richie Valens sister) presented me with my Iowa Hall of Fame honor which made that award mean even more to me.

Rockabilly is where it all started for me, it’s my home. The first time I saw an Eddie Cochran album cover as a kid, I knew that was it for me. Eddie was like my super hero growing up. He was Batman or Superman, so to be recognized by the Rockabilly Hall of Fame and especially to be recognized along side my father Bobby Vee as a second generational rocker is the highest compliment to me.

Your unique style of Rock-n-Roll has allowed you to share stages with legendary musicians like James Burton, Carl Perkins, Little Richard, and many others. Can you share some memorable experiences or lessons you’ve learned from performing with these icons of rock-n-roll?

Lessons learned? Little Richard…? “If your big toe don’t shoot up in your boot? You ain’t doing it right” (Ha!). I still have the note given to me on a napkin from James Burton after a show in Shreveport LA from the first time I met him, as well as a guitar pick Carl Perkins gave me as I walked off stage after a show to greet him saying “cat you sure can play!” It’s all still exciting for me. I learned a lot from Carl. One of my favorite lessons was him explaining the rock n roll “feel good” vibe to me. He would say, “how you feel on stage is how the audience is gonna feel. If you feel joy, they’ll feel joy.” Great conversations and learnings along those lines.

I fell in love with Rock n Roll standing on the back stages of Dick Clarks American Bandstand shows as a young kid, watching legendary artist night after night sing their hits and craft their shows. It felt like the school of rock n roll. I learned about music but I also about being an artist in the music business, “this is how you do it” kinda thing. A peak experience for me was to be asked by drummer/songwriter J.I. Allison of Buddy Holly’s Crickets to play at Royal Albert Hall with the Crickets to a sold out audience in London with him giving me the title of a “Honorary Cricket.” I grew up in a real rock n roll environment, it seems most of my big life advice came from legendary artist.

Probably the most important lesson I learned was how each artist had their own style and sound their own approach to their music, an identity, my Dad included. That made an impact on me to do music as honest as you can and risk being yourself. Put yourself out there with your best offering.

Many people refer to you as “The Prince of Twang.” What does this title mean to you, and how does it reflect your musical identity and style?

I’ve always had an appreciation for Twangy guitar instrumentals and included a medley of my favorite Twang songs in my shows over the years, from The Ventures to Dick Dale…Duane Eddie and many others. When I’d be working on a record with my father in the studio, he’d always say…”play it like Duane Eddie” who was a friend of his going back to the early days of their careers. I think Duane was his favorite guitar player.

It was around the time I put out a record titled “Viva La Twang,” which was also the title track written as a tip of the hat to Duane Eddie, “The Prince of Twang” thing started showing up around the promotion of that record and it just kinda stuck. I really didn’t have anything to do with it. I’m a huge fan of Duane Eddie the King of Twang. I think it was intended as a compliment to the King emphasizing my twangy big Gretsch guitar style and sound. I do have a funny story about that though. Years ago I got a letter from Duane’s wife. She was in so many words encouraging me to drop the ‘Twang’ thing because it was Duane’s legacy. I found the whole thing to be confusing because when I wrote “Viva La Twang”, it was done in the kindest of intensions to one of my heroes. Though at the time her letter felt hurtful, I kinda just let it go because it felt petty and at the end of the day I thought it was compliment that she even new anything about my career at all (Ha!).

“Double Spin” seems to showcase a blend of nostalgia and innovation. How do you approach songwriting and arranging to create music that appeals to both dedicated fans and a new generation of listeners? How do you balance preserving the past while pushing musical boundaries into the future?

I read a quote once: “To have a voice grounded in the past of roots while pointing to the future.” To honor my heritage and at the same time be evolving and creating forward would be the greatest accomplishment for me.

If I’m succeeding in doing this? It’s very much who I am and I don’t do it consciously. I’m so grounded in early rock n roll music its kinda in my bones. But I listen to everything. I love a great song! My father shared his love for music with me as a kid, it’s the foundation to my musical approach and learning. I seek out those roots sounds in new music and new artist with stylistic ties to the past. But ultimately, I just try to do my own thing, do what feels natural and create the most honest performance to me without putting much of a judgement on it.

I find it interesting when I talk to people who follow my music and create Vee Playlist, to hear what records they resonate with the most from my career. On “Double Spin” my hope is to put out something different then what I’ve already done but still stay true to my Vee style. To grow as an artist. My hope is that my audience wants to hear me try new things and take chances with my music. Thats the challenge, but also the fun part.

Your family has a rich musical heritage, with your father being Bobby Vee. How has your family background influenced your own music career, and what is the most valuable piece of advice you received from your father?

I grew up on my Father’s stages and in the recording studio. He would showcase me at a young age in his shows and on his records. Later I would end up opening his shows for him and playing guitar for him as well as backing the other legendary artist on the package shows over the years. So I got a lot of experience being on stage and learning the role. I was lucky he did that for me.

My dad was a “do what you like, like what you do and something good has gotta come through” kind of person. The best advice he ever gave me other then performance in general, which he was very helpful with, would be to know the business. He would say “there are two different businesses, the Record Business and the Entertainment Business.” Though they can overlap some, to know the difference in defining my own career. For me it was a huge learning watching him navigate his own career around this with integrity.

In your career, you’ve worked with a wide range of artists. Is there a particular collaboration that stands out as a career highlight for you, and what did you learn from working with these legendary musicians?

I’ve been fortunate to work with so many of the greats. The most meaningful would be The Crickets. They felt like family to me. I think they were the most important presences in my Dad’s musical journey. So there was something special about that, it’s hard to put into words. Producer Greg Landanyi who is known for producing Jackson Browne, Toto, Don Henley, Warren Zevon, work with the The Eagles to name a handful, really started my career by signing me to 3 consecutive contracts. He taught me how to make records and he gave me the opportunity to work with some great talent. He pushed me to create music that was focused around finding a great song. Another that comes to mind, probably the most meaningful relationship, is Wayne Carson. Wayne wrote “The Letter” for the Boxtops, “You Are Always on My Mind” for Willie Nelson and “Soul Deep” for BJ Thomas and many more hits. He signed me to his publishing company and we wrote albums worth of songs together. I lived at his house in Nashville cranking out songs. Every record I’ve recorded has co-writes by Wayne Carson including “Blue Moon Blues” from “Double Spin” that we wrote for Alzheimer’s Awareness.

Your live performances have taken you across the globe. Can you share some memorable moments or favorite venues that have left a lasting impression on you?

Theres many from a music festival on the Dakota plains of Perth ND to a 16th century chapel on the grounds of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s country estate. I always love playing Back to the 50’s Car Shows…and all points in between. A fun one that comes to mind, we were in England playing the London Palladium. The show was being recorded for Andrew Lloyd Webber’s personal archive and label. I was playing the song “The Whole Worlds Rockin” off my “Bop” record, every time I’d go to the front of the stage for a guitar solo, this guy would stand up in the audience and twirl his scarf in the air over his head. I finally got a look at him as the show went on and it was Ronnie Wood from the Rolling Stones sitting with Andrew. Later that night I met him at Andrew’s house which led to a all night recording session at Ronnie’s house.

Looking ahead, what’s in store for you – are there any upcoming projects we can look forward to?

Thanks again for supporting “Double Spin.”

At the moment I’m working on a new record featuring an old friend of mine named Beej Chaney. Beej was the singer and co-songwriter for a group called The Suburbs from Minneapolis Minnesota, they had success with a handful of songs and were known for their over the top blow the roof off the place performances. I became friends with Beej when I was 15. I did a warmup slot for his band. We became life long friends after that. He’s one of those guys that really took an interest in me as an artist and inspired me. So, we are finally all these years later getting around to recording a record together. It’s been very exciting for me. We’ve written a handful of really fun songs and much like “Double Spin”, this record will be something different then anything I’ve put out in the past.