Rob Burns

The only child of George and Doris Burns, Robert Burns was born in Willesden, London. When he was four years old, the family moved to the new town of Hemel Hempstead, some 27 miles (43 km) north-west of central London, where he attended Blessed Cuthbert Mayne School, St. Albert the Great and Hemel Hempstead Grammar School (now Hemel Hempstead School).

In 1969 at age 16, Burns co-founded the band Lifeblud whose live performances included as support act for Wizz Jones, Uriah Heep, Heads Hands & Feet, Caravan (at the Marquee Club), Egg and Stray. They recorded three albums as acetates.

Burns began his career as a professional musician in Britain in September 1972, performing as a touring bass guitarist for visiting major American soul artists Sam and Dave, Isaac Hayes, The Stylistics and Edwin Starr. In 1973, Burns co-founded the band Gateway Driver with guitarist/songwriter Martin Springett and drummer Jim McGillivray (later of German band Epitaph), with whom he toured extensively, notably as support act for Soft Machine.{{cite web|url=http://epitaph-band.de/band/|title=Epitaph band members|accessdate=27 July 2017|publisher=Epitaph|year=2017}} Late in 1979, Burns became the original bassist with Cayenne, a jazz-rock and Afro-Cuban band formed by guitarist Robert Greenfield with musicians from the R&B and funk band Gonzalez.

Live performances and touring continued with jazz trumpeter Ian Carr (author of biographies of Miles Davis and Keith Jarrett) as a member of Carr's band, Nucleus, with Burns appearing on seven tracks on their Live at the BBC CD box-set,{{cite web|url=https://www.discogs.com/release/21444976-Nucleus-Live-At-The-BBC|title=Nucleus - Live At The BBC|accessdate=5 May 2022|publisher=discogs.com|year=2021}} and an appearance in 1981 with Morrissey-Mullen.{{cite web|url=http://musiciansolympus.blogspot.co.uk/2014/04/robburns-bass.html|title=Rob Burns (bass)|accessdate=29 June 2014|publisher=Musicians' Olympus|year=2014}} Burns also worked with Christian singer Garth Hewitt{{cite web|url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/i-never-knew-life-mw0000848262/credits|title=I Never Knew Life – Garth Hewitt|accessdate=17 July 2014|publisher=allmusic.com|year=2014}} and performed on two world tours as musical director for Eric Burdon of The Animals between 1982 and 1987, appearing on his 1985 That's Live album.{{cite web|url=http://www.ericburdonalbums.com/T37%20That's%20Live.htm|title=That's Live – Eric Burdon & Band|accessdate=22 September 2013|publisher=ericburdonalbums.com|year=2013}}

Between 1989 and 1996, he played the bass in the Dolphins{{cite web|url=http://www.nzmusician.co.nz/index.php/ps_pagename/article/pi_articleid/2719|title=Moments Like These: Rob Burns|accessdate=22 September 2013|publisher=NZ Musician|year=2012|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304201334/http://www.nzmusician.co.nz/index.php/ps_pagename/article/pi_articleid/2719|archivedate=4 March 2016|df=dmy-all}} with Robin Lumley of Brand X, Willie Wilson of Sutherland Brothers and Quiver, and Pink Floyd guitarist and vocalist David Gilmour, within whose ranks Clem Clempson and Mick Ralphs would come to jam in the band's fluid line-up. The Dolphins evolved into the Barracudas, retaining Burns and Clempson and adding Ronnie Leahy on keyboards, Barry Venn on vocals and Clempson's son Joel on drums. For concerts and other events, occasional additional members were guitarists Snowy White and Neil Hubbard, singer Chris Farlowe and saxophonist Dick Heckstall-Smith. Burns also performed live with James Burton, Frank Gambale and Albert Lee during this period.

Burns became a studio bass guitarist in the 1980s and recorded for Jon Lord and Ian Paice of Deep Purple for their Paice, Ashton and Lord project, Donna Summer, Atomic Rooster, Zoot Money's Big Roll Band and Vivian Stanshall of The Bonzo Dog Band (including the track "(There's) No Room To Rhumba In A Sports' Car" on the NME 1990 compilation album in aid of the Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapy charity).{{cite web|url=http://www.discogs.com/Various-The-Last-Temptation-Of-Elvis/release/966511|title=Vivian Stanshall & The Big Boys|accessdate=14 July 2015|publisher=Discogs.com|year=2015}} In 1980, Burns played on "Come Back Marianne" (Magic Moon records) by John Gregg along with Paul Carrack and Zoot Money on keyboards, Les Davidson on guitar and Jeff Allen on drums.{{cite web|url=https://www.discogs.com/master/2321572-John-Gregg-Come-Back-Marianne|title=John Gregg single|accessdate=24 November 2023|publisher=discogs.com|year=2023}} In 1981, Burns played on two singles on Chrysalis Records, "Love's Made a Fool of You" and "Boys In Love", as a member of Brian Copsey And The Commotions.{{cite web|url=https://www.discogs.com/artist/2429606-Brian-Copsey-And-The-Commotions|title=Brian Copsey And The Commotions|accessdate=30 July 2020|publisher=discogs.com|year=2020}} He appeared on Jerry Donahue's solo album Neck of the Wood,{{cite web|url=http://www.discogs.com/Jerry-Donahue-Neck-Of-The-Wood/release/2448521|title=Jerry Donahue: Neck Of The Wood|accessdate=22 September 2013|publisher=Discogs.com|year=2013}} David Wilcox's Bad Reputation and Arthur Louis' Back From Palookaville.{{cite web|url=http://www.discogs.com/Arthur-Louis-Back-From-Palookaville/release/2830719|title=Back From Palookaville|accessdate=30 September 2013|publisher=discogs.com|year=1998}} Burns also arranged songs for Chris Martin in his pre-Coldplay era of the mid-1990s.{{cite web|url=http://www.dunedinmusic.com/view_artist.php?artist_id=462|title=Dunedin Artists: Robert Burns|accessdate=22 September 2013|publisher=dunedinmusic.com Ltd.|year=2013}}

In 2001, Burns joined ex-David Bowie musician Robin Lumley in the formation of a band called SETI, including drummer Graeme Edge of the Moody Blues and Rod McGrath (former cellist in the WASO and LSO), being an attempt to integrate of the styles of Classical cello and a Rock band. Despite a prolonged period of inactivity, due in part to Burns's move to New Zealand, the SETI project is described as "ongoing".{{cite web|url= http://www.bowiedownunder.com/artistconnections/lumley.html|

title=Robin Lumley|accessdate=9 May 2017|publisher=bowiedownunder.com Ltd.|year=2017}} In 2011, Burns traveled to Toronto to play on Canadian artist/musician Martin Springett's album, Diving Into Small Pools.{{cite web|url=http://martinspringett.bandcamp.com/album/diving-into-small-pools-part-2|title=Martin Springett: Diving Into Small Pools|accessdate=27 February 2015|publisher=bandcamp.com|year=2013}}

During 2019–20, the tracks Waxing of the Moon, Bridge and So Be It, recorded during 1970–71 by Lifeblud, for whom Burns played bass, appeared respectively on three CD box set compilations: Strangers In The Room: A Journey Through The British Folk Rock Scene 1967-73,{{cite web|url=https://www.cherryred.co.uk/product/strangers-in-the-room-a-journey-through-the-british-folk-rock-scene-1967-73-various-artists-3cd-clamshell-box-set/|title=Strangers In The Room|accessdate=23 January 2019|publisher=Cherry Red Records|year=2019}} New Moon’s In The Sky: The British Progressive Pop Sounds Of 1970,{{cite web|url=https://www.cherryred.co.uk/product/new-moons-in-the-sky-the-british-progressive-pop-sounds-of-1970-various-artists-3cd-boxset/|title=New Moon's In The Sky|accessdate=2 June 2019|publisher=Cherry Red Records|year=2019}} and Peephole In My Brain – The British Progressive Pop Sounds Of 1971,{{cite web|url=https://www.cherryred.co.uk/product/peephole-in-my-brain-the-british-progressive-pop-sounds-of-1971-various-artists-3cd/|title=Peephole In My Brain|accessdate=13 June 2020|publisher=Cherry Red Records|year=2020}} all on Cherry Red Records' imprint Grapefruit Records. In 2020-21 Seelie Court Records issued the complete Lifeblud 1970 acetate on vinyl and CD as Esse Quam Videri,{{cite web|url=https://www.discogs.com/Lifeblud-Esse-Quam-Videri/release/16065666|title=Esse Quam Videri|accessdate=26 December 2020|publisher=Discogs.com|year=2020}} from tapes recorded at Gooseberry Sound Studios as Be Thou My Very Armour {{cite web|url=https://www.discogs.com/release/20524681-Lifeblud-Be-Thou-My-Very-Armour|title=Be Thou My Very Armour|accessdate=27 October 2021|publisher=Discogs.com|year=2020}} and, from an archive cassette, Live At Bowes Lyon House 1971.{{cite web|url=https://www.discogs.com/release/21478249-Lifeblud-Live-At-Bowes-Lyon-House-1971|title=Live at Bowes Lyon House 1971|accessdate=19 February 2022|publisher=Discogs.com|year=2021}} A new Lifeblud album, Find Your Wings, combining unreleased archive recordings and recent sessions with Burns and guest musicians, is due in 2025.

Burns has played on several major television and film soundtracks including Not the Nine O'Clock News, Three of a Kind, The Lenny Henry Show, Alas Smith and Jones, Red Dwarf,{{cite web|url=http://www.howardgoodall.co.uk/works/tv-and-film/red-dwarf|title=Red Dwarf: List of Musicians|accessdate=25 January 2014|publisher=Howard Goodall|year=2014}} Blackadder, Mr. Bean, A Perfect Spy, 2.4 Children and French & Saunders.{{cite web|url=https://www.odt.co.nz/entertainment/music/burns-ace-bass?fbclid=IwAR0DqZo1pgcRm58CdVWfiLdRdGU33F_UOkEcQa_shlxUhqldGeg7XicIlcw|title=Burns the Ace of Bass|accessdate=22 September 2020|publisher=Allied Press Limited|year=2009}} During this time, Burns became a mainstay of composer Howard Goodall's "TV" Band. During episode 3 of series 4 of Not The Nine O'Clock News TV program in 1982, Burns appears on-screen playing bass, made up as an elderly Victorian train worker in a sketch about the Roland Davies train strike protest.{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S6uWsTMPvUs|title=Not The Nine O'Clock News|accessdate=16 March 2024|via=YouTube|year=1982}}

In 1987, he formed Robert Burns Music and composed film and advertising music for MTV, DeBeers Diamonds, The Sunday Times, Coca-Cola, McDonald's, IBM, P&O Cruises, and British Aerospace.

In 1979, Burns was invited to perform in the West End production of the rock opera Tommy, by its composer Pete Townshend of the Who, and in 1984 joined the Abbacadabra musical, working with Elaine Paige for Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson of ABBA and Sir Tim Rice.

Following on from his work on British TV comedy shows, Burns played bass in subsequent theatre productions, namely the "Rowan Atkinson in Revue" tour (1981), which won an Olivier Award, and "Not in Front of the Audience" with the Not the Nine O'Clock News cast in London (1982). Around this time, Burns played, along with drummer Jeff Allen, in support of comedian Spike Milligan, Lynsey de Paul, and Gerard Kenny at a charity event at the Commonwealth Institute in London.

From 1992, Burns was departmental head at the Guitar Institute in Acton (assisted by Dave Kilminster, Shaun Baxter, Terry Gregory and Iain Scott), BassTech, and Drumtech, the contemporary music departments of the London College of Music. He led the design team that developed a one-year foundation programme in popular music followed by the first popular music performance degree, validated by Thames Valley University (now University of West London) in 1999.

Burns taught as a visiting lecturer at Brunel University, Leeds College of Music, Guildhall School of Music and Drama and The Royal Academy of Music. He was principal examiner for grade exams in bass guitar for Rockschool/Trinity College of Music from 1992 to 1998. He gained a B.A.(Hons) at Brunel (1996) and became a Fellow of the London College of Music in 1997 and a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy in 2006. He is a member of the [http://www.iaspm.net/ International Association for the Study of Popular Music].

From 2001 until 2018,{{cite web|url=https://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/music-professor-will-miss-milieu-maintain-theme|title=Music Professor will miss the milieu|accessdate=22 December 2018|publisher=Allied Press Limited|year=2018}} Burns lectured in music at the University of Otago where he earned his PhD and attained the position of associate professor in music, specialising in popular music performance, arranging, composition, music industry studies and cultural studies. His interests included progressive rock music, jazz, research into the globalisation of traditional English folk music, and jazz fusion bass guitar performance. Burns has authored numerous publications in these subjects.{{cite web|url=https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=GnDhRpMAAAAJ|title=Robert G. H. Burns|accessdate=29 May 2024|publisher=Google Scholar|year=2024}}

Burns's authored works include:

• "Rama and the Worm: A Performance–Based Approach to Applied Ethnomusicology" in Dialogues in Applied Ethnomusicology: Practices, Policies and Challenges, Burns, Robert. G. H., Bendrups, D., Johnson, H. (2021, Beijing: Central Conservatory of Music Press){{cite web|url=https://www.academia.edu/73771470|title=Rama and the Worm: A Performance–Based Approach to Applied Ethnomusicology|accessdate=7 May 2022|publisher=Academia|year=2021}}
• "Experiencing Progressive Rock – A Listener’s Companion" {{ISBN|978-1-4422-6602-5}} (June 2018, Rowman & Littlefield),{{cite book|url=https://rowman.com/ISBN/9781442266025|title=Experiencing Progressive Rock - A Listener's Companion.|accessdate=14 December 2017|publisher=Rowman & Littlefield|year=2018}}{{cite web|url=https://www.radionz.co.nz/audio/player?audio_id=2018660053|title=What is Progressive Rock? with Jesse Mulligan|accessdate=28 August 2018|publisher=Radio New Zealand|year=2018}}{{cite web|url=https://www.odt.co.nz/entertainment/books/burns-relates-experience-progressive-rock-inside|title=Burns relates experience of progressive rock from inside|accessdate=1 October 2018|publisher=Otago Daily Times|year=2018}}
• "Transforming folk: Innovation and tradition in English folk-rock music" {{ISBN|978-0-7190-8533-8}} (2011, Manchester University Press),{{cite web|url=http://www.manchesteruniversitypress.co.uk/cgi-bin/indexer?product=9780719085338|title=Transforming folk: Innovation and tradition in English folk-rock music.|accessdate=22 September 2013|publisher=Manchester University Press|year=2012}}{{cite web|url=http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/accessallareas/audio/2529877/access-all-areas-dr-robert-burns-transforming-folk|title=Access All Areas: Dr Robert Burns – Transforming Folk|accessdate=22 September 2013|publisher=dunedinmusic.com Ltd.|year=2012}}{{cite journal|title=Steven Knopoff review|year=2014|doi=10.1080/08145857.2014.911064|volume=36|journal=Musicology Australia|pages=151–153|last1=Weston|first1=Donna|s2cid=193186100}}{{cite web|url=http://www.efdss.org/efdss-join-us/folk-music-journal/contents|title= Review by Britta Sweers (University of Bern, Switzerland )|accessdate=21 November 2014|publisher=EFDSS, Folk Music Journal, Vol. 10 No. 5 pp.657-8|year=2015}}
• "British Folk Songs of the Great War - Then and Now" in The Journal of Military History (Centennial Edition), Volume 79, No. 4 - October 2015, pp. 1059-77 (2015, Society for Military History),{{cite web|url=http://www.smh-hq.org/jmh/jmhvols/794.html|title=British Folk Songs of the Great War - Then and Now|accessdate=23 October 2015|publisher=Society for Military History|year=2015}}
• "Liebe ist für alle da: A Visual Analysis of Rammstein’s 2009 Album Artwork" Chapter in Rammstein on Fire: New Perspectives on the Music and Performances edited by John T. Littlejohn and Michael T. Putnam {{ISBN|978-0-7864-7463-9}} (2013, McFarland),{{cite web|url=http://www.mcfarlandpub.com/book-2.php?id=978-0-7864-7463-9|title=Rammstein on Fire|accessdate=20 October 2013|publisher=McFarland & Company|year=2013}}
• "Depicting The Merrie: Historical Imagery in English Folk–Rock" in Music and Art: The International Journal of Music Iconography, Volume 35, Spring–Fall 2010,{{cite web|url=http://rcmi.gc.cuny.edu/?s=Depicting+The+Merrie|title=Music and Art: The International Journal of Music Iconography''|accessdate=22 September 2013|publisher=Research Centre for Music Iconography|year=2010}}
• "German symbolism in rock music: national signification in the imagery and songs of Rammstein" (2008, Popular Music, Cambridge University Press),{{cite journal|url=http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract?fromPage=online&aid=2604708&fulltextType=RA&fileId=S0261143008102239|title=German symbolism in rock music: national signification in the imagery and songs of Rammstein|journal=Popular Music|volume=27|issue=3|pages=457–472|accessdate=22 September 2013|year=2013|doi=10.1017/S0261143008102239|last1=Burns|first1=Robert G.H.|s2cid=162255714}} and
• "British Folk Songs in Popular Music Settings" in Folksong: Tradition, Revival and Re-creation ed. Ian Russell and David Atkinson, (2004, English Folk Dance and Song Society and the University of Aberdeen).{{cite web|url=http://www.abdn.ac.uk/elphinstone/publications/folk-song.shtml|title=Folksong: Tradition, Revival and Re-creation|accessdate=22 September 2013|publisher=Elphinstone Institute|year=2005|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130910075204/https://www.abdn.ac.uk/elphinstone/publications/folk-song.shtml|archivedate=10 September 2013|df=dmy-all}}

Burns was nominated for a Teaching Excellence Award in the 2018 OUSA Teaching Awards, via feedback from the students of the University of Otago.

Burns' recollections were extensively quoted in the 2024 Zoot Money biography "It Should Have Been Me" by Bruce Cherry (AMZ Marketing Hub, {{ISBN|978-1917124607}}).

Some of Burns's former students play for bands and artists such as Basement Jaxx, KT Tunstall, Chaka Khan, Moby and Radiohead.

Burns has recently performed and recorded with jazz fusion sextet, Subject2change NZ,{{cite web|url=http://fandalism.com/bassbrain/o2d|title=subject2change|accessdate=22 September 2013|publisher=Pud|year=2013}} The Verlaines,{{cite web|url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/untimely-meditations-mw0002313432/credits|title=Review of Verlaines: Untimely Meditations|accessdate=30 September 2013|publisher=all music.com|year=2013}} country songwriter John Egenes, and the Oxo Cubans.{{cite web|url=http://www.oxocubans.co.nz/pagex.asp?bioid=20389|title=Robert Burns|accessdate=22 September 2013|publisher=Oxo Cubans|year=2013}}

Burns plays 4, 5, and 6-string bass, and has long been a proponent of Wal basses.{{cite web|url=http://walbasshistory.blogspot.co.nz/2013/07/wal-players-discuss-their-basses-rob.html|title=Wal players discuss their basses

|accessdate=22 September 2013|publisher=Trevor Raggatt|year=2012}}{{cite news|url=http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10857072|title=Rare bass worked a treat for session musician's overseas career|accessdate=22 September 2013|publisher=APN Holdings NZ Limited|date=3 January 2013}} He first began holding Musicians' Union clinics during his session career (replacing Colin Hodgkinson) to showcase the Wal basses (originated by electronics specialist Ian Waller and luthier Pete Stevens) and Trace Elliot amplification, leading to a long-standing relationship with Mark Gooday and Ashdown Amplification.{{cite web|url=http://ashdownmusic.com/artists/252/Robert-Burns/|title=Ashdown Bass Legends|accessdate=8 November 2016|publisher=Ashdown Engineering|year=2016}} Burns also included Dave Kilminster as a featured guitarist in these clinics.

Burns has been endorsed by Picato Musicians' Strings, Electric Wood Basses (Wal) and J Retro preamps.{{cite web|url=http://www.east-uk.com/ |title=East UK website – Reviews|accessdate=22 September 2013|publisher=John East|year=2013}}

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Category:1953 births

Category:Living people

Category:English emigrants to New Zealand

Category:English bass guitarists

Category:British male bass guitarists

Category:Nucleus (band) members

Category:People from Hemel Hempstead

Category:Musicians from Hertfordshire

Category:English jazz guitarists

Category:English male guitarists

Category:English country guitarists

Category:British male jazz musicians

Category:Morrissey–Mullen members

Category:New Zealand bass guitarists