Hargus Robbins: A Pianist Who Changed Country Music
Hargus Robbins was a pianist who changed the sound of country music. He was born in Nashville, Tennessee and was a self-taught musician. Robbins became a session musician in the 1950s and played on recordings by Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, and other artists. He also played on the television show, Hee Haw.
Hargus Robbins
Hargus Robbins was a well-known and respected pianist who made a significant impact on country music. He was born in 1922 in Oklahoma and began playing the piano at a young age. Robbins became a sought-after session musician in Nashville in the 1950s, and he played on a number of well-known recordings, including some by Elvis Presley. He also worked as a producer and songwriter, and he helped to shape the sound of country music in the 1960s and 1970s.
Who is Hargus Robbins?
Hargus Robbins is a legendary country music pianist who has played with some of the biggest names in the business. He has been inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame, and his work has been praised by critics and fans alike.
Robbins was born in Arkansas in 1925, and he began playing the piano at a young age. He soon developed a love for country music, and he eventually moved to Nashville to pursue a career in the industry.
Robbins quickly made a name for himself as one of the best pianists in Nashville. He played on records by Loretta Lynn, George Jones, Merle Haggard, and many other country music legends. He also worked as a session musician on hundreds of recordings.
In addition to his work as a musician, Robbins was also an accomplished songwriter. He wrote songs for Elvis Presley, Willie Nelson, and Dolly Parton, among others.
Robbins continued to play and write until his death in 2002. He left behind a legacy of great music that continues to influence country artists today.
What did Robbins do for country music?
In the late 1950s, Hargus Robbins became one of the most in-demand session musicians in Nashville. He played on records by artists as diverse as Patsy Cline, Roy Orbison, and the Everly Brothers. But Robbins is best remembered for his work with country music legend Hank Williams.
Robbins was born in 1932 in Itawamba County, Mississippi. His father was a sharecropper and his mother was a schoolteacher. When he was a child, Robbins began playing the piano and singing in church. He later learned to play the guitar and bass guitar.
In 1955, Robbins moved to Nashville to pursue a career in music. He quickly became one of the city’s most sought-after session musicians. Robbins played on hits like “Crazy” by Patsy Cline, “Oh, Pretty Woman” by Roy Orbison, and “Bye Bye Love” by the Everly Brothers. He also played on several of Hank Williams’ classic recordings, including “Your Cheatin’ Heart” and “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry”.
Robbins’ work had a profound impact on country music. His inventive piano playing helped to shape the sound of Nashville’s famous “Bakersfield sound.” And his work with Hank Williams helped to expand the boundaries of country music and Influence future generations of artists.
The Pianist
Hargus Robbins was born in 1923 in West Virginia. He was a classically trained pianist who started playing the piano when he was just six years old. When he was eighteen, he joined the U.S. Army and was sent to France during World War II. It was there that he discovered country music.
What was Robbins’ experience as a pianist?
Robbins began playing the piano at age six. When he was 10, his family moved to Knoxville, Tennessee. Robbins took up the fiddle after hearing Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs perform. He made his first recordings in 1953 with Bill Carlisle, a Cumberland Mountain singer. Robbins did not particularly enjoy his work as a session musician and longed to be a songwriter and recording artist in his own right. In 1955, he moved to Nashville and found work as a staff musician at Columbia Records. He soon became one of the most in-demand session musicians in country music, playing on records by Carl Perkins, Eddy Arnold, Willie Nelson, Porter Wagoner, and Patsy Cline, among others.
What did Robbins think of the piano?
Robbins was born in Kansas City, Missouri, and studied classical piano from an early age. His father, Hargus Melvin Robbins, was an amateur country musician and singer-songwriter who played in local honky-tonks. When Hargus was nine years old, his father gave him a piano as a Christmas present, and he began to learn how to play country music. It was not long before Robbins began to develop his own style of playing, which combined elements of both classical and country music.
Robbins disliked the piano at first, but he eventually came to love it and became quite skilled at playing it. He often said that the piano was his favorite instrument because it allowed him to express himself in ways that other instruments did not. Robbins’ unique style of playing helped to create a new genre of music known as “countrypolitan.” This type of music blended together aspects of both country and pop music, and it became very popular in the 1970s. Robbins’ work as a pianist and producer helped to make countrypolitan one of the most successful musical genres of all time.
What did other people think of Robbins’ playing?
Robbins was widely respected by his peers for his musicianship. In the late 1950s and early 1960s, he was a member of the “A-Team” of session musicians in Nashville, along with Chet Atkins, Hank Garland, Harold Bradley, Grady Martin, and Bob Moore. Together, they performed on numerous recordings by artists such as Patsy Cline, Jim Reeves, Bill Monroe, and Eddy Arnold. Robbins’ skills as a pianist and as a bandleader were also in demand in the recording studios; he led sessions for Elvis Presley, Perry Como, Connie Francis, and many others.
The Music
Hargus Robbins was a famous pianist who changed the face of country music. He was born in Kentucky and started playing the piano at a young age. When he was just eighteen, he moved to Nashville and began playing with some of the biggest names in country music. He quickly became one of the most in-demand session players in Nashville.
What kind of music did Robbins play?
Robbins was a classically trained pianist who played a wide variety of music. He was equally at home playing country, blues, jazz, and pop music. In addition to his work as a session musician, he also recorded several solo albums and wrote several instructional books on piano playing.
What did Robbins think of country music?
In the beginning, Robbins thought of country music as “hick music” and was not interested in it. He later changed his mind after he heard some of the early recordings of the Carter Family and Jimmie Rodgers. He realized that there was a lot of soul in country music and that it could be beautiful.
What did other people think of Robbins’ music?
During the 1950s and 1960s, Hargus Robbins was one of the most influential musicians in country music. His work can be heard on recordings by artists such as Hank Williams, Waylon Jennings, and Willie Nelson. But what did other people think of Robbins’ music?
In a 1963 article for The Tennessean, country music historian Bill C. Malone praised Robbins’ “mellifluous playing” and said that he was “unquestionably one of the finest piano players in country music.” Malone also described Robbins as a “pioneer” who had helped to change the sound of country music.
In a 1966 profile of Robbins in Billboard magazine, writer Dave McBride said that the pianist was “regarded by many as Nashville’s top session man.” McBride quoted MusicRow magazine editor Walter Carter, who said that Robbins was “the best damn piano player in Nashville.”
It is clear from these remarks that Hargus Robbins was highly respected by his peers for his musical ability. His skill as a pianist helped to shape the sound of country music during a critical period in its history.
The Legacy
Hargus Robbins was a man who changed the course of country music, and his legacy still endures today. A humble man from a small town in Tennessee, Hargus didn’t let his lack of formal training stop him from becoming one of the most celebrated and respected musicians of his time. Though he is no longer with us, his impact on the world of country music is still felt today.
What is Robbins’ legacy?
Robbins is widely considered one of the most influential and important figures in country music history. He was a master of many different styles of country music, and his innovations had a profound impact on the sound and direction of the genre. He was one of the first country musicians to successfully cross over into the pop charts, and his work with artists like Patsy Cline, Merle Haggard, and George Jones helped to define the countrypolitan sound that would come to dominate country music in the 1960s and 1970s. Robbins was also a gifted songwriter, and his compositions like “A White Sport Coat (And A Pink Carnation)” and “El Paso” have become enduring classics. Even after his death, Robbins’ legacy continues to loom large in country music; his influence can be heard in the work of artists like Keith Urban, Dierks Bentley, and Brad Paisley.
What did Robbins do for country music?
Hargus “Pig” Robbins is one of the most influential and prolific musicians in country music history. He is a member of the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, the Country Music Hall of Fame, and has won three Grammy Awards. As a session musician, he has played on over 5,000 recordings, including 37 number one hits. He has played on recordings by Elvis Presley, Dolly Parton, Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash, Merle Haggard, George Jones, Paul McCartney, and countless others. He has also been a member of The Nashville A-Team, a group of elite session musicians who have played on some of the most important recordings in country music history.
Robbins was born in Spring City, Tennessee in 1944. He began playing piano at a young age and was soon performing with his family’s band at local dances and barbecues. He later recalled that he “never wanted to do anything else” but play music. Robbins moved to Nashville in 1957 to pursue a career in music.
He quickly established himself as one of the most sought-after session musicians in town. In addition to playing piano, he also played organ and celeste on many recordings. His style was influenced by gospel music and he became known for his “rolling” piano sound. Robbins became an expert at creating interesting and catchy piano parts that fit within the structure of a song without drawing attention to himself. His goal was always to serve the song and the singer, not to show off his own talents.
Robbins’ work can be heard on some of country music’s most iconic recordings, including Hank Williams Jr.’s “A Country Boy Can Survive,” Kris Kristofferson’s “Me and Bobby McGee,” Willie Nelson’s “On the Road Again,” Dolly Parton’s “I Will Always Love You,” andJohnny Cash’s “Ring of Fire.” In addition to his work as a sideman, Robbins also released several solo albums and produced records for other artists.
Robbins’ contribution to country music cannot be overstated. He is one of the most influential musicians in the genre and his work can be heard on some of the most important recordings in country music history.
What did Robbins do for the piano?
Though he played a number of instruments, Hargus “Pig” Robbins is best known for his work on the piano. He became one of the most in-demand session musicians in Nashville during the 1960s and 1970s, playing on recordings by some of the biggest names in country music. His work helped define the “Nashville Sound,” a style that blended country music with pop and other genres.
Robbins was born in 1932 in Spring City, Tennessee. He began playing piano at a young age and was soon performing in local clubs and radio stations. After serving in the U.S. Army, he moved to Nashville in 1957 and quickly found work as a session musician. He played on recordings by artists such as Loretta Lynn, Dolly Parton, Merle Haggard, and Willie Nelson.
In addition to his work as a session musician, Robbins also released several solo albums and toured with his own band. He was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2015.
