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Rob Garland

Genres: Blues, Funk, Jazz, Rock, Singer/Songwriter

Bio

Growing up in England Rob Garland worked in a diverse array of bands, performed on the London college circuit and later played hundreds of gigs at numerous festivals (The Big Muddy Blues Festival, Blues In The District, Washington Blues, etc). and at clubs around the U.S. with his group, Rob Garland & The Blue Monks, opening for artists such as B.B. King, Chuck Berry and Booker T. The band attained airplay on international radio and T.V. stations.

Rob graduated from Christ Church College in the U.K. with a Bachelor’s degree in Music/Radio Film & Television. After moving to the U.S. he studied with jazz great Jimmy Bruno. 

Since being featured in guitar magazines, (Guitarist, Guitar One, Premier Guitar, etc), Rob’s first instructional book was published by Cherry Lane in 2007 which led to him working for TrueFire where he runs an artist channel (Babylon), writes articles for RIFF Journal, hosts live YouTube sessions and creates instructional courses, such as his best selling Chord Navigator series, which he will be releasing a new edition of in 2020.

Rob has been a guitar teacher for over 25 years and is proud to be part of the faculty at Musicians Institute, in Hollywood, CA. He also teaches private lessons from his home and via Skype. 

He currently plays shows with jazz/funk band Catatonic and his fusion power trio Rob Garland's Eclectic Trio at venues such as The Baked Potato, Vitello's, Alva's Showroom and The Mint. He has performed sessions at Los Angeles studios such as Revolver and The Village Recorder and co-writen music for Bad Robot.

Rob continues to write, record and release his original music ranging in genre from jazz/rock instrumental to acoustic vocal folk, which can be streamed on Spotify or downloaded on CDBaby as well as numerous other digital platforms. He will be releasing new music, early 2020.

In September 2018 Rob was honored to perform and jam with legendary guitarist Steve Vai at the Big Mama Jama Jamathon in Hollywood, CA.

Musicians Rob has worked with include Jimmy Haslip (The Yellowjackets), Andy Sanesi (Scott Henderson), Tony Newton (Gary Moore), Mick Stevens (Brand X) and Gus Thornton (Albert King). 

Endorsements include Bogner amplification, Xotic guitars, Curt Mangan strings, Chicken Picks and Moody Leather Straps.

​Rob is influenced by "everyone from Joni Mitchell to Frank Zappa."

Career Highlights

  • Playing numerous festivals across the U.S.
  • Joining the faculty at Musician's Institute (G.I.T.)
  • Performing at The Baked Potato
  • Jamming onstage with Steve Vai
  • Releasing instructional courses and books