Biography

Robert Earl Longley, also known as “Robby,” is a world-class level guitarist and symphonic composer from New Orleans whose original compositions are available on nine CDs. In addition, Robert composed two powerful soundtracks for films that screened at the Sundance Film Festival. In his concert material, Robert’s jaw-dropping finger style techniques on the flamenco guitar always deliver fresh, sophisticated Third Stream-like jazzy melodies within the musical structure of classically inspired movements rather than producing traditional flamenco music as the strumming techniques might suggest.

Besides using a wide variety of musical instruments, the guitar is present in all of Robert’s compositions. Perhaps his love of the acoustic guitar is a throwback from his Andalusian ancestry on his mother’s side. To be sure, “It’s almost as if he is not playing, but instead whatever he is feeling is coming out of the guitar,” as one audience member put it. Robert easily affirms this:

“As a child, I strummed the guitar unconsciously. As a young man, I endeavored to strum it consciously. Now, I strum the guitar as I did as a child---unconsciously. That is to say, the guitar plays itself through me.”

From childhood, Robert’s talent for music was fostered by his parents who exposed him to the inescapable influence of jazz and blues from nearby New Orleans along with the classical composers and such guitar artists as Carlos Montoya, Chet Atkins, Paco de Lucia and Julian Bream. As an adolescent, Robert found himself further inspired by the groundbreaking keyboard virtuosity of Keith Emerson who, ironically, claimed to have been inspired by the guitar work of Pete Townsend and Jimmy Hendrix. Having fused all of these influences into his own original finger style guitar sound, Robert then moved to Los Angeles where he entered eight local guitar competitions within a two-year period and took first place in all eight. This was all the impetus he needed to express himself as he does today, unencumbered by style or tradition.

In fact, Robert’s music defies the accepted genres of style because to him, the dogma of tradition is quite stifling. This music is not straight flamenco. Although it sounds Spanish, it is not that. It could have been lifted out of a classical film score, but it wasn’t. Its polyrhythmic improvisations are jazz-like, but it is not Straight- ahead Jazz. It wrenches your emotions like Blues, but it isn’t that either. When an audience is completely taken in by a piece of music, categorization suddenly becomes irrelevant. And Robert makes no excuses for it either when he says,

“There’s nothing legitimate about what I do. I know I am the bastard child of flamenco and classical guitar, and I prefer it that way.”

Robert Earl Longley, recording artist and guitar hero for aficionados, has great mainstream appeal at live performances. He is the singular artist who appears only once in each generation to bring a unique musical style to his era.

MP3 Music Samples

Robby Longley Photos

Robby Longley Videos

Four Horseman	Baraka Live	Dixie	Voodoo Dolls

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Robby has produced 8 CD's to date. There are 6 available for sale at CD Baby

ROBERT EARL LONGLEY: Sanctuary Haunting and lyrical flamenco guitar melodies punctuated with the sensual rhythms of Africa and the Middle East carries the listener to distant, exotic landscapes.

ROBERT EARL LONGLEY: Chasing the Dragon From India to Tibet, a musical journey of contemporary rhythm and melodies using a blend of traditional instruments of the region and modern orchestration to meditate or just unwind by.

ROBERT EARL LONGLEY: Yuletide An unusual treatment of the most cherished Christmas songs played hauntingly and sweetly on a flamenco guitar with additional full orchestra including exotic polyrhythmic beat that makes it appropriate for mood listening in all seasons.

ROBERT EARL LONGLEY: Guitar Noir The only studio-recorded solo CD of monster guitarist Robby Longley’s original compositions that know no borders in a style that has no name. This inspired album incorporates fiery flamenco techniques that uniquely produce a fearless weave of melodic j

ROBERT EARL LONGLEY: Theatre d'Orleans Sweetly romantic and melodic recordings of a very distinctive style of original compositions indeed. Robby weaves a beautifully orchestrated neo-classical/flamenco hybrid, inspired by the synthesis of many acoustic guitar styles: blues, jazz, classical,fl

ROBERT EARL LONGLEY: LIVE from Boulevard Music Drama unleashes original melodies composed for acoustic solo guitar within classical symphonic structure and executed using brilliant flamenco techniques by the guitarist known for playing with blazing ferocity performed live at Boulevard Music in Culver

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