Rob Barraco

Rob Barraco is a keyboardist who has played with Phil Lesh and Friends, The Dead, Dark Star Orchestra, Chris Robinson & New Earth Mud, Zen Tricksters, and Red Flannel Hash. He was the permanent keyboardist for Phil Lesh and Friends from 2000 to 2003 and has been in the band's line-up at other times. He also played keyboards (alongside Jeff Chimenti) when ex-members of The Grateful Dead reformed as The Other Ones (in 2002), and then as The Dead (in 2003).

Rob has played music on both keyboard and guitar since the age of 6 and has been a professional musician all his adult life. For over ten years in the 80's and early 90's he was keyboardist for the hit tv show "The Cosby Show" and its spin off "It's A Different World." Rob toured with R&B sensation Freddie Jackson in the late 80's before joining The Zen Tricksters. Rob spent eleven years touring and recording with The Tricksters turning out two studio albums and playing live shows across the US and Canada. It was their second album, A Love Surreal, that caught Grateful Dead bassist Phil Lesh's ear. Phil summoned Rob and Trickster guitarist Jeff Mattson to play a series of shows in San Francisco and then on to tour the country double billing with Bob Dylan. That band included drummer extraordinaire John Molo, boy wiz Derrek Trucks, and the ubiquitous Warren Haynes. The following year one of the great jam bands of all time was formed with Phil, Rob, John, Warren and the guitar giant Jimmy Herring. This band would forever be known as The Q (short for The Phil Lesh Quintet). They went on to tour the country for three years and put out one studio album, There and Back Again. From 1999 through the present, Rob has been part of Phil Lesh and Friends. In 2002, he joined with the original members of the Grateful Dead for the Alpine Valley reunion shows and then toured with them in 2002 and 2003. In 2004, he joined Chris Robinson's New Earth Mud. In 2005, he toured with Dark Star Orchestra after the tragic death of keyboardist Scott Larned and is still playing with them at the present time. During Rob's time in Dead world he became friends with Grateful Dead lyricist Robert Hunter. They collaborated on 7 songs that would become Rob's first solo release, "When We All Come Home". It will be available for sale at [http://www.robbarraco.com/ robbarraco.com] on or about September 1, 2007 or at any DSO show.

Discography

The Zen Tricksters

*"The Holy Fool", 1997
*"A Love Surreal", 1999

Phil Lesh and Friends

*"There And Back Again", 2002
*"Live at the Warfield", 2006
*"Instant Live Summer Tour", 2006

The Dead

*"Summer Getaway", 2003

Gov't Mule

*"The Deep End, Vol. 2", 2002

Rob Barraco

*"When We All Come Home", 2007

External links

Band Links

* [http://www.robbarraco.com Rob Barraco]
* [http://www.phillesh.net Phil Lesh and Friends]
* [http://www.dead.net The Dead]
* [http://www.zentricksters.com The Zen Tricksters]
* [http://www.mule.net Gov't Mule]

References

* [http://www.robbarraco.com http://www.robbarraco.com]

* [http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=139390052 http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=139390052]