Bobby Stanton.

You may have heard him featured on Garrison Keillor’s “A Prairie Home Companion” or playing in one of several Broadway musicals.  You may have also caught his magical fingers strumming with the likes of Mark O’Connor, James Taylor, Richie Havens, Noel Redding, Bo Diddley, Susan Tedeschi, Maureen McGovern, Donny Osmond, The Platters, Fabian, Charlie Daniels, only to name a few.

In his spare time (what spare time could he possible have?) he shares his talent and technique as a teacher of guitar at Berklee College of Music in Boston where he was awarded the first ever “Ovation” Award.

Watchfire Music Artist, Bobby Stanton begins his second Inspirational CD bring his special musical mind and deft guitar playing abilities to a number of world famous hymns.  Due to be released late spring, this album of beloved hymns promises to be a terrific seller for WFM if it’s anything like his first, Shepherd which is one of WFM’s biggest selling CDs of all time.

Not too long ago, Bobby and I met and talked about his next CD, his passion for music and his love of all things Inspirational.  The following is excerpts of that discussion.

Peter: Why have you chosen music as your instrument of communication?

Bobby: I’m not entirely sure I chose music. I think that because of my genetic predisposition, and the environment I grew up in, that aspect of me was shaped. I never remember a time that I wasn’t interested in music. My earliest recollections are of my mother playing the piano, and I was always listening to everything on the radio, and I remember being very moved emotionally by music at a very young age. I think music chose me; most likely it’s God’s plan for me, because He’s never recommended anything else.

What central idea is most important to you in your communication with your audience?

Truly I just want to play at the level that I am moved and controlled by the music. I want God to shine His big flashlight through me so to speak. The kick we get from listening to music is feeling our consciousness being raised very rapidly. I believe that the music is a reflection of the person performing, and the performer (no matter what the medium), ideally is experiencing some aspect of life, in a higher plane of existence. When we are exposed to this phenomenon we sympathetically vibrate and vicariously experience this higher plane. I feel that intimacy and a rapport with the audience is essential too, so that they can comfortably be part of the process.

Give us your own truly original definition of God.

“God is Love, he that abides in Love abides in God, and God abides in Him”. “All you need is Love, Love is all you need” If I could describe God, I would probably be omnipresent in the universe and not writing this interview. I think that no one in our world can describe God any more than my cat can describe electricity. However just because she can’t describe how a light bulb works, she knows better than to stick her tongue on one (now).

She clearly knows of the presence of a higher power, and truly believes without hesitation in this presence. My truly original definition of God probably isn’t as good as my cat’s definition of electricity, but if forced to put pen to paper I would say God is the intelligent all-loving being that we are ever evolving toward.

What is your musical objective in this endeavor?

If you are talking about my new album, I want to continue on with my development of the basic spiritual themes, and maybe take them to a new level musically. I think that sometimes there is a place for the kind of pretty postcard treatment of music, for people to listen to as background music, and then there is a time to expand on familiar music. My objective is to bring everything I can to bear on the new album and use my musical abilities to move the listener as much as possible.

What song that you’ve written most clearly defines who you are?

I have not used any original music on the album thus far. You can see who I am a little bit in the arrangements, but I don’t really think that’s what you mean.

Who are your mentors and why?

I have many mentors (including you Mistah Link) so I’ll just mention a few. Of course my parents first and foremost. But then my high school teachers, who encouraged me to ignore everyone, and to do what was in my heart. I studied music with several great musicians. One of the most profound was a man named John LaPorta, one of the great musical minds of our time. Among many other things he taught me to love life with everything you have every day, and never stop learning new things. I studied with a man named Lenny Breau and with Charlie Banacos and they taught me that the musical well we draw on is infinitely deep. My mentors are also books, from the Bible to Ray Kurzweil.

What makes you choose the grooves, harmonies, styles and melodies of your songs? Describe the process.

Who knows? Good grief where does any of that stuff come from? I just try chords, grooves, and melodies until they sound cool. I guess I have all the information of all the songs my brain has ever recorded. I have listened pretty extensively (since I was a little pre-natal rascal), and I was drawn toward the music that moved me. I guess I, on some level, try to emulate that music in my own endeavors.

For more inspirational music, thoughts and ideas from Peter Link,
please visit Watchfire Music.