The Bobs

This article refers to an a capella group. For the ride, see The Bobs (rollercoaster).

The Bobs are a "new wave" a cappella group founded in San Francisco, California. The group is known for humorous original songs and avant-garde arrangement techniques. Instead of covering more traditional doo-wop songs, The Bobs started out with songs like "Helter Skelter" (The Beatles) and "Psycho Killer" (Talking Heads). Although two of their albums are dominated by covers, the overwhelming majority of their repertoire is original, with songs discussing diverse subjects like lunar cattle farming, sleepy bus drivers, bumper stickers, laundry, hurricane-related flooding, graffiti, Oliver North, shopping-mall security guards, celebrity autographs, synaesthesia, post office violence, heart transplants, Heaven's Gate, spontaneous human combustion, turtles, rebellious footwear, tattoos, nicknames for genitalia, and felines intent on ruling the world.

The Bobs have broken with a cappella tradition several times by including instruments. The majority of the 1995 album Plugged is backed by toy drums. Plugged also made heavy use of studio equipment to make the voices sound more like guitars and bass guitars. Coaster includes a rock rhythm section on one song. But this original "band without instruments" usually uses just their mouths, hands, feet and "other body parts" to fill a room with a sound as big as an orchestra.

Members of the group are always credited with "Bob" as their middle name. The name is often described as an acronym for "Best of Breed," an award given out at dog shows.

The group has garnered a healthy cult following in the U.S. and Europe in the 24 years they've been touring and recording, and has won numerous songwriting and vocal performance honors.

Discography

The Bobs (1983)
My, I'm Large (1987)
Songs for Tomorrow Morning (1988)
Sing the Songs of . . . (1991)
Shut Up and Sing! (1993)
Cover the Songs of . . . (1994)
Plugged (1995)
Too Many Santas (1996)
i brow club (1997)
Coaster (2000)
20 Songs From 20 Years: The Best of The Bobs (2003)
Rhapsody in Bob (2005)

A compilation album, The Best of the Bobs, was released in 1990 in Germany, containing tracks from The Bobs, My, I'm Large, and Songs for Tomorrow Morning.

Videography

The Bobs on [PBS]'s Lonesome Pine Special
ISOBOBS (with the dance group ISO)
Live at the 20th Century
The Bobs Sing! (And other Love Songs)

Current members

Richard "Bob" Greene
Matthew "Bob" Stull
Amy "Bob" Engelhardt
Dan "Bob" Schumacher

Past members

Gunnar "Bob" Madsen
Janie "Bob" Scott
Lori "Bob" Rivera
Joe "Bob" Finetti

Other singers have toured with the group, but were not incorporated as permanent additions. Maureen "Bob" Smith performs on two songs on the recording Sing the Songs of . . .

Original members

Matthew "Bob" Stull
Gunnar "Bob" Madsen
Richard "Bob" Greene
Janie "Bob" Scott

External links