Bob Settle: Drums & Backing Vocals

What a lot of drums!

Trapped

Bob’s musical career started with piano lessons in his native Middlesbrough at about the age of eight.  It was through these lessons that he was introduced to the world of percussion when a vacancy arose in a local orchestra due to the “retirement” of the incumbent at the ripe old age of 14!  Piano and percussion developed alongside each other during Bob’s primary school years.  (Purists will of course know that the piano is a percussion instrument.)  During this time he also took up the violin and later the viola, which he proceeded to play very badly for several years (a ‘talent’ he shares with Jurassic Rock’s bass player!).

The early 70’s saw relocation to nearby Guisborough and the expansion of his musical horizons.  Just as Bob arrived, the local comprehensive, Lawrence Jackson School, was acquiring a pair of new timpani, so he quickly let it be known that he could play and promptly ‘bagged’ the role of timpanist in the school orchestra.  The later creation of a school wind band created yet another opportunity, the position of drummer, which was also ‘bagged’ by Bob.

It was during his days at Lawrence Jackson School that he met one Rod Liddle (later to become (in)famous for joining, or rather leaving, the Today Programme on Radio Four) and Bob was asked to join Rod’s Band, DangerBird, at the height of the punk era.

Bob SettleDrums & Backing Vocals

Concentrating

Having passed GCE “O” levels and “A” levels, Bob went to university.  As a consequence, he drifted away from DangerBird and drumming took something of a backseat.  Graduation and entrance into the world of work rekindled his interest in music and Bob joined a local band in Essex, the Buzz Pearson Band. Sadly, fame and stardom still remained elusive.

A job move to Sussex promised much and, indeed, much was realised on the music front.  The apparently endless opportunities of the ‘East Grinstead Circuit’ allowed Bob to play in such diverse ensembles as The East Grinstead Concert Band, The East Grinstead Orchestra, The Melodaires (modern sequence dancing), Copthorne and District Brass Band, The Ashdowners (trad jazz) and Top Hat Inc (swing jazz).  Gradually Top Hat became dominant and provided a great deal of fun for some 6 years.

Yet another job move then intervened, this time to North Dorset.  By then Bob had married Julie and they had 3 children, Mat, Jon & Mel, all with an interest in music.  Determined not to lose musical momentum, Bob sought out a local band and along came Bedrock playing classic ’60s and ’70s rock, which, despite the wide ranging styles previously played in Sussex, was where Bob’s drumming interest really lay.  Some 3 years in Dorset reinforced Bob’s love of this genre, only to be sadly cut short through job redundancy and an enforced move away from Dorset and, therefore, Bedrock.  However, ‘every cloud has a silver lining’, as the old saying goes, and out of adversity came opportunity: a new job, a new home in East Anglia and a new band – Jurassic Rock.

If you're happy & you know it ...

Happy

With Jurassic Rock’s success, things have just got better and better. However, Bob has not forgotten his classical roots and he still plays timpani from time to time in productions such as performances of the Messiah in Bury St Edmunds.

So, having finally reached his musical destination, Bob has provided Jurassic Rock with that, apparently, rare thing: a drummer who is a musician.  He even has an “O” level to prove it!