Robert E. King

 

"Rob King's excellent song, 'Goin' to Lou's' gives him room to showcase his talents as a musician and hard rock and roll screamer...King is superlight and superfast, and he keeps the band on time through all the changes and beats."

---ZigZag Magazine, 1978--

Birthday:October 3, 1955 in Ann Arbor, MI

Favorite Composers: Beethoven, Charlie Parker

Musical Influences: Beatles, Charlie Parker, Lester Young, Frank Zappa, Buddy Rich

Instrument: drums

Past Bands: Destroy All Monsters, Killer Trout, The Faith Healers

Current Band: Hearts of Joy

 

 

Rob King was born in 1955 in Ann Arbor. About a year or two after his father Richard opened King's Keyboard House, Rob started working at the store, cleaning. He started taking piano lessons at age 5 from a private teacher, and by age 12 had discovered the drums. "I liked the way they sounded," he explains, and for three or four years took private lessons. Soon he stopped taking lessons to play on his own, however, and ceased his piano lessons, as well.

In high school Rob was in various rock/blues bands, and at age 17 joined a group that played at venues such as the Blind Pig and Mr. Floods in Ann Arbor. In addition to playing in bands, Rob also began moving pianos at his father's store. He went to Pioneer High School until 1972, and graduated from Community High School in 1974.

In 1977, Rob joined the band Destroy All Monsters (DAM). Included in the line up was former MC5 bassist Mike Davis and former Stooges guitarist Ron Asheton. They toured England in the late 1970s, played often in New York City, and cut records that were mildly successful. His favorite venue was the Lyceum in England , where DAM boasted an audience of about 4,000 people. He also loved playing at the CBGB in New York, though he prefers the term "new wave" over "punk." DAM played shows with bands such as the Ramones, and Rob even jammed with Iggy Pop on occasion. But being a rock star wasn't all it was made out to be; Rob discontinued playing with Destroy All Monsters in 1980 because he was "disappointed in the way things were going." Before and after DAM, Rob had played in bands that played mostly cover songs, sticking to the Ann Arbor/Detroit area. Aside from DAM, Rob has been in bands such as Killer Trout and The Faith Healers.

Rob was married, but his wife wasn't musical. She was critical of his profession in music, and they divorced after five years. "Marriage and music just don't go together," Rob says.

Today Rob continues to take part in the family business, moving and tuning pianos at King's Keyboard House. He's taken a few jazz drum classes at Washtenaw Community College, and has been working full time with the family since 1980. He lives in Ypsilanti, not far from King's Keyboard House and Julie's Music. His church band, Hearts of Joy, includes guitar, bass, piano, drums, and two vocalists. They play mostly church music, and perform every other Sunday. Top