1960s

THE EARLY YEARS

MOVING IN WITH MY PIANO TEACHER

Once I was playing piano on two songs at every service, my dad realized that I had talent. He put me on a bus and sent me to a six-week gospel music camp in Dallas, Texas. It was called The Stamps Quartet School of Music. They strictly taught the Southern gospel style of singing and playing, which in those days looked like four singers around one piano player.

Linda Robinson was my teacher there, and months after camp ended, she persuaded my dad to let me move in with her family who were a gospel singing group in Bastrop, Louisiana. The catch was that, in exchange for free board and piano lessons, I would play in their group. Linda encouraged me to expand my ability to play by ear since I could not read music. It literally changed my life. My brothers had learned to read music and I had not, which had always made me feel like a failure—until I met Linda and got a boost in my confidence. I can thank my dad for pushing me to do that.

I LEARNED TO GROW UP FAST WHILE AWAY FROM HOME

Being away from home from a young age helped me grow up fast. Playing with Linda’s groups also offered me a lot of experience onstage and helped lay the groundwork for my career backing some of music’s greatest performers.

1. Linda Robinson showing me some new licks at her home in Bastrop, Louisiana.

2. Linda Robinson and her brother, Danny, at my home in Nashville in 2017.

3. Me, Linda Robinson, and Rita Robinson of the Robinson Family Singers featured in a Bastrop newspaper.

4. Janet Downey and I at a talent show at Bastrop High School. We won the contest that night and were featured in a Bastrop newspaper.