21 April 2008

Happy Birthday Mum!!!! (oh yes - and to The Queen, Iggy Pop, Paul Carrack and Robert Smith).

18 April 2008

I have just learnt of the sad news of the death of music allrounder Chris Gaffney. He lost a short battle with liver cancer in the early hours of the morning. I worked with Chris and his band The Hacienda Brothers a couple years ago, and not only did Chris have one of the best country soul voices of anyone I have ever heard, he also had the strongest handshake too. He will be missed and my thoughts are with his family and fellow band members - new and old.

16 April 2008

I am very very proud to announce that my radio show has a new home. BP:FM can now be found on Americana UK (www.americana-uk.com). With help of Mark Whitfield and Stu Olds I will now be broadcasting a fortnightly 80 minute radio show, recorded in my home 'Heath Robinson' styled recording studio. I hope this new home will attract new listeners and that you enjoy the tunes I have chosen to play. There is just so much great new music out there (there is always such great music out there) and there aren't many places where you can hear it. I got the radio bug back in 1991 when I first broadcast on Livewire 945AM on the University of East Anglia campus radio station. I love broadcasting and sharing good tunes with everyone.

3 March 2008

What a year it has been so far!!!! I can't believe it's already March. I have been in a booking frenzy since coming back to work after the Christmas break as you can tell from the "On Tour" section of the website. I hope that by Easter I can wrap up the March - August period which would be a blessing for reasons people who know us will be fully aware of!

22 December 2007

A quick note to let you know my new radio show is online. It is a "retrospective" look back over 2007. It's the second of two shows. I hope you enjoy it. Click here for more. Enjoy, and we wish you all a very Happy Christmas and a great new year. We'll be back at work on Thursday 3rd January. Bletchingley, Caterham, Kings Lynn, Ipswich, Birmingham and Cheshire beckons.

6 November 2007

I am delighted to announce the latest addition to BPA Live's roster - the Canadian trio The Wailin' Jennys. Their main selling point is their close knit vocal harmonies like you have never heard before. "Quiet, warm, subtle, mellifluous, almost too good to be true," to quote The Independent. They will be over here in May. Tour dates will soon appear online. Click here to see their page on this site.

21 October 2007

A quick note to let you know my new radio show is online. Click here for more. Enjoy.

30 August 2007

Welcome back after a summer break. It was good to at least have one Bank Holiday where we saw the sun... We hope you had a great time doing what you do, and we hope you enjoyed the festivals you went to. It's back to the grindstone here. The last quarter of 2007 looks to be very interesting with the launch of Movers & Shakers live music promotions here in Suffolk. We've got 3 shows coming up at The Fisher Theatre, Bungay (on the Suffolk / Norfolk border). Click here for details. The first gig is on Friday 21st September with Jacqui McShee's Pentangle. There are also some shows we are setting up next year which is very exciting and we shall let you know about in due course.

It's also a busy time for tours and continue to check the 'On Tour' section for details. There will also be as new radio show in the next fortnight. I'm busy re-arranging my CD collection and the studio is in complete disarray.

16 July 2007

A quick note to let you know my new radio show is online. Click here for more. Enjoy.

6 July 2007

Great news - Martin Stephenson has just been added to the bill at this year's celebrated Green Man Festival in Powys in Wales - headlining the Green Man Café stage on the Friday night (Friday 17th August). Click here for more details....

25 June 2007

BP:FM is now obtainable through iTunes..... Should you want to subscribe to the show on iTunes please follow the link below... iTunes.

25 June 2007

BP:FM is now obtainable through iTunes..... Should you want to subscribe to the show on iTunes please follow the link below... iTunes.

12 June 2007

A quick note to let you know my new radio show is online, the first show to feature my specially recorded jingle by Winter. Thank you guy!!!! Click here for more. Enjoy.

4 June 2007

Great news to come home to after a brilliant short break with Lucy to Prague: Corb Lund has been confirmed as opening the proceedings on the Main Pyramid Stage at this year's Glastonbury Festival on Sunday 24th June. He will perform later with his band The Hurtin' Albertans on The Avalon Stage. This is just incredible news.

26 May 2007

A quick note to let you know my new radio show is online. Click here for more. Enjoy.

14 May 2007

Meet Henry Isaac Joseph Gulotta - son of Eve (Selis) and Tom Gulotta

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12 May 2007

A new feature to the site is archived radio shows going back as far as August last year. To see and hear achived BP:FM playlists click here.

10 May 2007

Eve Selis's baby boy was born yesterday May 9th at 5pm.... he weighs 8 pounds 13 ounces and has black hair ... mom and baby are doing great .. no name for him yet but her guitarist Marc suggested Jesus Mohammad Moses Gulotta just to make sure all his bases are covered..... Photos to follow!!!

3 May 2007

A quick note to let you know my new radio show is online. Click here for more. Enjoy.

21 April 2007

Happy Birthday Mum!!!! (oh yes - and to The Queen, Iggy Pop, Paul Carrack and Robert Smith). My new radio show is online. It's a SXSW special - to reflect the marvellous time I had over there this year. Click here for more. Enjoy.

26 March 2007

Click here for my report on my most recent visit to SXSW in Austin, Texas!

6 March 2007

My new radio show is online. It's an East Coast Music Awards special.... Click here for more. Enjoy.

27 February 2007

I've just added a page to the "On Tour" section for BPA artists playing at this year's South By South West in Austin, Texas..... Click here for the shortcut.

20 February 2007

Fresh (!!!!) back from a wonderful trip to Halifax, Nova Scotia for the first time for this year's ECMAs (East Coast Music Awards). Click here to see a clip of a high ranking Canadian politician who forgot what city he was in and the comic retort made by the comedienne Mary Walsh. Also on here you can see brief clips of BPA artists Dave Gunning and at the very end Joel Plaskett.... At last some good news.... Canadian band on tour in Britain for the first time (thru' BPA) next month Blackie & The Rodeo Kings have collectively been nominated for 3 Juno awards this year in Canada. The Junos are their version of our Brits and are a big thing. Blackie & The Rodeo Kings for Let's Frolic "Roots & Traditional Album Of The Year" Group, Stephen Fearing for "Yellow Jacket " Roots & Traditional Album Of The Year" solo and Colin Linden for Easin' Back To Tennessee "Blues Album Of The Year". Let's hope they win them.... Let's also hope that the local Minister for Affairs remembers where he / she is..... Also, we're all pleased to hear that Carrie Rodriguez will be opening for Lucinda Williams on her US tour in April (11th - 24th). Dates appear on her MySpace. Carrie's tour of the UK - her first in her own right - starts in London on May 1st at the much celebrated Luminaire Club in Kilburn... New tour dates and amendments are being added all the time - and we will shortly be announcing the Summer tour dates for Tom Russell.

5 February 2007

More sad news, this time from Scotland.... I learnt yesterday of the death of top music promoter in Scotland Billy Kelly. I knew he had been ill for a little while, but never knew how serious it was. I guess that was Billy through and through. He never let on. I enjoyed all my dealings with Billy over the years. He drove a hard deal, but he always did it with a smile on his face. Whenever I was in Glasgow, I always enjoyed the prospect of having a curry with him. We were communicating only a week ago. He e-mailed me "By Heavens young Bob, You must be the hardest working agent in the business. What schedule of concerts that you have produced and what a quality of artists on your roster. Do you have any one around during Big Big Country time - 16 to 26 May. All the Best, Cheers, Billy". I think he was probably the hardest working promoter in Scotland and so dedicated to the music. I first met him in 1999 - in Glasgow. I had become an agent that year and I called him up to introduce myself. When I made it up to Glasgow later that year, he took time to show me around all the venues he uses and that's where our friendship started. He was so passionate about music, you could tell, and what an amazing series of events he produced over the years - most relevant to me being his annual Big Big Country series, which he was obviously still working on to the very end. You will be missed Billy. I am going to miss you....

1 February 2007

My new radio show is online. Click here for more. Enjoy.

1 February 2007

The Beautiful South RIP..... A sad day for British popular music.....

30 January 2007

I don't know where this month has gone...... My new radio show should be online by the end of the week to hopefully co-incide with "Bob Harris Presents...." at The Borderline in London on Friday night with Eve Selis, Grayson Capps AND Alana Levandoski. It promises to be a great night - so if you can make it down, brilliant. We'll see you there. Click here for an e-card.....

15 January 2007

Bad news to start the week, I'm afraid. Sam Brown had had to pull out of the Homespun tour due to severe problems with her voice. Seeing as she is the voice of Homespun, the tour has had to be cancelled. We hope Sam has a speedy recovery and that these dates can be re-scheduled for later in the year. The knock off effect of this is that there will be some last minute alterations for Alana Levandoski as she was due to open for Homespun in Bury, Sheffield and Leeds this coming weekend. Please keep an eye on this website for any changes to Alana's tour dates, and obviously on the Homespun site for details of when we can expect the tour to be re-scheduled.

10 January 2007

HAPPY NEW YEAR to you all!!!! I hope you all had a good break over the festive period. 1,200 miles later we covered Ipswich - Bletchingley, Surrey - King's Lynn - Tuxford, Nottinghamshire - York - Buxton - Arclid, Cheshire back to Ipswich via King's Lynn and all points in between. Thank God for our iPod and the shuffle mode..... Pink Floyd then Theme to The Simpsons and then Motorhead "Ace of Spades". You gotta love modern technology. Enough of that, and onto 2007!!!! We're well and truly back in the saddle trying to find the bridlepath. I will soon announce more tour dates - but do please check the tour pages regularly as they are changing on a daily basis.

15 December 2006

HAPPY CHRISTMAS to you all!!!! I hope you all have a great time and personally I am looking forward very much to 2007. There are many great tours happening through BPA. I try and maintain this site on an almost daily basis and recently have been putting new tours up almost once a day. It's time to relax now, finish the Christmas shopping, and getting into the Christmas spirit - which is quite hard to do here in Ipswich, as I am sure you can appreciate at this time. As with everyone else, my thoughts go out to the families and friends of the girls and hope that the killer(s) are found as soon as possible.

25 November 2006

My new radio show is online. Click here for more. Enjoy.

23 November 2006

I'm going through a booking frenzy right now - which I'm sure my bank manager is happy about..... I've posted online new and updated tour dates for Jess Klein, Grayson Capps and Alana Levandoski in January, Winter and The Yayhoos for February, The Frank and Walters and Blackie and The Rodeo Kings in March. Apart from the odd confirmation I'm now channelling all my efforts into post-Easter which is a first considering it's only the 23rd November! Bring on Farmer Jason!!!

17 November 2006

My new radio show will be online next week. In the meantime you will notice a whole new set of tour dates online Jess Klein, Grayson Capps and Alana Levandoski in January, and The Frank and Walters in March. There will soon be some new tour dates for Winter, The Yayhoos, Blackie and The Rodeo Kings and Farmer Jason as well as constantly updated tour dates for everyone else.

20 October 2006

My new radio show is online. Click here to listen to it. It would be good to get some feedback.... Also, I've put some new tour dates online including Homespun (featuring Dave Rotheray of The Beautiful South and Sam Brown), Darrell Scott and Eve Selis. There will be some more tours going online as soon as they get confirmed: Jess Klein, Johnny Dowd & Grayson Capps & Carey Ott, Alana Levandoski and Winter!!!!!

27 September 2006

I've put some new tour dates online including a pre-Christmas gig in Trowbridge, Wiltshire with the excellent Los Pistoleros. Also, my new radio show is online. Click here for more. Enjoy. Finally, Happy Birthday Bel!!!

6 September 2006

For those that missed my interview with Rachel Sloane on BBC Radio Suffolk on Wednesday 16th August 2006 :-) you can now hear it online by clicking here!!

2 September 2006

My new radio show is online. Click here for more. Enjoy.

16 August 2006

We're back... after a brilliant The Cambridge Folk Festival and holiday to Italy. In the next week or two you will see some more confirmations of shows within tours already on this site, and by the end of the month a new radio show too. Talking of radio, for those that live in Suffolk (as we do) I will be on Radio Suffolk tonight from 6.15pm on the Rachel Sloane show talking about my work and also about Americana music. Click here for more.

27 July 2006

Well, we're now off to The Cambridge Folk Festival - where I will be DJing on the Main Stage from tomorrow for the 10th year running. I can hardly believe it myself, but I love doing it and will be joined again this year by the mighty Alan "Big Al" O'Leary. Look out for Tom Russell and Ezio especially - but also I'm really looking forward to Emmylou Harris, Richard Thompson and Eddi Reader. Lucy and I then go on holiday - yeah - from 1st - 12th August inclusive (we're off to Italy), back in the office on Monday 14th August. In the meantime, just in case you won't miss me too much (!!!) my new radio show is online. Click here for more. Enjoy.

18 July 2006

In the run up to our holiday this year (we go to Italy 1-12 August), I've been burning the midnight oil to try and confirm as many shows as possible for the end of the year. Online you will find updated listings for our British clients Martin Stephenson, Ezio and Peter Bruntnell (band). You will find new tour dates for Deadstring Brothers, Eileen Rose, Kris Delmhorst & Jeffrey Foucault, Willy Clay Band, Andy White, Jim Lauderdale with support from The Believers, Chip Taylor and Carrie Rodriguez, and finally The Frank and Walters - which should take us to Christmas. I will soon announce the tour dates for November for Dale Watson and The Lone Stars with support from James Hand, and hopefully more dates for the British lot and BJ Cole. Of course now that the World Cup is over, the heat has taken over as the new distraction in the UK... We do have imminent tours for Hacienda Brothers, Tom Russell, Winter and Mark Olson & The Creekdippers (feat. Victoria Williams) and the completion of the Eve Selis band tour who play Putney tonight. Oh yeah... my new radio show should be online early next week...

23 June 2006

BPA turns 1 year old next week - so please raise a glass of something cold on Saturday!!! To celebrate this auspicious event, and in preparation for the future of BPA, I've changed the roster a little - by adding Kris Delmhorst, AJ Croce (son of Jim), Tommy Womack (currently on tour) and Grayson Capps. Please make them all welcome. There will be some more additions in the next week or two (TBC). I have also added new tour dates for Winter, Mark Olson and The Creekdippers featuring Victoria Williams and The Willy Clay Band. I will soon add dates for Deadstring Brothers, Eileen Rose and Andy White. Also next week, there will be a new radio show online. Bring on BPA year 2!

7 June 2006

My new radio show is online. Click here for more. Enjoy.

5 June 2006

Well, it's almost World Cup time. I've been looking forward to it for a long time. It will mean that there won't be much in the way of live music, but it will all gear up again early July. There is a tour going on during the World Cup - the first ever visit to the UK by Tommy Womack. Please help make him welcome. There will shortly be a new radio show online, and there'll be some changes to the agency roster during the summer and the addition of Autumn dates by Winter, Mark Olson and The Creekdippers, Deadstring Brothers, Eileen Rose, Andy White and The Willy Clay Band.

22 May 2006

My new radio show is online. Click here for more.

9 May 2006

It's crazy time here now with all these people either on tour or about to start their tours: Deadstring Brothers, Gina Villalobos, Corb Lund & The Hurtin' Albertans, Elana James Trio, Alana Levandoski, Blue Rodeo, Ramblin' Jack Elliott and Tom Russell. Please get to see them live. I look forward to the Elana and Alana show in London tomorrow with special guest Jackie Greene from America and Blue Rodeo and Corb Lund & The Hurtin' Albertans at The Mean Fiddler in London on Thursday. Then it's off to Folk On The Pier in Cromer on Saturday. I hope it doesn't rain! Whilst this all goes on the new show I recorded tonight should be online early next week.

25 April 2006

My new radio show is online and with it a new radio page created by TEB Paul Needham. Click here for more.

14 April 2006

Happy Easter one and all. Expect a very busy 7 weeks post Easter with these venerable and talented acts gracing us with their presence: Winter, Dayna Kurtz, Deadstring Brothers, Gina Villalobos, Corb Lund & The Hurtin' Albertans, Elana James Trio, Alana Levandoski, Blue Rodeo, Ramblin' Jack Elliott and Tom Russell, plus spot shows with Martin Stephenson, BJ Cole and Peter Bruntnell for good measure. You'll also notice on the links page "BP FM: real roots radio". This is a new exciting feature to the site and sees me returning to the airwaves (of sorts). I've been working on this idea in conjunction with the ever brilliant Paul Needham and Deep Recording and Mastering Studios in London. The show currently online is more of a pilot, and you should not be put off by the opening jingle :-). I'll record a new one after Easter and once a month a new one hour show will go online.Click here for more.

23 March 2006

Greetings all. The sun is out over Ipswich this fine morning and Spring has finally arrived. Hoorah! Online you'll find new and complete tour dates for Blue Rodeo, Alana Levandoski and Tom Russell for May. I am still working on the Corb Lund & The Hurtin' Albertans European tour of May. Confirmed dates are online currently. Corb and his band will be on BBC Radio 2 tonight on Bob Harris Country at 7pm, ahead of their UK tour which starts tonight in Brighton. It's going to be tough for Corb and the guys to get to Brighton so soon after being on air. Do you think they'll make it :-) ? Mark Olson also starts his tour next Thursday (30th) in Belfast. I will be annoucing Tom Russell's July dates tomorrow and early next week Eve Selis's July tour. Whilst all this has been going on I have been adding dates for Martin Stephenson, BJ Cole and Peter Bruntnell. There's no rest for the wicked!

7 March 2006

Wow! I've just come from an amazing trip to Canada taking in the ECMAs (East Coast Music Awards) in Charlottetown (Prince Edward Island) and CMW (Canadian Music Week) in Toronto. Many thanks for all involved: Shelley, Dianne, Steve and Neill - and all their team of helpers and volunteers. It was real. I also visited Montreal for the first time to see my friends at Avalanche Productions. It's back the grindstone now - and will shortly be adding tour dates for Blue Rodeo, Corb Lund and The Hurtin' Albertans, Alana Levandoski (three Canadian acts for you) and Tom Russell for May and shortly Eve Selis for July.....!

6 February 2006

I normally hate Mondays (who doesn't?) but this one's been pretty tasty so far - with new tours being announced by Mark Olson (solo on this occasion), Dayna Kurtz, Deadstring Brothers and Ramblin' Jack Elliott!!! Details all online here. There's also a couple of new dates with The Frank and Walters to look forward to. There'll be some more tour dates going online in the next fortnight.....!

2 February 2006

He takes a breath....... and reflects on the busiest January he's ever had. Haaaaaaaaaaa! Corb Lund, Chuck Prophet, Alana Levandoski, Jess Klein, Winter, Ezio, Homespun, Danny George Wilson, Martin Stephenson and The Storys all toured. February's looking less hectic (!!!) with tours by Neal Casal, Danny George Wilson & Peter Bruntnell, and The Frank and Walters to look forward to. Enjoy!!!

15 December 2005

I wish you all a very very Happy Christmas and a very successful 2006.

2005's been one great year for me - in the gig promotion front (6 out of 8 sold out shows - including the amazing Al Stewart on Friday 28th October in Bury St Edmunds which classes as one of the best nights of my career) and in the agency front. BPA (Bob Paterson Agency) opened it's doors on 1st July this year and since August, with the help of the hugely talented Paul Needham, have developed a fully informative website up with up-to-date tour news, and updates on who I am booking at any one moment in time.

In January - I introduce two amazing new artists. Alana Levandoski from Manitoba Canada and Winter from Gothenburg, Sweden. Alana will be touring as part of the Rounder Zoe tour with Dar Williams, Lynn Miles and Caroline Herring. She later tours with New York based Jess Klein. Winter headline their first tour. I saw them in an English styled pub in Gothernburg in May and was so blown away by them - that finally we have made a tour with them possible.

Also in January the return of the mighty Corb Lund from Southern Alberta Canada in support of the release of his second album, the return of the sensational band Homespun - a collabration between Dave Rotheray (songwriter and guitarist of The Beautiful South) and the one and only Sam Brown. January also sees the return of Chuck Prophet - touring solo for the first time ever in the UK hot on the heels of a one-off show with his former band Green On Red in London on 10th January.

And then there are spot shows with Martin Stephenson, Danny George Wilson (from the band Grand Drive), Peter Bruntnell, Ezio and a new band from Wales - The Storys.

As you can see - January is looking to be the busiest January I have ever had - a taste of things to come from BPA in 2006, I'd hope.

7 December 2005

I feel the race is on to do as much as possible before Christmas, so may I take this opportunity to wish everyone reading this a very HAPPY CHRISTMAS. January 2006 is the busiest January I have ever had, with more tours on that I have booked than ever before. Let's hope it's a taste of things to come in 2006! Thank you for all your support since the start of BPA on 1st July this year.

24 November 2005

There are a few more tours announced on the website: from Canada, the debut tour for Alana Levandoski, the return of the Irish band The Frank and Walters and some dates with the Welsh band The Story's. I am in the process of confirming tours for Neal Casal in February and the incredible Corb Lund from Canada back end of March. They will appear online as oon as they are confirmed! Please keep an eye on the "on tour" pages as I will be adding and removing shows on a weekly basis. UK-based artists like Danny George Wilson, Peter Bruntnell and Martin Stephenson will always be adding shows.

8 November 2005

I have great pleasure in finally announcing the confirmation of some solo Chuck Prophet dates in January next year - hot on the heels of a special one-off reunion show of Chuck's former band Green On Red. There are some dates still available. The website is now up to date with booking plans for 2006 well spelled out. Surf at your leisure!

1 November 2005

Promoting Al Stewart at The Corn Exchange in Bury St Edmunds on Friday night has to be one of the highlights of my life. If someone asked us 3 years ago whether we would ever have the chance of promoting Al Stewart in Suffolk, we probably would still be asking each other: "What do you reckon? Shall we go for it?". We did, and we really enjoyed it - and it sold out, which did make the evening sweeter - it must be said. To see Mr Henry Blofeld entertain a 100-strong audience in rural East Anglia the following evening made the weekend even sweeter!!! "Oh, my dear old things...." was his opening line.... Utterly priceless! Online now please find revised tour dates for Jess Klein, and also finally some words of intent as to future tours booked by BPA!

27 October 2005

It's been one helluva day - cancelling the Katrina Leskanich tour and re-scheduling the dates that the incredible Jorane was going to open for her on. Please find revised tour dates for Jorane online here. Please also find new tour dates for Homespun (featuring Dave Rotheray from The Beautiful South and the amazing vocals of Sam Brown for January/February next year. I am putting final touches to tours of Chuck Prophet (solo) and also for Jess Klein. As soon as they are confirmed, you will find details here. Further tour plans for 2006 will appear shortly.

3 October 2005

It's the start if a brand new month.... and the start of two new tours - Gina Villalobos kicks off in Chester tonight and the awesome Deadstring Brothers started last night in Brighton. Be sure to catch both these acts. Deadstring Brothers have a fabulous new album out now called "Starving Winter Report" which they will be selling on the road. They'll return to the UK early next year. As far as forward bookings are concerned, I've pretty much put a lid on this year - with only one or two more BJ Cole dates in December to book. I'm now very much looking forward to 2006. I will be sending out a newsletter during October - so if you would like to subscribe to it drop me an e-mail to bp@bobpatersonagency.com .

22 September 2005