Rob Townsend
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Rob Townsend (born July 7, 1947) is a British rock and blues drummer who played for the progressive rock band Family from 1967 to 1973. While not as famous as Charlie Watts, Keith Moon, or John Bonham, fans and critics count Townsend as one of Britain's greatest rock and roll drummers.
Rob Townsend was born and raised in Leicester, England, where he took an interest in music and started playing drums, heavily influenced by jazz greats such as Buddy Rich and Gene Krupa. He spent his teenage years playing in various Leicester bands, such as the Beatniks, Broodly Hoo, and Legay. He joined Family in 1967, replacing Harry Ovenall, just prior to the recording of their debut single, "Scene Through The Eye of a Lens."
When Family followed their first single with their debut album Music in a Doll's House in July 1968, Townsend made his presence felt with his strong fills on songs like "The Chase" and his souful shuffle on "Hey Mr. Policeman." By the time of 1969's Family Entertainment LP, Townsend had established a reputation for himself as a precise timekeeper who carried Family through various tempos and the most complex arrangements. He came into his own in 1970, with astonishing performances on the albums A Song For Me and Anyway that kept Family firmly on track. Also notable was his powerful, aggressive drumming on "The Weaver's Answer", Family's signature tune, in concerts.
Along with lead vocalist Roger Chapman and guitarist Charlie Whitney, Townsend stayed with Family until their 1973 break-up. Frequent personnel changes required Townsend to adapt his style to a new bass player every other album, as he and the bassist comprised Family's rhythm section. He ended up working with four such players in Family - Ric Grech, John Weider, John Wetton, and Jim Cregan - and fit well with all of them.
After Family broke up Townsend joined Medicine Head, whose producer was Tony Ashton, Family's last keyboardist. After eighteen months with that group, Townsend left when Medicine Head decided not to have a permanent drummer any more. He spent much of the remainder of the 1970s as freelance session drummer. This time included a time with singer Kevin Ayers, and future The Police guitarist Andy Summers, and the reunited Charlie Whitney in the short-lived band Axis Point.
Since 1982 Townsend has been a member of The Blues Band with Paul Jones, Dave Kelly, Tom McGuinness, and Gary Fletcher. He also appears alongside Jones and McGuinness in The Manfreds. Although he has never become the transatlantic household word that other British rock drummers have become, Townsend is happy to be able to do what he loves. "I have come home from tours absolutely dead on my feet, he told interviewer Mike Dolbear, "and I will get a call to go and play at a local pub because their regular drummer can't it and I say yes. . . . When I am not playing I go to drum shops or music shows. I just love it. I feel so lucky to be able to be doing something I love to do and to be able to earn a living from it."
[edit] References
Strange Band: The Family Home Page
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