Jawbone

This one-man punk blues act initially gained attention when legendary UK DJ John Peel aired his raw and heartfelt stomps and boogies on BBC Radio 1 in early 2004. In due course, the initially self-released Dang Blues was picked up by London-based label Loose, and Jawbone joined the label in July 2004. At the end of the year, ‘Hi-De-Hi’ and ‘Jackrabbit’ went on to feature in the late Peel’s final Festive 50.

Heavily influenced by the 50s wild rockabilly one-man-band Hasil Adkins, Jawbone’s sound was much more blues based and betrayed a single-minded vision similar to Captain Beefheart and Billy Childish. If Bruce Springsteen’s contemporary We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions was a plush, widescreen version of Appalachian folk, then Jawbone’s distorted take on field call blues suited a dusty, vintage black and white small-screen television. His strident vocal delivery on much of Dang Blues and Hauling recalled Bob Dylan hollering over the Butterfield Blues Band in Newport 1964.

More recently, Bob has been playing local shows and recording, and in 2020 began releasing an ongoing series of singles that step outside one-man-band blues into folk, country, and other roots music.

In 2023, Bob released a collection of 4-track cassette demos that he had recorded pre-Jawbone under the name Biker Priests. The collection, Babylon Dodge, can be found on bandcamp and streaming services.