Rob Perna Jr.

Rob Perna is the kind of player that grips your heart with an unrelenting fervor reminiscent of the blues players of old. At the young age of 14 he was taken under the wing of Grammy winning Blues legend Johnny Clyde Copeland. The first instant he played with the Texas Twister a floodgate of pure blues energy was let loose in his soul. This was the seed that gave birth to Robs ability to meld with any musical situation allowing him to play with other blues greats such as Big Jack Johnson, John Brim, and Jimmy Rodgers. The experience he has gained over the years has also allowed Rob to further his solo career opening up for such acts as The Kim Wilson Band and Jimmy Dawkins. The Philadelphia River Blues Festival was another great achievement where Rob played with the Philly favorite James Thunderbird Ford and The Edsels on two stages at a festival that boasted a lineup of Duke Robillard, Little Feat, and Stephen Stills to name a few. Robs Rhythm/Lead styling has been the fuel for many local groups, such as The Rick Valente band who he appeared with at the Easy Rider motorcycle Festival, The Perna Moog Project who have provided the music for the past four Philly Gold award ceremonies, and Russ Lamberts Shakedancer Band a staple in the local blues community since the early nineties. Rob also plays with Dr. Harmonica and Rocket 88, and the funk band Second Cumming. Rob has played a crucial role as musical director for most of the bands he has been involved with over the years, specializing in putting together pick-up bands to play with traveling blues artists such as Roy Gaines. The organizational skills he has developed have allowed him to nurture his long time band The New Kings of Rhythm into a driving force of Blues, Funk, and Reggae. I edited my profile with Thomas' Myspace Editor V4.4