Through the years our son Robin has displayed special musical talents that we are very proud of. From a very early age he excelled in piano, trombone, drums and bass. He played trombone in high school jazz and rock bands and later joined the Brandon University Jazz Band while still in grade 12. He played with that band until he graduated with his B. Sc. Degree. Robin even brought some members of the Brandon University Jazz Band in to provide the horn section for Bobby Curtola when we backed Bobby for a Rock Reunion show.

Along the way he played drums with a local Blues band and often joined us in our SOO'S Showhall jams and at the Cantina Jam Club. Noticing that there was an over-abundance of drummers at our jams he taught himself to play bass. This served him very well when he joined our band as "A Third Man" since his mom often handled the drum chores and later we brought in a succession of guest drummers to spell her off.

We relied on Robin's rock solid bass work for the succession of gigs we played in later years: Blues Concerts, Folk Festivals (were he doubled on a bodhran for our Celtic numbers), arena dances for Community Reunion Events, Oktoberfests, Fairs, the special Shakin' All Over appearance at the Manitoba Museum, etc.

Robin's move to Winnipeg to work for an IT company opened another musical door. He was chosen to play drums and percussion for The Winnipeg Pops Orchestra -- a renowned 60-piece orchestra that has thrilled live audiences for over 60 years.

We were thrilled to attend the special 60th Anniversary Concert of  the WPO at the Winnipeg Art Gallery Auditorium. We were also fortunate to be able to attend their show at the outdoor Lyric Theatre in Winnipeg's Assiniboine Park on the second day of summer. The day was chilly and windy with threats of showers, but the crowd was kept warm and enthralled by the wonderful variety of music from the orchestra led by conductor Dave Schmidt. Robin's incredibly diverse background in so many styles of music served him well -- his drums and percussion were right on.