Robert Randolph & The Family Band

Robert Randolph & The Family Band is an American group from Orange, New Jersey, active since 2001. Its line-up includes Robert Randolph, Marcus Randolph, Danyel Morgan, Jason Crosby, John Ginty, Brett Haas and Lenesha Randolph, and its music draws on blues rock, funk, gospel, jam band, sacred steel and soul.

Background and style

The group centres on Robert Randolph, who plays pedal steel guitar and comes out of the House of God Church, Keith Dominion tradition in Nashville. He starts playing the instrument as a teenager and learns by watching other steel players in his church. His early playing in Orange, just outside Newark, leads to attention after he performs at the first Sacred Steel Convention in Florida in spring 2000, which brings him to New York club dates in late 2000 and early 2001.

The band’s sound is shaped by 1970s funk groups such as Earth, Wind & Fire and Sly & the Family Stone. Randolph also names Stevie Ray Vaughan as his main influence as a guitarist. Rolling Stone includes Randolph in its list of the 100 greatest guitar players of all time.

Band members and formation

The Family Band includes Robert Randolph, Marcus Randolph on drums, Danyel Morgan on bass and Jason Crosby on organ, with the broader line-up also including John Ginty, Brett Haas and Lenesha Randolph. Cousins Danyell Morgan and Marcus Randolph are part of the band’s early core. The group begins by playing support slots for acts including the Derek Trucks Band, Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe and Soulive, before moving to headlining shows within a few months.

Recordings

The band releases Live at the Wetlands in 2001, followed by Unclassified in 2003, which includes the single “I Need More Love” and reaches a wider audience. Colorblind follows in 2006. Robert Randolph also records The Word with Medeski, Martin & Wood; that all-instrumental gospel and blues album is released in 2001 and receives strong critical and popular response.

Recognition

Although Randolph has released only two albums at that point, he gains major recognition very quickly after his discovery at the Sacred Steel Convention and early New York performances, establishing him as a notable pedal steel player within blues, funk and jam-band circles.