Robert Harold McComb is an Australian musician who played

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...

violin The violin, sometimes known as a ''fiddle'', is a wooden chordophone (string instrument) in the violin family. Most violins have a hollow wooden body. It is the smallest and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in the family in regular ...

organ Organ may refer to: Biology * Organ (biology), a part of an organism Musical instruments * Organ (music), a family of keyboard musical instruments characterized by sustained tone ** Electronic organ, an electronic keyboard instrument ** Hammond ...

, and other instruments with

Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...

-based rock group

The Triffids The Triffids were an Australian alternative rock and pop band, formed in Perth in Western Australia in May 1978 with David McComb as singer-songwriter, guitarist, bass guitarist and keyboardist.McFarlane (1999). Encyclopedia entry fo"The Triff ...

, from 1979 to 1989. He is the older brother of the band's founder and lead singer-songwriter,

David McComb David Richard McComb (17 February 19622 February 1999) was an Australian musician. He was the singer-songwriter and guitarist of the Australian bands, The Triffids (1976–89) and The Blackeyed Susans (1989–93). He also had a solo career incl ...

(1962–1999). Both were also members of Lawson Square Infirmary and The Red Ponies. Subsequently, McComb was a teacher of

geography Geography (from Greek: , ''geographia''. Combination of Greek words ‘Geo’ (The Earth) and ‘Graphien’ (to describe), literally "earth description") is a field of science devoted to the study of the lands, features, inhabitants, and ...

in Melbourne. On 1 July 2008 The Triffids, with McComb and other surviving members, were inducted into the

ARIA Hall of Fame In music, an aria (Italian: ; plural: ''arie'' , or ''arias'' in common usage, diminutive form arietta , plural ariette, or in English simply air) is a self-contained piece for one voice, with or without instrumental or orchestral accompanime ...

Biography

Robert Harold McComb was born in

, Western Australia as one of four sons. His parents were both doctors, his father, Dr. Harold Keith McComb (born 1924, Brisbane), being a plastic surgeon and his mother, Dr. Kathleen Athel Hockey ( AO) (1923–2011), a medical geneticist. Harold was the only son of A. R. McComb of

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...

, Canada and Athel was the youngest daughter of P. R. Hockey of

Toorak, Victoria Toorak () is a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, south-east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Stonnington local government area, on Boonwurrung Land. Toorak recorded a population of 12,817 at the 2021 ...

. In 1947 both completed their medical degrees at

University of Melbourne The University of Melbourne is a public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in Victoria. Its main campus is located in Parkville, an inner suburb nor ...

and were engaged in July. In 1955 the McCombs moved to Perth, and raised their family in a historical residence, ''

The Cliffe The Cliffe is one of the first residential dwellings built in the Perth suburb of Peppermint Grove. The house is located at 25 Bindaring Parade, Peppermint Grove and has historical associations with the prominent McNeil, Brisbane and McComb fa ...

'' in McNeil Street,

Peppermint Grove Peppermint (''Mentha'' × ''piperita'') is a hybrid species of mint, a cross between watermint and spearmint. Indigenous to Europe and the Middle East, the plant is now widely spread and cultivated in many regions of the world.Euro+Med Plantbas ...

. All four boys attended

Christ Church Grammar School , motto_translation = God is our leader, learning is our light , established = , founder = William Joseph McClemans , type = Independent single-sex early learning, primary, and secondary day and boarding school , gender = Boys , deno ...

in Claremont. The eldest son, Peter McComb, is also a doctor – in obstetrics and gynaecology – and an associate professor in

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

. In 1979 McComb joined his youngest brother, David Richard McComb in the rock band

, initially as a guitarist, replacing founder Phil Kakulas.McFarlane (1999). Encyclopedia entry fo
'The Triffids'
Archived from th
original
on 17 April 2004. Retrieved 20 July 2012.Spencer et al, (2007), 'Triffids, The' entry. Aside from guitar, McComb also provided violin, keyboards, percussion and backing vocals for The Triffids from 1979 to their disbandment in 1989. From 1990-1991, McComb toured internationally and recorded as a guest guitarist/violinist for

Tall Tales and True Tall Tales and True were an Australian three piece band from Sydney formed in the early 1980s by Perth born musician, Matthew de la Hunty. They're best known for their 1992 album, ''Revenge!'', which peaked inside the ARIA top 50. Biography 198 ...

. In June 1993, three former members of The Triffids: McComb, David and Graham Lee; as well as Charlie Owen and Chris Wilson guested on Acuff's Rose's debut studio album, ''Never Comin' Down''.McFarlane (1999). Encyclopedia entry fo
'Acuff's Rose'
Archived from th
original
on 3 August 2004. Retrieved 23 July 2012. On 2 February 1999 David McComb died. From 2006, The Triffids, with McComb, have reformed for various performances with different guest lead vocalists. On 1 July 2008 The Triffids, with McComb and other surviving members, were inducted into the

. Outside his music career, McComb has been a secondary school teacher of geography in Melbourne and has written advice for

Victorian Certificate of Education The Victorian Certificate of Education (often abbreviated VCE) is one credential available to secondary school students who successfully complete year 11 and 12 in the Australian state of Victoria. The VCE is the predominant choice for students ...

students. In October 2009, McComb was a guest panellist on

Australian Broadcasting Corporation The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) is the national broadcaster of Australia. It is principally funded by direct grants from the Australian Government and is administered by a government-appointed board. The ABC is a publicly-own ...

TV pop music quiz show, '' Spicks and Specks''.

References

;General * Note: Archived n-linecopy has limited functionality. * ;Specific {{DEFAULTSORT:Mccomb, Robert Australian musicians Living people People educated at Christ Church Grammar School Musicians from Perth, Western Australia Year of birth missing (living people)