The Tarbox Ramblers are a Boston-based roots and Americana band. The band's sound originally centered on arrangements of early twentieth-century blues, gospel and Appalachian music. It later included bandleader Michael Tarbox's original songs. The group's albums on the Rounder label include a self-titled debut and a second release, A Fix Back East. The albums feature three-part vocal harmonies, a heavy rhythm section and the interplay of slide guitar and violin.
The original line-up with Robbie Phillips
(washtub bass),
J. Place (harmonica),
Mickey Bones (
drums,
washboard and
bones) and
Michael Tarbox was formed in
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. As part of the Boston metropolitan area, the cities population of the 2020 U.S. census was 118,403, making it the fourth most populous city in the state, behind Boston ...
, in 1994.
The mid period group consisted of Tarbox (vocalist and
guitarist), Daniel Kellar (
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 regu ...
ist), Johnny Sciascia (
upright bass
The double bass (), also known simply as the bass () (or by other names), is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed (or plucked) string instrument in the modern symphony orchestra (excluding unorthodox additions such as the octobass). Similar ...
fiddle), and Jon Cohan (drummer and percussionist). Since 2003 Nashville based musician,
Scott McEwen plays (
upright bass
The double bass (), also known simply as the bass () (or by other names), is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed (or plucked) string instrument in the modern symphony orchestra (excluding unorthodox additions such as the octobass). Similar ...
fiddle and
percussion
A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a beater including attached or enclosed beaters or rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or struck against another similar instrument. Ex ...
) with the Ramblers. Rob Hulsman (drums, Nine Pound Hammer) joined in 2003 and toured and recorded with the band through 2005.
Rounder Records released The Tarbox Ramblers' eponymous debut album in 2000. In summer 2001,
Robert Plant contacted the group, to secure them as his opening act for his
Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
appearance, and subsequently asked them to continue touring with him. They made the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
's list of top CDs in 2002.
Tristram Lozaw, a reviewer from the ''
, they might have sounded like The Tarbox Ramblers. The way the Ramblers lay down their backroads grit and raw hillbilly-rock jive, you're unlikely to hear a more genuine blast of sandpaper rhythm and roots."
*''Tarbox Ramblers'', Rounder Records, 2000
*''A Fix Back East'', Rounder Records, 2004
*''Four From The West'' (limited edition live set) 2006
*''First Songs/Gospel Cross'' (limited edition early recordings) 2010
*''Songs For Robert Reuter'' (Live EP, recorded in December 2021) 2022