Bobby Long leaves Twilight to follow in Bob Dylan's footsteps

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      Fate appears to be showing a fondness for British singer-songwriter Bobby Long. While making the rounds of open-mike nights in London, the 22-year-old tunesmith happened to befriend actor-singer Robert Pattinson, the high-haired heartthrob whose every move is studied by the hordes of followers of the Twilight film series. Ever since Long showed Pattinson a song he'd cowritten called “Let Me Sign”, things have just been getting sweeter and sweeter for him.

      “I played it to Robert and he took to it straight away,” recalls Long, travelling on the New Jersey Turnpike after a sold-out Manhattan club gig. “He likes my music a lot, so he's always singing different songs of mine, but that's the one he liked the most.”

      Pattinson ended up singing “Let Me Sign” on the film's soundtrack, and the Twittering Twilight tweens lit up, spreading the word on the ethereal song and its then-unknown cocreator. So far, the recognition sparked by his Pattinson connection has allowed Long to score major publishing deals in the U.S. and Britain, and to undertake a headlining North American tour, but he hasn't been hounding his famous pal to get another one of his songs in Twilight's upcoming sequel, New Moon.

      “I'm so busy with my own stuff that I haven't really had time to think about anything like that,” says Long, adding that he plans to enter the studio in October to record new material and to redo some of the tunes on Dirty Pond Songs, the 10-track “bootleg” project he recorded in his bedroom in London. He used only acoustic guitar and harmonica to accompany his powerful voice on that Bob Dylan–inspired indie effort, but expects to embellish some of the songs with double bass, slide guitar, and violin. Others, like the poignant “Left to Lie”—which reached number one on the iTunes Unsigned chart—and the current iTunes single, “The Bounty of Mary Jane”, will remain in their original, threadbare form. The latter number sees Long displaying some fingerpicking in the style of Mississippi John Hurt, one of his many blues influences. It's no surprise that the recent graduate of London Metropolitan University wrote his thesis on the social impact of American folk music.

      “When I first started playing guitar, all I played was stuff like Muddy Waters, B. B. King, and Lightnin' Hopkins,” he says. “And I love all the folk guys, Dylan and Richie Havens, people like that—Woody Guthrie. Those were kind of my heroes as a kid, whereas everybody else was listening to Oasis.”

      Bobby Long plays the Backstage Lounge on Tuesday (August 11).

      Comments

      16 Comments

      Danica

      Aug 6, 2009 at 9:39pm

      Bobby is definitely an amazing musician, and he is on tour! So please go check out his myspace : www.myspace.com/musicbobbylong and you'll be able to hear some of his amazing music, and also get updated tour information. You can also see great videos of his live performances on youtube.

      * Just one thing, in case anyone wants to download his music, his song that quickly climbed up the iTunes chart is actually called "Left to Lie" .

      Thanks for the article! :)

      Lady Jane

      Aug 6, 2009 at 9:51pm

      Woohoo, Bobby! He's an amazing talent & a lovely guy, as well. I am so excited to see him get recognition for his incredible music! I just saw him live in Texas 4 times and highly recommend attending his show on the 11th. Don't miss it!!

      Marie from BC

      Aug 6, 2009 at 9:54pm

      Bobby is awesome! I am seeing his show on August 11th and cannot wait!

      Steve Newton

      Aug 6, 2009 at 10:11pm

      I made the correction to the song title, Danica; thanks for catching it. Yes, Bobby's pretty amazing. Enjoy the show, if you're going.

      Cyn

      Aug 6, 2009 at 11:22pm

      very nice, thanks for spreading the word about this talented man :)

      Mandy

      Aug 7, 2009 at 5:07am

      Thanks so much for the great article on Bobby! He is such a talented musician and is deserving of all of his success.

      Jen

      Aug 7, 2009 at 5:09am

      Great artice, thanks for helping get the word out about Bobby. If you have a chance to see him live, don't pass it up he's amazing.

      Kay in Philly

      Aug 7, 2009 at 6:20am

      I saw Bobby perform live i Philly....it was AMAZING...words cannot describe what it is like to see him live. His voice is amazing...he is funny and the sweetest guy I have ever met. He takes time to meet all of his fans and take photos. He is so down to earth. He just loves to share his music. Go see him if you can...it is an opportunity NOT TO BE MISSED!

      Julie L

      Aug 7, 2009 at 6:48am

      thanks for the great article! Bobby Long is an amazing talent that doesn't come around very often in this day and age. So, don't miss your chance to see him! i promise you'll regret it =)