Rob Hudec was born in Leader, Saskatchewan – the eighth child in a family of ten children. Music played a big part in the family’s life. As Rob puts it, “We weren’t the von Trapp family or anything like that, but there was always music around the house.”
Rob took up the guitar at the age of eight. He remembers well how it all started.
“My brother, who is five years older than me, was learning to play an Eagle’s song, Lyin’ Eyes, on a friend’s guitar one night in our basement. I was supposed to be asleep, but when I heard my brother, I knew I wanted to learn to play. The next day my father gave me a chord book and the small guitar we had in the house, and I started practicing.”
Rob has lived in Medicine Hat since 2000, and is a popular, well-known fixture on the music scene there. His masterful guitar-playing and rich, soulful voice can be heard almost any weekend in Medicine Hat, Swift Current or other nearby spots – whether playing solo or with friends, or hosting some jam sessions. Though his passion has always been the sheer joy of playing live music to a crowd, in recent years Rob has been touring less and focusing more on writing songs and recording albums.
“I feel so blessed to be able to play my music and stay pretty close to home,” says Rob. “I love working in my yard and on numerous projects. In those “whistling while I work” moments a song melody usually pops in my head and I’ll hum it into my little pocket recorder. Or if a little “hook” line I hear or see inspires me, I’ll write it down. Eventually a song transpires from that. It’s like putting a puzzle together.”
Rob first album, Lost and Found, came out in 1998 – a collection of original songs that he’d composed during his ramblings the previous ten years. His prowess as a blues guitarist/singer was front and centre in his 2005 album, The Absynthe Sessions, featuring the Rob Hudec Trio. A gorgeous homage to the blues, the album covers songs by the likes of Willie Dixon and John Lee Hooker. In 2010, Rob released Dandelion, an engaging eclectic mix of original tunes, with threads of jazz, folk, reggae and R&B woven into his natural blues-driven sensibilities.
Rob’s latest album, The Narrow Road, is a gift of 13 gospel songs. Familiar melodies, such as Go Tell It On the Mountain are lovingly presented in a roots/acoustic style. Rob chose songs that have always touched his heart, and invited his musical friends and family to join him. In fact, the talents of 26 singers and musicians from the Medicine Hat area are featured in the album – including Rob’s son, his niece and even his parents, who sing a lovely rendition of I Come to the Garden, accompanying themselves on piano and clarinet.
