Robert Ellis Orrall
Robert Ellis Orrall | |
---|---|
Also known as | Bob Something |
Born | May 4, 1955 |
Origin | Winthrop, Massachusetts, U.S. |
Genres | |
Occupation(s) |
|
Instrument(s) | |
Years active | 1980–present |
Labels | |
Formerly of | Orrall & Wright |
Website | www |
Robert Ellis Orrall (born May 4, 1955) is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. Signed to RCA Records in 1980, Orrall debuted that year with the album "Fixation". His first Top 40 single was "I Couldn't Say No", a duet with
Musical career
Beginnings
Born in
Nashville
Orrall eventually gained an interest in country music through such acts as Steve Earle, Lyle Lovett, and Foster & Lloyd.[2] He then moved to Nashville, Tennessee,[3] intending to use his songwriting and record producing skills.[2] One of his first cuts was Shenandoah's "Next to You, Next to Me", which Orrall co-wrote with Curtis Wright.[3]
Shortly after his song topped the charts, Orrall's publisher BMG Music urged him to perform his songs at The Bluebird Cafe in Nashville. He was then offered a second record deal with RCA.[2] Titled Flying Colors, Orrall's first and only solo country album produced three charting singles, including a Top 20 in "Boom! It Was Over", as well as "A Little Bit of Her Love" and "Every Day When I Get Home". In 1993, Clay Walker reached Number One on the country charts with Orrall's "What's It to You", another Wright co-write.
Orrall & Wright
Orrall and Wright paired up in 1994, forming a duo known as
Late 1990s and 2000s
Orrall continued to write songs and produce records for other artists, including "What If It's You" for Reba McEntire, "Ultimate"" for Lindsay Lohan, The Swing" for James Bonamy, as well as many cuts by Michael Peterson: the Number One hit "From Here to Eternity". He also took up painting, and holds one-man shows around Nashville.[5] He is represented by Estel Gallery.
In 2002 Orrall and his two sons, Jake and Jamin, formed an independent rock label called Infinity Cat Recordings. One of the acts signed to that label is fictitious indie rock group Monkey Bowl, in which Orrall assumes the pseudonym Bob Something.[6] In 2004, the group achieved media attention for its song "Al Gore".[7] Written by Orrall, the song features an appearance by former United States vice president Al Gore.[8] Among the acts on the label are JEFF the Brotherhood, which is composed of Orrall's sons, Jamin and Jake.[9] Although Orrall does not write for bands on the label, he has occasionally engineered or mixed their albums, most recently grunge-pop trio Daddy Issues' debut full-length Can We Still Hang.[10]
Orrall has continued writing for other artists in the 2000s, including
Discography
Albums
- Sweet Nothing (REO)
- Big 12 Inch Single (Sail)
- Fixation (1981) (RCA)
- Special Pain (1983) (RCA)
- Contain Yourself (1984) (RCA)
- Flying Colors (1993) (RCA)
- Plastic 350 (2004) (Infinity Cat) as Monkey Bowl
- "Soon To Be A Major Motion Picture" (2005) (Infinity Cat) as Steffle/Flanders
- "Art Circus" (2006) (Infinity Cat) as Art Circus
- Ultimate (2008) (Infinity Cat) as Monkey Bowl
- The Book Of Lies (2008) (Victor/SonyBMG)
- Mistakes/Gravity" (2010) (Plastic350)
- Space (2012) (Plastic350) as Monkey Bowl
- 467 Surf and Gun Club (2021) (Fixation Records)
Singles
Year | Single | Peak chart positions | Album | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
US [16] |
US Country [17] |
CAN Country [18] | |||
1983 | "I Couldn't Say No" (with Carlene Carter) | 32 | — | — | Special Pain |
"Tell Me if It Hurts"[19] | — | — | — | ||
1984 | "Alibi"[20] | — | — | — | Contain Yourself |
1992 | "Boom! It Was Over" | — | 19 | 39 | Flying Colors |
1993 | "A Little Bit of Her Love" | — | 31 | 36 | |
"Every Day When I Get Home" | — | 64 | 68 | ||
"—" denotes releases that did not chart |
Music videos
Year | Video | Director |
---|---|---|
1981 | "Actually" | |
1983 | "I Couldn't Say No" | |
"Tell Me If It Hurts" | ||
1992 | "Boom! It Was Over" | Chris Rogers |
1993 | "A Little Bit of Her Love" | Alan Chebot |
"Every Day When I Get Home" |
References
- ^ "Robert Ellis Orrall". Robertellisorrall.com.
- ^ a b c d "Robert Ellis Orrall @ peermusic - The Independent Major". 25 March 2002. Archived from the original on 2002-03-25. Retrieved 27 January 2021.
- ^ a b "Robert Ellis Orrall". Oldies.com.
- ^ AllMusic (((Curtis Wright > Biography)))
- ^ a b "CMT.com : Robert Ellis Orrall : Robert Ellis Orrall Gets Personal in New Paintings, Albums". Cmt.com.
- ^ "monkey bowl". Infinitycat.com.
- ^ "Music Row Democrats - Cut By Cut". 8 December 2006. Archived from the original on 2006-12-08. Retrieved 27 January 2021.
- ^ "In Nashville, Sounds of Political Uprising From the Left". Commondreams.com.
- ^ "Nashville Scene - The Cat's Out of the Bag". Nashvillescene.com.
- ^ Brown, Kevin. "TCF Presents Daddy Issues". Thiscitysfull.com. Retrieved 2010-03-25.
- ^ "Ten Ten Music Group, Inc. - Robert Ellis Orrall". Tentenmusic.com. Archived from the original on 2010-11-30. Retrieved 2010-03-25.
- ^ "Listen To An Exclusive Track From Brad Meltzer's 'The Book of Lies'". Splashpage.mtv.com. 2008-08-21. Retrieved 2010-03-25.
- ^ "Nashville's Man Without a Country; With Songwriter Robert Ellis Orrall's Little-Known 'Mistakes,' to Err Is Divine - The Washington Post | HighBeam Research". November 6, 2012. Archived from the original on November 6, 2012.
- ^ "Protected Blog › Log in". Plastic350records.com.
- ^ "Robert Ellis Orrall Interview". It's Psychedelic Baby! Magazine. 9 October 2021.
- ISBN 978-0-89820-229-8.
- ^ "Billboard Hot 100". Billboard. May 21, 1983. Retrieved March 15, 2024.
- ^ "Search results for Robert Ellis Orrall and Country Singles". RPM. Retrieved March 15, 2024.
- ^ "Singles Reviews". Billboard. August 6, 1983. p. 59.
- ^ "Singles Reviews". Billboard. June 23, 1984. p. 68.