Howard Roberts

Howard Mancel Roberts (October 2, 1929 – June 28, 1992) was an American jazz guitarist, educator, and session musician.

Roberts was born in Phoenix, Arizona to Damon and Vesta Roberts, and began playing guitar at the age of 8 - a Gibson manufactured $18 Kalamazoo student model acoustic given to him by his parents at Christmas.

He took lessons from Horace Hatchett, who commented to Roberts’ father that Roberts, at the age of 15, “... has his own style of playing and there's nothing else I can show him.

He plays better than I do.” By the time he was 15, he was playing professionally locally, predominantly blues-based music, where he learned from a number of black musicians, trumpeter Art Farmer being among that group.

By the late ‘40s Roberts was playing with one of his boyhood friends, Pete Jolly - a well known jazz pianist - and they toured Washington and Idaho in early 1950.

In 1950, he moved to Los Angeles, California arriving with no place to live and carrying only his guitar and amp.

Roberts concentrated on the ‘after hours’ scene, jamming with such players as Sonny Stitt, Dexter Gordon and Buddy DeFranco.

After hearing him play one night, Roberts met Barney Kessel which began an important and lasting friendship.

1952 was the year Roberts played on his first record date, Jam Session No. 10 with Gerry Mulligan and Jimmy Rowles.

He recorded with the Wardell Gray Quintet on the album Live at the Haig.

1953 saw him record a Troup album for Capitol Records.

Following in 1955, Roberts played on the album The Chico Hamilton Trio which was released on the Pacific Jazz label.

This album brought the first among other notable recognition he was to later receive, the DownBeat New Star Award.

Around 1956, Troup signed him to Verve Records as a solo artist.

Kessel happened to have an A&R position at the label and produced Roberts’ album entitled Mr. Roberts Plays Guitar for the label.

It was this album which featured arrangements by Marshall, Marty Paich and Bill Holman - three well known arrangers in Hollywood at that time.

One interesting story comes out of the May 1958 Peggy Lee record date he was hired for.

When the session moved to record what would become one of Lee's more known hits, Fever, producer Marshall decided not to use the guitar part Roberts would have played.

As a consequence, Roberts snapped his fingers on the tune along with Max Bennett's bass line and Lee's vocals.

This would have technically been what session players refer to as a double, being hired to play one instrument (his guitar) and winding up playing another “instrument” - snapping his fingers.

1959 brought the opportunity to play on the background score for the TV program The Deputy, which starred Henry Fonda.

Marshall did the scoring and wanted a jazz guitar to play on it.

He hired Roberts for the part allowing him to improvise over the action sequences in the show.

It was Kessel who introduced the young Roberts to guitarist Jack Marshall who eventually signed him to Capitol Records later on in 1963.

With the assistance of Marshall, he began working with musicians, arrangers and songwriters including Neal Hefti, Henry Mancini, Bobby Troup, Chico Hamilton, George Van Eps, and Kessel.

Coincidentally, Roberts’ first gig was on The Al Pierce Show, a radio program which, as a 10 year old, Roberts had told his mom he'd be on someday.

It was his first paying job since moving to LA, making $550 a week.

It was around this time that he started teaching guitar at Westlake College.

In 1963, Roberts recorded Color Him Funky and H.R. Is a Dirty Guitar Player, his first two albums after signing with Capitol.

Produced by Marshall, they both feature the same quartet with Roberts (guitar), Chuck Berghofer (bass), Earl Palmer (drums) and Paul Bryant alternating with Burkley Kendrix on organ.

According to Jim Carlton writing for Vintage Guitar magazine these first two albums created a fan base that was not equaled by any other jazz guitarist at that time.

After that, Roberts was referred to as simply H.R. and his albums were among the most anticipated jazz releases of the day.

At this point Roberts decided to concentrate on recording, both as a solo artist and a Wrecking Crew session musician, a direction he would continue until the early 1970s.

In 1992 Roberts was quoted in "The Independent Newsletter" by Steve Voce saying he considered that early experience to be “the most valuable” to him in his development as a player.

At the time Roberts and his close friend and roommate, guitarist Howard Heitmeyer, would start their day by practicing 3 or 4 hours, catch an afternoon movie, returning to practice until they went to the clubs in the evening.

When Roberts reached the age of 17 he was involved with a class that was begun by Joseph Schillinger, a composer/theorist.

Fabian Andre had been commissioned to teach the class.

Some of the students who had taken the class included George Gershwin, Tommy Dorsey, Benny Goodman and Oscar Levant.

Schillinger applied mathematical principles to art which appealed to Roberts.

To be able to take the course he made a deal with Andre; he'd sweep the floors after class to help defray the cost of his tuition.