Raised on a Dublin, Ontario farm, he grew up playing piano accompaniment for his father who played Don Messer style fiddle [South-western Ontario Celtic].  Bob played tunes on the harmonica for his classmates at any opportunity.

1962-65 Bob’s other great love was trains. When he got his first job off the farm, it was as a relief Station Agent for the C.N.R.

Rompin’ Ronnie Hawkins [Mr. Dynamo] was a great inspiration to him, and so too  was the bluesy groove of Jimmy Reed’s music.   One night he heard … “the chimes of freedom”…and he bought a Bob Dylan album………

Six months later ….he sold his 65 Mustang…grew a beard…quit his job…bought a guitar… learned his first songs Blowin’ in the Wind and Times Are A’ Changin’.

After returning from backpacking across Europe, he returned to Canada where he first met Duke Wilson, who was then working at the Black Swan Coffeehouse in Stratford Ontario.

Bob stayed in Stratford, ran the espresso machine at the Black Swan … He hitched rides to the west coast playing coffeehouses, .. then, to the east coast, .. where he got a job as helmsman on a Greek freighter, the S.S. Hadsund and went to Ireland to kiss the Blarney Stone and on to Spain and Morocco……

1965-75 At the THE BLACK SWAN...Bob met and jammed with some of the folks.. Cedric Smith, Richard Keelan, Misty Wizards, Fred Baue, Jackie Washington, Terry Jones, Doug McArthur, Stan Rogers , Valdy , David Woodhead, Jude Crocker, John Jackson, Colin Linden, Jerome Jarvis, Brent Titcomb, Pierre Pot, Colleen Peterson, Bob Carpenter….the list goes on…

In Toronto, Bob studied Classical guitar with Carl Van Feggelin and flatpicking with Dave Wilcox.

In 1968, Bob Burchill moved to Winnipeg where he taught guitar ..and played back-up guitar and Mandolin with The Chicken Flats String Band.  He also learned more about prairie style fiddle from Fyddler Zeuf.

1969 Bob was hired to be the guitarist in an show “Spoon River Anthology”.   Toronto became his home where he worked as a fiddler/actor in a play at the Bathurst Church Theatre called “She Named it Canada Because That Was What It Was Called”.

1970 Bob became a full time player and one of the lead singers with “Perth County Conspiracy does not exist”…He shared the singing and stage with Cedric Smith,  Richard Keelan, mime “Pierre Pot”, Terry Jones, Judy Crocker, and David Balser.

1973…Perth County released the, What Bus? album on Rumour Records with three of Bob’s songs on it. [Sad Stories, Kingdoms, Earthbound]

During that time, Bob  toured coast to coast several times playing University concert halls, coffeehouses, and Jubilee auditoriums.

1974 Bob's  song Black Creek released as a single on the Mushroom label.

1975 saw the release of his first solo album “Cabin Fever”.  He decided to form his own band, a Concert /Boogie concept .. so, the band The Perth County Express does not exhaust was formed, and Bob played at various festivals the next three years. Some of those were Festival of Friends, Northern Lights/Festival Boreal, Blue Skies, Ottawa Folk Fest, Home County Fest, and …The Riverboat in Yorkville.

During the early period of Bob’s music, he had the pleasure of being the first artist to record David Woodhead on an album.. also guitarist John Jackson and later guitarist Brian Lee Griffith,   and percussionist/drummer Jerome Jarvis.

1977 Bob and Perth County Express recorded the album, “Will I Ever Get To Heaven” [a hobo’s spiritual] an it was released with very favourable reviews.

1979-80…Bob formed “Nearly Normal” , a duo with Glen Soulis of Kitchener.

In 1980, he recorded his third solo Album “Hugs…Bob Burchill…of songs of love and rain, with John Till and Ken Kalmusky, and other fine musicians.   He also developed a good big repertoire of Irish Pub songs

1981-84..  Bob formed Two Blue,  a duo with Caroline Danowski, played dining rooms and concerts, and released an album on cassette, also titled “Two Blue” [1983].

1985-89 formed “Wild & Blue” with Phil Blackler, a local rocker,… and was lead singer/guitarist/fiddler, of the group.

1990-93 Bob was the lead guitarist of “Partners, Brothers and Friends”, a dance band.

In 1989 Bob started a music teaching studio in St. Marys, Ont., ... as  sort of a folklore centre…. It was called “R.B Music”. For 12 years he busily taught students of all ages how to make music on a variety of instruments; Guitar, mandolin, fiddle, bass, and keyboards.. Bob ran his shop in the “Stonetown” until July, 2001. His motto “Play skillfully with a loud noise...’ ps.33v3.

During that time he developed his Pioneer show for the Fryfogle Tavern School program.

In 2001 Bob retired the “Stonetown” music studio and settled into a quiet country lifestyle of natural gardening, cutting wood for the stove, and playing music.

In 2002, Bob produced a CD., “It’s a Grand Garden”, with 14 original songs.  During this time he also re-mastered some of his earlier albums.  He realized the farm was taking him further away from his music after bees came after him while he was up on a ladder. He had been doing all the work it takes just to keep the place from “turning into a Jungle”.  In 2005, he sold the old place. [in the family since 1847]. He realized the music scene in London was rich with opportunities to play and also to teach bright young students.

In 2006 he produced an album of a traditional nature -- “ When I was a kid”, is a collection of songs and fiddle music ( South Western Ontario Celtic and Country) that he grew up with, plus four originals in the style of those times..” 

NEWS-June ,08
.....and soon to be released in 2008.
 

His newest work “Take a Great Big Breath”.  Release date June or July 2008 .  There are 14 new songs on this cd.. Check Discography for information.  The music is for the listener and the song-singers, and that is the whole story.

Bob is currently working on a collection of short stories.  He and Suzanne live on a fine little acreage just north of London.