Rob Townsend
English rock and blues drummer (born 1947)
title: "Rob Townsend" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1947-births", "living-people", "english-rock-drummers", "musicians-from-leicester", "the-manfreds-members", "the-blues-band-members", "family-(band)-members"] description: "English rock and blues drummer (born 1947)" topic_path: "arts" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rob_Townsend" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary English rock and blues drummer (born 1947) ::
::data[format=table title="Infobox musical artist "]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | Rob Townsend |
| background | non_vocal_instrumentalist |
| birth_name | Robert Townsend |
| image | The Blues Band - Rob Townsend (adjusted).jpg |
| landscape | yes |
| caption | Townsend with The Blues Band in 2013. |
| birth_date | |
| birth_place | Leicester, England |
| instrument | Drums |
| genre | Rock |
| occupation | Musician |
| years_active | 1967–present |
| label | Arista, Polydor, RCA |
| :: |
| name = Rob Townsend | background = non_vocal_instrumentalist | birth_name = Robert Townsend | image = The Blues Band - Rob Townsend (adjusted).jpg | image_size = | landscape = yes | caption = Townsend with The Blues Band in 2013. | birth_date = | birth_place = Leicester, England | instrument = Drums | genre = Rock | occupation = Musician | years_active = 1967–present | label = Arista, Polydor, RCA | website =
Rob Townsend (born 7 July 1947) is an English rock and blues drummer. He was the drummer for progressive rock band Family and later The Blues Band.
Biography
Townsend was born near Frog Island, Leicester, England, where he spent his teenage years playing in various bands, such as the Beatniks, Broodly Hoo and Legay. He became drummer for Family, replacing Harry Overnall in 1967. Family broke up in 1973 and Townsend joined Medicine Head. After eighteen months he left Medicine Head and spent much of the late 1970s as freelance session drummer for Peter Skellern, George Melly and Bill Wyman amongst others. During this time he played drums for Kevin Ayers and Charlie Whitney's Axis Point.
In 1982 Townsend joined The Blues Band, in a line up including Paul Jones, guitarists Dave Kelly and Tom McGuinness also bassist Gary Fletcher. In 1991 he also joined Jones and McGuinness as part of the Manfred Mann splinter band The Manfreds, recording and touring, as well as backing other performers including Georgie Fame, Colin Blunstone, Long John Baldry, and Chris Farlowe.
Townsend once said in an interview:
Townsend mentioned jazz greats Buddy Rich and Gene Krupa as influences in the same interview.
References
References
- (2005). "Rob Townsend".
- Terry Rawlings. "Then, Now and Rare British Beat 1960-1969". Omnibus Press.
- "Gramophone, Volume 53". Mackenzie.
- (1995). "The Great Rock Discography". Canongate US.
- Larkin, Colin. "The Guinness Encyclopedia of Popular Music". Guinness.
- Terry Rawlings. "Rough Guide to Rock". Rough Guides.
- (April 24, 2021). "The Manfreds Hit The Road With Georgie Fame".
- (May 24, 2002). "There's still life in the old Zombie".
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