Bagpiper logo

Robert was a bagpiper, lutest, tool manufacturer, visual and good musician, historian and storyteller.
Their dad had been a Rosicrusian and worked when you look at the film industry in l . a ., California. His mama had been an educator and worked at UCLA.

Robert got his education going to unique schools when you look at the Los Angeles, Hollywood area. He also invested several hours at the collection studying items that curious him by himself. He told stories/sang songs of Plato the Elder, Hermese T. alongside characters I would never ever heard of. He explained how they tried to turn lead into gold along with other these types of stories. We're assembling a DVD of Bob Thomas' music, art, handmade devices, and stories of their life adventures. Addititionally there is a Bob Thomas festival organization to honor his revival of a number of forgotten bagpipe and ethnic songs customs. He had been outstanding friend to Richard Chase and collectively they recreated the English Morris (party, ritual) in Ca during the Renaissance enjoyment Faires. Kindly refer to Los Californios under ITS tasks to see more info on the amazing Robert D. Thomas.

Robert had many successes. His artistic ones consist of:

• The logo for Rock group, The Grateful Dead
• Album addresses for The Grateful Dead including; "Live/Dead" and "Bear's option."
• The logo and musical organization title the Golden Toad
• The logo and title for non-profit business, Institute for conventional Studies, that you see on our website.
• Logo for Alembic
• Thomas Piper, a book on bagpipes worldwide, written and illustrated by Bob.

Under is a photo and a design of Robert playing their precious Zampogna, Italian pipelines with two melody chanters to generate breathtaking harmonies. The picture is circa 1968. The design, left had been done by Melissa L. Fischbach in 1991.

a letter from Alan Keith towards the Institute via a friend, in the year 2000.
Hi, I ran across the ITS site therefore the Bob Thomas (video?) task. We appreciate that there is a-work happening on him.
May very well not know this, but Bob and I also had been acquainted as other bagpipe lovers since 1969, having first met within Southern Renaissance Faire, that year (he had been using 'The [Golden] Toad'; I was piping into the 'Noon Parade'). Bob along with his talent as an ethnomusicologist and multi-instrumentalist really got me interested, and consequently started on a lifetime of globe bagpipe gathering, study and performance. We spent many happy, interesting, and informative hours 'at Bob's knee', gleaning items of piping alongside music information, provided between his people 'yarns', historical tidbits and biographical cameos (there were constantly some 'leg-pullers' plus a couple of 'whoppers' added to test their listener's understanding, intelligence and spontaneity). Anyway, to make it to the beef associated with the message: i've owned a number of Bob's devices through the years, including ones he built. I've also ventured which will make copies of some!(you will discover them on website link for Alan, base this page, that also includes an email about Bob). Because you can already fully know, the majority of Bob's exclusive assortment of tools had been damaged into the Preston Ranch fire. But there are still several items of their previous collection nevertheless around, and quite a lot of devices which he built for himself and for sale to other individuals. Bob had been rather a 'horse trader', therefore numerous tools which he possessed at once found their particular way to the fingers of his musician friends and associates.
We currently very own three tools of his manufacture: -Swedish pibsack -Welsh or Flemish (?) double-chanter bagpipe -Lancashire 'wait' shawm they're people that I either know or suspect very own one or more of Bob's creations:
Ian Law, Brian Steeger, Shawn Folsom, Oliver Seeler, will likely Spires, Jason Adajian, Mickie Zekley, Rick I. Cook, Mitchel Sandler, Museo de la Gaita - Gijon, Spain (I have the catalog!). I am sure there are numerous even more that I do not remember or understand about.Bob 'cranked-out' quite a lot of devices for some years during the '80s which were offered by 'Lark' as well as other stores, and peddled to anybody and everyone he found on his moves around California. Alan Keith *1.

Edited by Deborah Fischbach, ITS website owner. editor's note; Ernie Fischbach inherited (gift from Mary) Bob's Gaita, bagpipes from Northern Spain and
Mickie Zekley got the English pipelines that Bob constantly used the English Morris Dancers. I am thrilled to say both Ernie and Mickie tend to be playing their pipes.

EXHIBIT OF ROBERT'S ART WORK ON SONOMA COUNTY MUSEUM JULY OF 2005. Will Spires (pictured) put this display "Piper of Preston Hill" together, Thanks a lot Will