Robert Randolph & The Family Band

A master of the pedal steel guitar, Robert Randolph transitioned from sacred settings to popular music and quickly drew listeners from the blues community, roots rock circles, and jam band scenes through his intense instrumental style and sincere songcraft. Having honed his skills performing during services at New Jersey’s House of God Church—a denomination long centered on the pedal steel—he attracted attention beyond those walls and issued his first recording, the 2001 live set Live at the Wetlands with his Family Band, which blended gospel roots with robust rock and blues textures. His initial studio effort, Unclassified, arrived in 2003 and expanded his range by incorporating funk and Caribbean elements. Later Family Band projects such as the T-Bone Burnett-produced When We Walk This Road in 2010 and 2013’s Lickety Split sustained the same fervent energy born from their cross-genre blend.

Randolph first took up the instrument as a teenager attending church in Orange, New Jersey, just beyond Newark. Regular visits to the African-American Pentecostal House of God Church, which had incorporated steel guitars known as “Sacred Steel” since the 1930s and added the pedal steel in the 1970s, shaped his approach; he absorbed technique simply by observing fellow players at services. Over time he fused that foundation with funk and soul, reshaping an instrument traditionally linked to country music into a multicultural voice.

In early 2000, Jim Markel encountered Randolph at Florida’s Sacred Steel Convention and introduced him to Gary Waldman; the pair soon managed his career. Momentum built when Manhattan’s Bowery Ballroom talent buyer Matt Hickey booked Randolph to open for the North Mississippi Allstars. Within weeks he advanced to the Beacon Theater alongside Medeski, Martin & Wood. Keyboardist John Medeski was so taken with the playing that he invited Randolph to record an instrumental gospel-blues album, resulting in the widely praised 2001 release The Word.

Randolph then assembled the Family Band, featuring cousins Danyell Morgan on bass and Marcus Randolph on drums plus organist John Ginty. Early shows found them supporting acts such as the Derek Trucks Band, Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe, and Soulive; within months they were headlining regularly. Robert Randolph & the Family Band documented their live sound on Live at the Wetlands, recorded at the famed venue shortly before its closure and issued in fall 2001. Their studio debut, Unclassified, followed in 2003 and reached still more listeners. Guitarist Eric Clapton became an admirer, taking the group on tour and joining them on the 2006 album Colorblind.

In 2010 Randolph collaborated with producer T-Bone Burnett on We Walk This Road, which included contributions from Ben Harper, Leon Russell, and Doyle Bramhall II. After extensive touring the band signed with Blue Note Records, releasing Lickety Split in 2013 with appearances by Trombone Shorty and Carlos Santana. Further road work included additional performances with John Medeski under the Word banner before the Family Band returned to the studio for its fifth album. Randolph’s first Sony Masterworks project, 2017’s Got Soul, featured vocalist Darius Rucker, keyboardist Cory Henry, and singer Anthony Hamilton. Producer Dave Cobb then helmed 2019’s Brighter Days, issued on the Dutch blues label Provogue.