Music
Bob Birch
1956–2012 · bassist
Detroit-born, Wayne State–trained bassist who played in Elton John's band for two decades.
- Born
Detroit, Michigan- Died
Los Angeles, California
aged 56- Birth name
- Robert Wayne Birch
- Detroit years
- 1956–early 1980s
- Field
- Music
01 / The Detroit story
The Detroit story
Bob Birch was born in Detroit and grew up in suburban Sterling Heights and St. Clair Shores. Drawn to the bass by the Motown sound and horn bands like Chicago, he won state band and orchestra festival awards and, as a senior at Lakeview High School, the Louis Armstrong award. A state scholarship took him to Wayne State University, first as a pre-med student; he switched to music and graduated in 1980 with a degree in music education and performance, then taught for a time in the Warren Consolidated Schools. Moving to Los Angeles, he became a session and touring player, and in 1992 joined Elton John's band, where he played bass and sang backing vocals for twenty years on world tours and albums. He died in Los Angeles in 2012.
Highlights
- Elton John's bassist from 1992 to 2012
- Music education and performance degree from Wayne State University (1980)
- Louis Armstrong award at Lakeview High School in St. Clair Shores
- Taught music in the Warren Consolidated Schools
02 / Their Detroit places
Their Detroit places 2
Where they lived, worked, performed and liked to hang out. Closed and demolished places stay here too, because they are part of the city's history.
Studied here · 1970s–1980
Wayne State University
He studied here on a state scholarship and graduated in music education and performance in 1980.
Studied here · early 1970s
Lakeview High School (St. Clair Shores)
His high school, where he won the Louis Armstrong award as a senior.