Alberta tribute musician bringing legends to life

Approximately 50 music legends spanning four decades will come to life in a tribute show at a Black Diamond bar this weekend. Nashville recording artist and entertainer Robert Larrabee is taking on the persona of music icons in his one-act show The Legends through Rock-A-Billy Entertainment at the Black Diamond Hotel and Bar June 9 at 7:30 p.m. Among the greats he will portray are Marty Robbins, Glen Campbell, Johnny Cash, Ritchie Valens, Buddy Holly, Neil Diamond, Roy Orbison, Rod Stewart, Elvis Presley, Conway Twitty and Frank Sinatra. “I portray the greatest entertainers of all time – the greatest singers, the greatest icons,” he said. “I do the biggest and the best from the 1950s all the way up to the ’80s. There is no comparison to the guys I perform to anybody that’s performed in those decades.” Among the greats are Garth Brooks, who Larrabee said is still going strong, and Michael Buble, who he said made swing hip again around the world. “If nostalgia is your thing you’ll dig this,” he said. “The ’80s was the last great decade when they played instruments. Now it’s all electronic.” Larrabee doesn’t consider himself an impersonator, but rather an actor, singer and performer. “When I do my show it’s my portrayal,” he said. “I act and I sing and I do comedy. There was a time in our entertainment industry when all your stars could do that. That’s what you get when you come to my show.” Not only does the Medicine Hat performer sing, he takes on their nuances and stage presence, often with an acoustic guitar in hand. “When I do Ritchie Valens it’s an East LA caricature and it’s very funny,” he said. “I get the audience to help me find a Donna. We put two chairs side by side on the stage and we recreate some of those magical moments they shared in his ’54 low rider.” Between the songs, Larrabee performs gags as if the singers are interacting with one another. “When I’m Tom Jones I mention Buddy Holly and Elvis will mention something about Tom,” he said. “I researched these guys so I know their history and who their friends were and how they were with each other. They were in direct competition but it was healthy competition and they would rib each other.” Larrabee also gets his audience involved in the fun. “I’m in the audience quite a bit,” he said. “I work the crowd and get the audience involved right away so everybody is part of the show.” It all began for Larrabee as a young adult singing in hotel bars and afternoon jam sessions in Edmonton, leading to two years of talent shows. “People asked, ‘Where did you get that voice,’” he recalls. “That’s what got me into this.” In the late ’80s and early ’90s Larrabee fronted many bar bands and traveled across western Canada performing. Thirty years ago he began his work with The Legends, beginning with a five-piece band that was playing for audiences of 3,000 people. He also tried his chops at acting and later used his experience with Dinner Theatre, an acting chain that ran across Canada, to delve further into his characters. “I learned about improv and holding the audience’s attention,” he said. “When I got out of bands and started doing the acting thing and then wrote the one-man show, I incorporated a lot of things in Dinner Theatre into the show.” Larrabee furthered his acting experience with a principle lead role in the independent feature film Valerie, based on a Russian opera, where he plays crime boss Victor Bonavente. The film will be released in August. On the musical side, Larrabee released his third album last year, High Water, named after the title song about Glen Campbell who was quoted saying, “When I got to LA and started playing with those studio musicians I was floating on high water.” Tickets to see The Legends cost $35 and are available at Okotoks Sobeys and the Black Diamond Hotel and Bar. Only cash is accepted.