Buffalo Bob Blues Band Offers Mix of Originals, Covers and More

When the Buffalo Bob Blues Band takes the stage at in Ballwin Friday, the audience will be treated to a wide-ranging performance by a veteran musician who has played with some of the best names in the business.

“I’m not really doing pop anymore—I’m getting too old for
that,” said Robert Fancher, aka Buffalo Bob. “I’ll do some original blues and stuff that we recorded, and the blues covers I do, I try to do ones that nobody else in town is doing. When I got off the road and first moved here, I went and saw all the name blues bands in town, and I said, ‘Well, they’re basically all doing the same tunes.’ So I kinda tried to pick material that no one else was doing, but was still in the genre. So that was kind of our corner of the block.”

He’ll also play some rhythm and blues, plus instrumental surf music from the likes of Dick Dale, The Ventures and Hank Marvin.

“At this time in my life, I’m gonna do what I like to do, and if we do it well, the people seem to like it, even though they might not have grown up in that era. I know the baby boomers can relate to this stuff.”

Fancher, 63, has been a musician since leaving the Army in
1969. He has opened for or played with music legends including Bo Diddley, Chuck Berry, Johnnie Johnson, Ronnie and the Coasters and John Lee Hooker.  

“I’m semi-retired and just playing around town now,” he said. “I don’t have to play six nights a week to pay the rent anymore. So I’m pretty much just doing it to stay out there as long as I’m able to.”

He has good instincts for what audiences will get into, and the audiences get a feel for what they can expect, too.

“Over the years, you find out what people like and what they’ll
respond to. I’ll cover ‘Sleepwalk’ by Santo and Johnny, something like that. I think we played it at my high school prom, but people still like it,” Fancher said and chuckled. “And rarely does anyone ask me to do Nickelback or anything. As long as you’re honest with what you’re doing, and you play from within, they’re gonna dig what it is, no matter what it is.”

Fancher is looking forward to playing The Wolf again.

“I really like that room…I like the way it’s set up, I like the crowd. It seems like, the last time I was there, everybody appreciated everything we did, and they let us know that,” he said.

The band will perform from 7 to 10 p.m., with a break in between two
90-minute sets.

“It’s like a mini-concert to me,” Fancher said. “You throw out your best stuff for an hour and a half, then you come back and do whatever else. My second show is different from the first. That’s when I get into territory that is not strictly blues. The first show is mostly blues. The second show is everything from surf to psychedelic, with a little blues in there. I really enjoy both different shows, because it keeps me going.”

Fancher got the nickname Buffalo Bob because he used to wear
a Sioux buffalo head headdress while performing, which quickly became uncomfortable while playing hot numbers under hotter stage lights.

“You couldn’t pay me enough to do that anymore,” he said,
laughing.

Fancher plays guitar and sings vocals. His four-piece group
also includes a bassist, drummer and keyboard player.

“I’ve got some really good musicians who back me up,” he
said.

Fancher also hosts a blues jam session every Sunday evening
at , which is next to the Funnybone Comedy Club at Westport Plaza.

“We’ve had so many name musicians coming through town (play
with us),” he said. “Sammy Hagar came in one night and sat in with us…We just never know who’s gonna show up there. Last Sunday it was just regulars.”

Doors open at 8 p.m., music starts at 8:45 p.m. and continues
until 11:30 p.m.

“It’s nonstop,” he said. “We bring musicians in, there’s no
breaks. That’s probably right up there with one of my favorite gigs.”