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People On The Move: Bob Leibner
10/24/2008 - By by Chad A. Safran
SMILING WHILE SINGIN’ THE BLUES
When Bob Leibner turned 50 he fell in love with the guitar…again. And because of that, he is able to share his passion for music on a daily basis. It might be at his store (Colts Neck Custom Shop), or with his band (Bullet Bob and the Colts), or it could be just strumming at a local business association meeting. Not matter where he is, music is Bob’s life.
“I am enjoying it more than ever,” says the Parsippany native. “I appreciate life a lot more. I work hard to make a living, but when I am playing guitar it’s a great feeling. There’s a spiritual nature to it…like going to church.”
Bob’s love of music can be traced back to his adolescent days, when he began penning his first sets of lyrics in middle school. To this day he remains a songwriter at heart. He began playing the guitar while attending college in Florida, and he received his first lessons from an 87-year-old man, Joseph Lazzaro, who was interested in teaching Bob the stylings of classical guitar.
Bob, however, wanted to play more like Crosby, Stills, and Nash, so he began practicing 5 hours a day, eventually learning Neil Young’s “Helpless, Helpless” as his first song. Needless to say, music became the number one priority in his life and led to him working in a number of different music stores, including Bringe Music Center in St. Petersburg, Florida, where he became a manager during his 9 years there
Bob’s goal then was to get his songs published. He pitched his creations in Nashville, and today he still hopes to get others to sing his tunes. “All I ever wanted to be was a professional song writer,” says Bob, a 10-year Jackson resident, who will rewrite his songs upwards of 10 times. “It’s part magic, part craft. It’s a matter of inspiration and channeling the energy.”
Sometimes the catalyst for a tune comes out of nowhere during his early morning writing sessions. One of his most recent creations, “Flip Flops,” came to him in the winter, when his daughter, Kelsey, 12, was getting ready to visit Florida; she said she just wanted to wear flip flops during her Sunshine State vacation. Bob co-wrote the song with Joe Iantosca. Another tune, “Bringin’ Back the Blues,” is a tribute to Stevie Ray Vaughn, Bob’s favorite musician (Bob even has a Stevie Ray Vaughn ringtone on his mobile phone).
When Bob is not involved with work (he also does commercial installation of audio and visual equipment), he may be spending time with his wife of 19 years, Ann, or watching his daughters Katelin, 15, and Kelsey play field hockey. Otherwise, he can be found playing with his six-piece band. Together for just over a year, Bullet Bob and the Colts – with Bob on lead vocals – has played at The Stone Pony in Asbury Park, opened for John Eddie, and knocked out some sets at a local restaurant.
The group, whose members Bob found through their visits to his music shop, only plays original works, and is able to perform two 45-minute sets, usually one acoustic and the other electric. They perform a mixture of country, Americana, blues, and rock during a 20-song concert. “Performing is the ultimate expression,” says Bob, who prefers to be considered a songwriter first and singer second. “I feel born again performing. A positive reaction is a great feeling. Ultimately, I hope I can be performing long enough [so] that the audience can sing the lyrics back. It’s not easy to play original music in a bar.”
If you can’t find Bob or his band playing at a local event, anyone strolling into Colts Neck Custom Shop will find him strumming away and smiling amidst his instruments and the numerous students who come in for guitar, drum, bass, and piano lessons.
“It took me 48 years to figure out what I wanted to do full time,” he says as one of his songs plays in the background. “And I am finally doing what I love.”
Shouldn’t we all be so lucky?
STATS
FAVORITE RESTAURANT
Plumsted Grill, Cream Ridge, NJ
FAVORITE MUSICIAN
Stevie Ray Vaughn
FAVORITE MOVIE
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
PET PEEVE
people who don’t do what they say
THREE PEOPLE YOU WOULD LIKE TO HAVE DINNER WITH
John F. Kennedy, Stevie Ray Vaughn, and Bob Dylan
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