Bob Stinson

 

History has taught me that money and big-time family connections are still the only way to make it to the top. Not that you can’t get there, but it’s like hitting the lottery. You should entertain because you love it, and not for the fame and the fortune.

The road is where me and my brother Rick live nine months out of the year. I have been performing for 22 years. It’s hard to build relationships when you are constantly living the life of a gypsy, but adventure and exploring are what we are all about.

The weirdest place we have ever played was the Metz club in Vegas. We opened for Foghat, and the place was packed full of bikers. We were a young, up-and-coming Rock band, and a little nervous, but we got a standing ovation. Both bands’ backstage partying was straight out of the 1984 movie This Is Spinal Tap.

I grew up listening to Pop and Country music. Elvis. Donny and Marie (Yes, it’s true). Rick Springfield. Sprinkle in a lot of KISS, Jimmy Buffett, Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson and George Strait, and you have a good idea of my influences.

I like to take showgirls to cemeteries because it’s a unique and sexy spin on Western history (plus, I’m hoping they will get scared and hold onto me). I have always had a fascination with death, and I respect the people who have gone before me and now know the great unknown.

The best thing about Vegas is you always have something to do. If you like to party and gamble, how can you beat it? But after three or four days, I’d recommend getting back to reality somewhere else.

If I were alive in the real Old West, I probably would have been shot down in bed by some showgirl’s jealous husband.

The person who got me interested in history is my Dad. He absolutely loves old Western movies. History classes and books definitely got me addicted to the nonfiction Old West and now, I can’t get enough.

Don’t get me started on the way farmers and ranchers are treated by the government. They are the ones who supply us with our food and the materials to make our clothing. Back in the Old West, people knew the value of the family farm and farmers and ranchers were cherished by the community. We all need to buy locally-grown products.

The most underrated place in the entire West is Dodge City, Kansas. Someone once said, “It’s easy to love the mountains, but it takes soul to love the plains.” Standing in a warm summer breeze eating watermelon next to the old Santa Fe Trail wagon ruts, or having a picnic inside your vehicle overlooking the Dodge City stockyards, is like a little piece of heaven for this Western history buff.

I hate it when people are mean to each other. I played hockey for 20 years, and I would much rather be a lover than a fighter. We can all help out in our own communities. Just do something positive. Be nice to someone everyday. Give a stranger a smile or a helping hand. God knows we can all use a little more kindness.

My favorite venue is Red Rocks Amphitheatre. The setting overlooking Denver, Colorado, is breathtaking, and the acoustics are phenomenal.

Most people don’t realize the headaches and stress of the music business. Sometimes there are so many behind-the-scenes problems, that it’s difficult to smile on stage.

 

Bob Stinson is obsessed with Old West cemeteries, and he visits Doc Holliday’s tombstone every time he passes through Glenwood Springs, Colorado. When he’s not paying his respects to Calamity Jane and Alferd Packer, he’s usually on tour with his brother Rick. They both live in Las Vegas, Nevada, and their act includes a five-piece band, five showgirls and a comedian. Currently, the brothers are recording their next Country CD, due out in Summer 2011. Visit the Stinson Brotherz Facebook page for more information on their shows.