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biography
Robert Rottet
1966
- 1999
Robert Rottet was born in 1966, and lived most of
his life in various places throughout the Midwest. Rottet's musical and
artistic interests began at an early age and continued throughout his life to be
a central and consuming passion. Extremely gifted with the guitar, Rottet
was involved both with bands and the creation of solo material while still in
junior high. In the late 1980's and early 1990's, he worked with inner
city youth in Camden, New Jersey. During these years, Rottet began to
collect guitars and basic recording equipment. Using 4-tracks and DAT machines, Rottet recorded more than 30
albums of original material, using his own voice for backing vocals in addition
to playing all the instruments. He
attended college in Chicago and Indiana, and in 1996 completed a degree in
English Literature. That same year he joined the U.S. Army, and was in the 82nd Airborne at the time of his death: November 4, 1999 in
Fayetteville, North Carolina. In the wake of his untimely passing, Rottet
left a massive—and sadly under-appreciated—collection of music, poetry, art,
and assorted writings. Both his
music and lyrics are dense, and unlike the surface-skimming pop music of our
day, continue to dig deeper with each listen; with time his words, as Joyce said
of epiphanies, leap from the vestment of their appearances.
Rottet drew musical inspiration from nearly every genre available, and
from artists as diverse as Jimi Hendrix and They Might Be Giants; his lyrics
found resources in the Bible, mythology, children’s fairytales, works like
Conrad’s Heart of Darkness and Dante’s Inferno, the poetry of
Langston Hughes, and anything and everything he ever read.
Research Records, his own label founded in 1992, continues the process of
transferring his albums to CD format. Two
releases are planned for 2004: Country, Blues, Folk
(an album of
traditionals) and The Chicago E.P. (five songs).
All of Robert's albums are
free; this
venture is a labor of love, and will be funded only by donations and the
volunteer work of those wanting to help. To get involved in this process,
or to learn more, please visit: involvement.
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