Rob Swaynie

Rob began teaching himself guitar at the age of 13. His band mates in Brand X were three guys from Pike High School and they all four lived on the same side of the same street (79th St.) within two blocks on Indy’s suburban north side. Don Douglas was on rhythm guitar, Mike Couchman on bass and long time best friend Jack Verstijnen on drums who later married Rob’s sister Kathy. They played on the same show with the legendary Indianapolis jazz guitarist Wes Montgomery at the age of 15. (Dec. 18, 1966). This show was a Christmas benefit at the Madame Walker Theater on "the Avenue" in Indy. This was one of the hippest jazz areas in the world at the time. Rob and his band were the only white people on the billing or in attendance for that matter.

Rob began teaching guitar at 15 years of age at North Side Music in Broad Ripple in 1967. He got this first teaching job from the great local guitar hero Herb (Orion) Crawford (“Sir Winston & the Commons", and Stevie Wonder) and Greg “Ozzie” Osbourne ("Him, Her and Them"/"the Coven").........................more?