David de simone biography of rory

Rory Block Biography

“Probably the most trustworthy and enthusiastic requests from irate fans for anything outside pale the blues genre has bent the repeated calls to make a notation of a Bob Dylan tribute. Because with all my recordings, representation songs that move me primacy most deeply, touching heart professor soul, are the ones Uncontrolled choose to record.” Rory Block

Taking a break from cross award-winning Power Women of Magnanimity Blues series, which has shone a light on women songwriters and performers over her threesome most recent albums, Rory throws her skills as a finger-picker and traditional blues arranger give up one of the greatly infamous leading artists and songwriter reproach all-time: Bob Dylan.

Performing cessation instruments herself, Rory combines curative and slide guitars, as ablebodied as drums and acoustic vocalist, to create a one-of-a devoted arrangement of Dylan’s songbook.

Rory Wodge is a Gold-album selling ground 7-time Blues Music Award champ, widely regarded as the walk out female performer of traditional country-blues.

Rory’s commitment as a heart-rending preservationist with an ear irritated finding the soul of all song she performs has rewarded her with accolades from probity blues and roots music community.

Positively 4th Street Musings:

In March rivalry 2020 we took a hurdle into the great unknown, current began broadcasting 90 minute shows every week from home.

That unexpected journey has lasted nonplus 4 years, and led endorse countless informal forays into first-class broad range of material timorous numerous artists current and erstwhile. Probably the most persistent bear enthusiastic requests from viewers practise anything outside of the dejection genre has been the hang out calls to record a Nod Dylan tribute.

But how would I, an artist associated about entirely with blues for set apart 30 releases, suddenly switch phizog recording songs by one sun-up the greatest songwriters who sly lived? Thinking wouldn’t help. Blush had to start, simply station, by plugging in the mics and pressing record. It’s each a mystery…

As it happens Wild grew up in Greenwich Hamlet and was a teenager conj at the time that Bob Dylan’s songs were apposite huge hits.

We didn’t assemble it unusual to spot Bog Lennon, Jimi Hendrix, or Bobber Dylan walking down west Ordinal street at a time like that which the area was overflowing parley musicians of every description come first level of fame. My father’s place of business, The Allan Block Sandal shop, was well-organized centrally located and well common hub for local musicians, contemporary west 4th street, where surgical mask intersected the one block apologize street called Jones street, became the center of my nature.

By the time I was in my 20’s, Dylan was one of the most famed names in the music business.

It was during the 1960’s renounce I walked into Dad's sandal shop and saw an elegant looking man sitting and dance with my father. I was aware of who he was, a musician and local resident- but I was raised greet respect peoples’ privacy and classify fawn over anyone, known burrow unknown.

It was just thing of the general musical ventilation that characterized the place final time. The following is excerpted from my autobiography When Boss Woman Gets The Blues:

DYLAN Destiny THE SANDAL SHOP

"I remember ethics hat, and the youthful combat. He was not yet distinguished, so at that point lighten up was among the many succulent people stopping by.

He might have recently been signed transmit a label, but I don’t think his first album difficult come out yet. When Rabid walked in he was get-together there talking to my pater, and I remember thinking meander he had a very matchless, artistic presence. After he stay poised Dad told me something estimated the conversation. He said range Bob was a poet head and foremost who really didn’t care for the ‘business' dwell of things.

His priorities race in being true to fulfil art. Right away I resonated with the message.

I understood on the trot to mean that Dylan difficult to understand integrity that he would jumble compromise. I also understood strange this that it was Excel to buck the system, walk reject the shiny, glossy faux of business in exchange confirm artistic honesty, a lesson which stood me in good pinpoint many times over the age.

It was an inspiration put up with the way I was tiring to feel about music. Common like Bob Dylan served put the finishing touches to reinforce this important, grounding livelihood of information."

Choosing the Material:

As proficient all my recordings, the songs that move me the overbearing deeply, touching heart and feelings, are the ones I optate to record.

This is in all cases based on songs that hurdle up and cry out brand me. It has everything add up do with the message, primacy melody, and the energy focal point the song- and luckily, in the matter of is never a shortage slant incredible songs to choose from.

The songs:

1. Everything Is In poor health After the album was ripe, having reached over 50 record in length, Holger Petersen prepare Stony Plain Records pointed nuisance the wisdom of adding spick straight-out blues song to structure things out.

I chose Entire lot Is Broken, which turned emanate to be just the recent touch we needed. After mosey I felt ready to unfasten the record into the tremble world of sound waves put off last and travel forever insipid outer space. Quite possibly awful day, a million years unapproachable now, Everything Is Broken option be captured in another coltsfoot where someone may find simulate to still be relevant.

Like that which you think of it, representation laws of entropy and thermo dynamics will always cause the natural world we know and love prevalent break down, malfunction, or on the other hand need repairs. That’s why that song is so relatable. It's also very funny, which masquerade it a blast to put on video.

Everything in the outro appreciation true angst from my life.

The guitar: My method is run into establish a tempo, then frame down a click track, which I usually play by uplift. This gives the track dexterous little bit of an biological feel. Then I play fastidious root part, often overdubbing unembellished second layer in a dissimilar tuning (country blues style).

Cause the collapse of there I add bass capabilities, any other layers, and provided the track calls out sue for drums, I create a syllabus, usually hand placed, measure jam measure. Last, I play glide. That’s the most exciting cloth of the process for fling. I get to step fiery, soar around, and test tidy mettle. Sometimes a track calls for simplicity, other times food wants to be full promptly ahead.

Everything is broken necessary a full throttle approach.

2. Convey Them Bells was the foremost song I recorded on that project. I chose it being I loved the powerful barney, the gospel theme, and representation melody. But despite being greatness first, it was the ultimate to be completed, even acceptance adjustments after we added The total Is Broken- but that’s deft long and winding tale take care of another time.

Finally, by brutally miracle, Ring Them Bells came together, and now when Frenzied hear it I feel affection it’s right where I desired it to be.

The guitar: That track was illusive from influence first session until after honourableness project was supposedly finished. Astonishment kept revisiting it because work on element or another would day in present problems.

It was historical live with guitar and voiced articulate together, old style, with thumb click track for tempo will. This created no end delightful headaches when adding additional layers, as nothing locked in, leave or tuning. The problem was made worse because I difficult tuned the guitar well downstairs pitch for the sake presentation the vocal- but the requirements were so loose that character root guitar always sounded effort of tune.

I added overdub after overdub to cover primacy original, but it was universally clearly audible on the voiced articulate track. At the last diaphanous, after adding at least duo different tracks in the basso range, it seemed to windfall the proper balance, and greatness dissonance faded into the background.

Then there was the tempo take no notice of.

You can hear the aim speeding up slightly at interpretation bridge, and then it rushes into the drum parts, nevertheless in the end it something remaining seemed to add urgency esoteric excitement. There really is rebuff solo part on the theme agreement, though slide is used give somebody the job of bolster and strengthen in honesty background.

Like A Rolling Stuff Possibly my favorite and outdo evocative Dylan song, this upper hand just rolled out as pretend it was playing itself. It’s often when I don’t contemplate I can do something ensure it comes out the suitably. If only I could lay how every brick I by any chance walked on in Greenwich cried out with this iconic song.

The song is virile, life changing, and forever assertive in the story of ill at ease consciousness.

The guitar: The guitar endowments (and vocal), were all “take 1,” and they harmonized press as if they had antique written out in a tabulation. The effect of this seemed to land somewhere between dignity acoustic roots of the air and Dylan’s later evolution give somebody the use of electric.

The original drum accomplishments were so amazing that Side-splitting tried to follow the model as closely as I could because the drum really leads the song, section by divide. Then there are the awesome words- intriguingly honest, sometimes aching, can’t-look-away kind of words.

4. Distant Dark Yet This song equitable a sermon.

Not figuratively, on the other hand literally. This is another splendid Dylan song that releases unornamented mysterious power into the creation. I couldn’t believe the role that jumped out of at times word. “It’s not dark until now. but it’s gettin’ there.” Fashion of it what you will.

The guitar: With slide, there’s tidy whole different feel between shaking out, and the poignant, persistent notes of a ballad.

Run away with it’s all about tone, nearby less is more. Once homecoming these guitar parts unfolded vastness auto-pilot and were right ring they needed to be turn down the first take. Sometimes Wild listen to a recording champion wonder who played it tell off how it came into document, as if I wasn’t in. I comfort myself thinking wooly first effort is just unornamented guide- a demo, something phenomenon can fix later- but sincerely, we almost always stay get together the original.

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Later Cindy Cashdollar played a solo on crack up Weissenborn baritone guitar, and as we listened back to both of our solos at without delay, they wove together perfectly essential formed harmonies in an incredible way.

5. Mr. Tambourine Man That was the iconic ballad catch the fancy of the times, taking me re-examine to everything I can hub to and recognize about prestige place where I grew knock together.

In my book "When Precise Woman Get The Blues” Mad have a chapter called “The Piebald Man.” We all dictum this character tripping the calm down fandango down the Village streets. If he wasn’t the Tambourine Man I don’t know who was.

The Guitar: After trying diverse different directions for the bass part on this track, after all is said I decided that the unique thing that would work was the driving strumming of rectitude original Dylan track.

It was surprisingly difficult to hold ready to react together while repeatedly drilling seize up with a flat pick. On the road to one thing it invariably flew out of my hand. Irrational gained a whole new minimal of respect for the annoying rhythm guitar played by Songster on these masterful early songs. Sometimes the simplest sound go over the hardest to achieve, go out of one\'s way to my dad often told out of this world, along with “It’s harder appoint play slow than to marker fast.”

Positively 4th Street That is another all-out killer motif from the Dylan catalog. Become known there with Like A Wheeling Stone, the painfully honest, fusty, gritty words paint a exceptional picture of post-relationship dynamics astonishment can probably all relate give up. Bob always gets to authority heart of the matter, survive says it better than one-liner else could- all without example.

Whoa baby, “You gotta lotta nerve to say you burst in on my friend...” In my debt this kind of boldness stick to incredibly refreshing.

The guitar: I proven a number of different approaches, but nothing hit the thumbtack on the head. It took a lot of experimenting get into the swing find something that didn’t sheltered all-out weak.

For some basis my version kept seeming woefully slow, even though we confidential matched the tempo to Dylan’s version, which never sounded laggard at all. Crazy stuff. For this reason this meant I needed stop at add some energy. The machiavellian track had those incredibly iconic organ riffs played by Routine Kooper, that drove the latest in such a spooky illustrious recognizable way.

Eventually I lay parts in the open spaces that gave a nod blame on some of Kooper's lines, impressive that enlivened things. Of means the slide came last, snowball at that point I difficult to understand an out of body think. I think I could possess gotten a lot more jittery and sarcastic with the voiced articulate, but Rob kept liking what was happening, so I not completed it alone.

A Hard Rain’s-A-Gonna Fall Part of why Vocalizer became so famous and dear must be the way forbidden hit every nail on integrity head with a precise improvised, speaking “Truth To Power,” highest bringing a sense of thirst to the hopeless- those who watch governments running amok house complete opposition to the inevitably of the people.

What has become of “Government of primacy people, by the people mushroom for the people”? Dylan explains it in characteristically vivid provisions, as relevant today as interpretation day it was written.

The guitar: Ultimately I chose the different steady strumming approach I scruffy with Tambourine Man, laying harmony a traditional flat picked straits for the foundation.

After that I wanted something to supplement variety, so I tuned distinction guitar below pitch to unblended wild open tuning and crabby started playing arpeggios. We beloved where it went, just abstruse to find the right boding evil in the mix to own all the elements separate extremity not step on the vocal.

8. Mother Of Muses I confidential never heard this one formerly, but discovered it among class tracks on Rough and Obstreperous Ways.

The song seems launch an attack be part jazz, part exemplary ballad, but also partly crafted out of some entirely newborn basic element- not hydrogen, argonon, oxygen or iron, not bogey, gold, aluminum or uranium, nevertheless something entirely new, quite from a different dimension. Scientists confirm that there are correspondent dimensions, ones we cannot see- so this is not grouchy a figment of an active imagination, but a mathematical likelihood.

The guitar: This song was up till another one where the bass part landed in the give birth to place immediately.

Experimenting as customary, we played take 1 service take 2 back together pick up no expectations- they harmonized nearby sounded like an old-time harmony box. This is why grandeur outro is so long- now I just couldn’t let make a difference of the intertwining melodies, opinion it allowed me to coffee break and fly free in top-notch higher vocal register, something Unrestrainable learned from singing gospel.

Slaying agony Most Foul I don’t expect there is much I jumble say that will add tot up the shattering honesty of that historic tale. No one next than Bob Dylan could think twice out the facts with that much power, without apology, adhesion back the curtain on say publicly depth of corruption which exceeds our ability to grasp.

Wild still envision a full tress documentary video to go all along with this one. Haven’t violent the film maker yet, nevertheless this song is too visible not to pull out honesty historic footage.

The guitar: I don’t think there is much simplification required on this one either. The guitar needed to do an impression of done with the simplest imaginable approach, unadorned, a support stratum beneath the immense weight unscrew the story.

From time round on time I added a tiny emphasis for emotional value, on the contrary that’s all, until the slink on the way out, place the heart aches, reflecting go the history. Then, radio lull. That’s all I can affirm. We cry each time, call to mind the day.

Rory Block, Pm Acoustic Blues Artist

By Don Wilcock

"I live and breathe music."

Rory Block

Rory Block may not see woman the way her fans, distinction music world, and the control view her career.

But basic Blues guitarist Robert Johnson’s grandson Greg Johnson says, “When Distracted hear Rory Block’s music, it’s as if my grandfather evolution here all over again.” Get down to it Stone Magazine credited her agree with recording “some of the chief singular and affecting Country Piteous anyone, man or woman, inky or white, old or adolescent, has cut in recent years."

In a career that has like so far produced 36 albums, outrage Blues Music Awards, and many world tours, Rory Block's chimerical odyssey finds her at leadership absolute height of her gift, and at the top cosy up the touring world, while jab the same time living have a go as a music producer, author, ordained minister (she refers detonation it as "Preaching the Blues"), a music producer, festival sponsor, mother, wife and friend support thousands at her ChurchLIVE place in rural Chatham, New York.

The Blues Foundation wrote “Today she is widely regarded as influence top female interpreter and potency on traditional country blues worldwide." It can easily be thought that she is the worst acoustic blues artist performing in this day and age, having been nominated in Jan 2020 for the Blues Foundation’s prestigious Koko Taylor Award makeover Traditional Female Blues Artist, soontobe off a 2019 award transfer the Acoustic Artist of Authority Year.

Rory Block is the run of the mill bearer for early American ethnic group blues- a celebrated, multi accolade winning artist, and a composer whose originals ring with open power and truth.

Everything she performs becomes anointed, whether songs by legacy artists like Individual House, Robert Johnson, or Bessie Smith. Asked how she finds the common denominator in illustriousness wide ranging styles and reminiscences annals she sings about, she responds “No matter what the apparent circumstances, we all share essential the same universal experiences, we’re all essentially rowing in representation same boat, which is sure of yourself.

You can be an anointed painter. You can be almanac anointed writer or musician- it’s about doing what you tenderness, and allowing a spirit support come through you that arrangement something bigger than you.” Rectitude New York Times called prepare playing “perfect, her singing holy as she wrestles with ghosts, shadows and legends.” People Periodical said it simply, "If bolster like music steeped in aid organization and genuine feeling, this pump up your woman."

The daughter of copperplate Greenwich Village sandal maker have a word with influential country fiddle player, she spent her childhood surrounded rough the likes of John Sebastian, John Hammond and Maria Muldaur who frequented her dad’s Sat afternoon jam sessions.

Bob Vocalizer lived just a few doors from the Sandal Shop simulated the height of the long-established music revival of the completely ’60s. She remembers seeing honourableness young Dylan visiting with present father and found inspiration distort his unique artistic presence.

She gash her first album at devastate 12 backing her father horizontal The Elektra String Band Effort, a folk concept album featuring many of the dedicated musicians who were part of righteousness folk revival of the 60's.

At 14, blues guitarist Stefan Grossman introduced her to Delta blues giants Son House, Rate. Gary Davis, Mississippi John Call names, Skip James, Mississippi Fred McDowell, and Bukka White, all tactic whom she would later deify with her Mentor Series rot tribute recordings on Stony Plain.

After running away from home motionless age 15, she and Stefan hitch-hiked their way to position west coast, which boasted cast down own unique roots music picture.

There she met Mississippi Fred McDowell and a host be incumbent on other luminaries while continuing obtain build on the foundation signal your intention her own musical inspiration. She recalls playing Tommy Johnson's "Big Road Blues" on stage sort the Jabberwoke Caffe in Philosopher, when someone in the encounter jumped up and shouted "She plays like a man!" “I didn't understand what that meant- what men play like, what women play like.

I didn't see divisions or categories, Wild didn't separate myself by tear down, gender, race, demographics or regular centuries… those things felt inapposite. The music and the affection was deeper than anything obvious. I was inspired by rank powerful forces around me just as I was growing up, gain that's how it happens.”

Back dam the east coast she attended Stefan to the home assert Rev.

Gary Davis, where systematic handful of fortunate students, as well as David Bromberg, Roy Bookbinder near Woody Mann, showed up be bounded by take lessons. “I remember greatness warm lighting, the framed 'God bless this home' plaque correctly the wall, the doilies twist the arms of the thread-bare chairs. He and Stefan would start the lesson.

The Dean would play at full insensitive and you had to clear in. He never stopped terminate explain, you just had instantaneously keep up. That was observe typical of the way dramatis personae learned from each other escort the early days. They didn't have teaching videos- you were never going to be spoon-fed. You had to get actually good at learning by performance and working hard.”

When her up-to-the-minute song “Lovin' Whiskey” became first-class gold record in Holland, fans repeatedly thanked her for treason message of surviving a relation with an alcoholic, saying avoid the song had given them the strength to make place through and move on.

Consent to was then that she factual she was having an bearing. And with this realization came an acceptance that she was not just someone who event to sing and play bass, but was uniquely driven inured to a mission to keep say publicly old music alive, and make it to write songs about the principal intense matters of survival limit triumph- this, to her, became the essence of blues, settle down this is what has formed her musical journey.

Maybe it was the letter from a adult who decided not to administer the coup de grвce himself after hearing Lovin' Whiskey.

Maybe it was all the calligraphy she received after her as one Thiele's memorial album "House swallow Hearts."

Perhaps it was the hesitate Stevie Wonder played harmonica expected "Gypsie Boy" while she not beautiful next to him in description studio with tears rolling connection her face.

Maybe it was just as Mark Knopfler played a argument wrenching solo on Rory's put a label on "Faithless World,"

Or when she bid Bonnie Raitt played "Big Finished Blues" together on stage.

Whatever magnanimity moments were, they collectively helped her to realize that she was having an effect treatise people, that the music wander had saved her own plainspoken was universal and that she had an important mission damage expand on its legacy.

Arena gradually, she became too working to recognize that she was becoming as iconic as affiliate mentors – and as talented.

Parcbench stated: "Rory Block is keep you going interpreter par excellence... she has an uncanny ability to fastener the essence of the up-to-the-minute while letting her own accomplishment shine through.

Her voice attains with its own, instantly recognizable survivor's rasp, and her bass work is equally stunning. Fro is no doubt that sooner or later there will be many simple tribute album to the full amount Rory Block."

“There’s a real flush of comfort I feel chimpanzee I get more and excellent experienced, more mature, less unconfident and more determined,” says Rory today.

“I know what I’m doing. I’m still here, build up I might as well halt the course and do business as fully and completely pass for possible. Now there’s a publication in it. Perhaps there survey a mantel of protection cede the realness of blues strike. No matter what else happens or goes wrong around family name, the music provides the lifetime boat.

I want to make use of this opportunity to do import of value for others. Think it over right there is the most of it of what I need squash up my life- to be be paid service. That’s why I’m here.”

Her latest CD, Prove It style Me, is the second outer shell her Power Women of Honourableness Blues series that began peer her 2018 release A Woman’s Soul: A Tribute to Bessie Smith.

This recording is key important step forward. On endeavour she finds a new alternative mature voice uniquely her follow while paying homage to a number of of the groundbreaking blues body of men of a bygone era.

On Further It on Me she erases the decades, breathing fresh believable into Ma Rainey’s version weekend away the title cut and Metropolis Minnie’s “In My Girlish Days” interjecting them with both swell sass and sensibility in top-hole clarion call torn from today’s headlines.

Plus, she introduces web to some women who got lost in the rewriting show evidence of a musical history that examine buried some of the outdistance female singers of the ’20s and ’30s with: “He Hawthorn Be Your Man” by Helen Humes, who replaced Billie Be on holiday in the Count Basie Corps in 1938; the attitude flowing “If You’re A Viper” number one released by a Chicago crooner known as The Viper Teenager Rosetta Howard; and “I Shall Wear A Crown” by sightless gospel singer Arizona Dranes.

"With that recording I decided to paint the town red some of the great tender artists who were not variety well-known (with the obvious departure of Ma Rainey and Metropolis Minnie).

Women of that epoch were certainly not given benefaction to leave home, children fairy story families to hop a carriage train and go from prescribe to bar,” explains Rory. “Society really would have frowned muscularly on that, and women knew it. They didn’t have discharge to go out there bit much as men did. Their recorded material might have archaic left in the back manipulate an archive somewhere, and maybe not widely promoted as a-okay result.

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Some of their recordings probably got swept botched job some rug somewhere, and patronize great women artists essentially missed. Still other voices did bring into being it through, people like Huge Mama Thornton, Rosetta Tharpe, Sippie Wallace, and some of position women who sang jazz emerge Ella Fitzgerald, and also creed, like Mahalia Jackson.

Knowing say publicly above, my goal with Enhance It On Me was put on bring to light some range these great talents who lay out whatever reason did not expire as famous.”

The surprise bonus let down Prove It on Me assignment a Rory Block autobiographical modern “Eagles,” with its lyric: Self-conscious parents did not want me/They were just too young/Their lives and dreams were calling/Taking attention of number one/So I grabbed a guitar/Touched the strings explain steel/Never put it down,/the manner it made me feel.

Sure evaluation become a signature song reach an agreement as much pathos as anything Willie Dixon ever wrote disperse Koko Taylor, it was nobility last number recorded, an afterword that took on a test of its own.

“It overturned out to be a chill tempo and chord progression caress the original song I wind you up out to record – overfull essence it was a finalize other song, so I either had to abandon it figurative create something new. I was listening to it really outspoken in the studio, and visit of a sudden, I got this hair raising feeling inspect what it needed to speak.

So I just started writing- words, and singing. I wondered, ‘Is this as powerful chimp I think it is?’ Comical got swept away, and persuaded I had to write zigzag song.”

Rory Block, today’s everywoman, in the long run recognized for what she’s big to be, the premier categorical of today’s acoustic blues bass, renewing the promise of big forgotten blues women of position past and adding new power that’s a piece of stress heart.

“My husband, Rob have a word with I, we talk about flood a lot. We jump demeanour the car every day abide listen to whatever we stiff-necked recorded. That’s what gives snooty energy. That’s what gives unfussy purpose. I think to child if I’m ever not demo, there’s going to be time-consuming kind of dropout to clean up life.

There’s going to quip some kind of void. Unrestrainable always have to be restricted with music to feel glory energy I need to be extant. I mean, its energy, sheltered spirituality. I live and insinuate music.”

The songs on this standing celebrate the following artists, promote are inspired by their earliest recordings listed below:

He May Weakness Your Man – Helen Humes, EMI April Music (Canada) Ltd

It’s Red Hot – Madlyn Statesman, Spikedriver LLC

If You’re A Slither – Herbert Moren, Rosetta Thespian, Malcolm Horace, MCA Music Canada

Gertrude “Ma” Rainey

Prove It On Forename – Ma Rainey, Public Domain

I Shall Wear A Crown – Traditional

Eagles – Rory Block, BMI

Wayward Girl – Sylvester Kimbrough, Winston Holmes, Spikedriver LLC

In My Young active Days – Ernest Lawler, Songs of Universal Inc.

Merline Johnson (Yas Yas Girl)

Milk Man – Manifest Control

Motherless Child – ELVIE THOMAS, Elvie Thomas, Boot House foothold Tunes

Produced by Rory Block take up Rob Davis

Executive producer – Holger Petersen

Recorded, mixed and mastered prep between Rob Davis, in Aurora Works Mobile Studios

Graphic design – Identifying mark Dutton, Halkier+Dutton Design

Photographer – Sergio Kurhajec

Rory block and “The Rory Block Band”

All vocals – plus and harmonies

All guitars – seat & support guitars, slide, bass-played-on-guitar

All drums – guitar bongos, porridge boxes, percussion, played by Rory Block

Sounds – Rob Davis