b. 11th March 1944, Memphis, Tennessee, U.S.A.
Bobby Lyle is an excellent pianist and keyboardist.
He grew up in Minneapolis and at age six took piano lessons from his mother who was a church organist.
Bobby played clarinet for a period in junior high school before switching back to piano.
He considers Oscar Peterson, Ahmad Jamal, Bill Evans, Erroll Garner and Art Tatum to have been his early influences.
Bobby's first gig was when he was 16 and, after two years of college, in 1964 he became a full time musician.
He spent six years playing locally in Minneapolis and then toured for two years with Young-Holt Unlimited.
After returning to Minneapolis for local work (recording a set, 'Bobby Lyle Plays The GX1', in 1974 that was released just in Japan), in 1976 Lyle moved to Los Angeles where he quickly got a job with Sly and the Family Stone.
After playing with Ronnie Laws, he recorded two solo albums for Capitol.
Lyle made guest appearances on recordings by George Benson, Phyllis Hyman and Esther Phillips and in the early 1980's toured with Benson and became Bette Midler's musical director.
After two years with Al Jarreau, Bobby recorded a straight ahead combo date for King (which was reissued as an Evidence CD), conducted for Anita Baker in 1986 and worked with Gerald Albright.
That year he began a long association with Atlantic with his 1991 album of piano solo's 'Pianomagic' being one of the highlights of his career.
In the late 1990's, Bobby Lyle remains a highly versatile keyboardist, both as a leader (frequently appearing in the Los Angeles area).
Albums:
Bobby Lyle Plays The GX1 (CBS Japan 1974)
The Genie (Capitol 1977)
New Warrior (Capitol 1978)
Night Fire (Capitol 1979)
Night Breeze (Evidence 1985)
Ivory Dreams (Atlantic 1989)
In Process (Ken 1990)
The Journey (Atlantic 1990)
Brian Lynch & Melvin Rhyne at Main Event (Criss Cross 1991)
Pianomagic (Atlantic 1991)
Secret Island (Atlantic 1992)
Rhythm Stories (Atlantic 1994)
Power of Touch (Atlantic 1997)
Joyful (Atlantic 2002)
Straight & Smooth (Atlantic 2004)
Hands On (Heads Up 2006)
