Biography

View from the Parkway, Robert's second CD, blends world music with classical, jazz, and New Age. It's been said that if driving the Blue Ridge Parkway were a movie, this music would be the perfect soundtrack.

Robert Thomas was born March 18, 1956 into a musical family. His father, Milt Thomas, was a Big Band accordionist, playing radio, television, and New York’s finest nightclubs with the likes of Eddie Duchin, Arthur Murray, Lester Lanin and Hildegarde. The elder Thomas was cousin to noted Broadway lyricist, Dorothy Fields, who penned the lyrics to such classic tunes as “I’m in the Mood for Love,” Sunny Side of the Street,” “Hey Big Spender,” and “The Way You Look Tonight.”

Soon after Robert was born, the family moved from Lynbrook, New York to Vero Beach, Florida. There, at age 17, Robert began his musical career, playing covers and original compositions with the popular local rock band, Nexus. By the age of 20, he was working as a solo pianist, playing the classic Broadway tunes his father had taught him.

In 1978, Robert went to Nashville to be a songwriter. This turned out to be a valuable learning experience that brought him back to Vero Beach to his career as a golf professional. In1993, Robert and his family moved to the mountains of North Carolina and, shortly thereafter, he returned to his first love, the piano.

Influenced by the Appalachian Mountains, as well as personal challenges, Robert was brought to a deeper spiritual place, both in his everyday life and in his music. With this transformation, he began writing songs to move the listener with a heartfelt, passionate and highly original style.

Of Robert’s first CD, Full Circle, Mountain Times critic Jeff Eason proclaimed the music “more provocative than much of what is labeled New Age" (Jan 2000). In recent years, Robert has been a regular performer at Lake Eden Arts Festival (LEAF). He now lives in the Asheville, NC area.