Kent State University has given the world some critically acclaimed, pioneering musical acts. These have included the punk rock band Devo and Broadway star Alice Ripley. Now there’s a country artist joining the ranks: Teddy Robb. When Robb’s new single, “Lead Me On,” first joined the Viral Top 50, it was at #11, of ahead of established artists such as Amine and Eminem.
In his first week his debut single had 250,000 streams and his socials have a combined following of 20,000 followers.The aspiring country artist said his journey started when he heard the song “Troubadour” by George Strait, who is known as the King of Country. “When I heard ‘Troubadour I felt like I was going to be the character in the song some day and it really moved me…I wasn’t even 21 yet and I heard the line ‘I still feel 25 most of the time,’” Robb adds. “That song is kind of about a guy who still feels like he had somethin’, even though he’s older, and I’m like I’m gonna be that guy some day.”
By the time the now singer-songwriter entered high school and college, Robb had built that life for himself with his deep appreciation of the great outdoors. He played football at Kent State and grew up hiking and fishing. “I go on a fishing trip every year with three of my friends from Akron, and we’ve been doing that for eleven years in a row now. I still try to find time to ski and snowboard and just live that life that I grew up living.”
When Robb tells his story, you can see the sepia-toned autumn leaves and feel the crisp fresh air in your lungs. He even started his musical career playing in the bars in Akron on the lake and then on not one, but two, different whims he headed for Nashville, and then Colorado.
All of his earliest comments on his Instagram page genuinely reflect where he came from and what his values are, with each one usually coming from an old friend in Colorado, Tennessee, or Ohio. When asked what kind of things he was most excited about doing while in Ohio and Michigan for a 3-day tour this weekend, he said that he couldn’t wait to see friends and family. “They all come out and it’s always a blast.”
The humble Akron native wants to connect with individuals, stating that “a three minute song was makin’ me feel a certain way, and I just set out on this course to figure out how I could try to do that for somebody else some day.” Robb specializes in a blend of folk and country. His work has garnered the attention of producer Shane McAnally, who has worked on songs by crossover country acts such as Lady Antebellum and the Band Perry. The blue-eyed country crooner also got to write a song with songwriter Leslie Satcher, who penned “Troubadour.”
“I brought up to her what ‘Troubadour’ meant to me and we just had this moment of like, well for one for me I was in the room with somebody who wrote a song, and that song is the reason I feel like I might be doin’ what I’m doin’ today,” Robb said. “She felt like she wrote something that inspired somebody else. Getting to share that moment with Leslie was really special.”
All of the connections he made started in Kent and Akron. And now he’s the one inspiring and connecting with everyone from established industry professionals to old friends and family and new fans. It is obvious that he is well on his way to making people feel a certain way.