{{short description|American electric blues musician}}

{{Infobox musical artist | name = Bob Stroger | image = | caption = | alt = | image_size = | birth_name = | alias = | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1930|12|27}} | birth_place = Hayti, Missouri, United States | instruments = {{hlist|Bass guitar|vocals}} | genre = Blues<ref name="AMG"/> | occupation = Guitarist, singer, songwriter | years_active = 1960s&ndash;present | label = | website = }}

'''Bob Stroger''' (born December 27, 1930)<ref name="bare">{{cite book| first1= Bob| last1= Eagle| first2= Eric S.| last2= LeBlanc| year= 2013| title= Blues: A Regional Experience| publisher= Praeger | location= Santa Barbara, California| pages=207| isbn= 978-0313344237}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://twicsy.com/i/H7WEFe|title=Bluesharpdog, December 27, 1930: Bob Stroger Was Born in Haity, MO|publisher=Twicsy.com|access-date=20 November 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141129062247/http://twicsy.com/i/H7WEFe|archive-date=29 November 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.discogs.com/artist/1004950-Bob-Stroger|title=Bob Stroger|publisher=Discogs.com|access-date=20 November 2014}}</ref> is an American electric blues bass guitarist, singer and songwriter. He has worked with many blues musicians, including Eddie King, Otis Rush, Jimmy Rogers, Eddie Taylor, Eddy Clearwater, Sunnyland Slim, Louisiana Red, Buster Benton, Homesick James, Mississippi Heat, Snooky Pryor, Odie Payne, Fred Below, Willie "Big Eyes" Smith, and Billy Davenport.<ref name="AMG"/>

In 2011 and 2013, Stroger was granted a Blues Music Award as Best Blues Bassist.

==Life and career== Stroger was born on a farm outside of Hayti, Missouri.<ref name="Bob">{{cite web |url=http://www.corbydesigns.com/bobstroger/bio.htm |title=Bob Stroger Website |publisher=Corbydesigns.com |date= |access-date=7 March 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141129030005/http://www.corbydesigns.com/bobstroger/bio.htm |archive-date=29 November 2014 |url-status=dead }}</ref> In 1955, he relocated with his family to Chicago, Illinois.<ref name="Today">{{cite book | first= Karen | last= Hanson | year= 2007 | title= Today's Chicago Blues | edition= | publisher= Lake Claremont Press | location= Chicago | isbn= 978-1-893121-19-5 | pages= 196–198}}</ref> His family settled on the West Side, in an apartment in back of Silvio's nightclub. Stroger was inspired by the sights and sounds from the club. He was further encouraged to try for a career in music, after being employed driving his brother-in-law to play in a blues band with J. B. Hutto.<ref name="Today"/> A self-taught guitarist, he formed a family-based band, the Red Tops (the band members wore black berets with a red circle daubed on top). Willie Kent was drafted to boost their proficiency, and the combo was renamed Joe Russell and the Blues Hustlers (Stroger had adopted the stage name Joe Russell, but the name did not endure).<ref name="AMG"/> He went on to play jazz with Rufus Forman, but it was his meeting with Eddie King which started his lengthy career playing blues. Having started playing the bass guitar, Stroger played on King's single "Love You Baby" (1965).<ref name="Today"/>

He backed King for fifteen years before King relocated, after which Stroger stopped playing for a couple of years.<ref name="AMG"/> His interest was rekindled when he was recommended to Otis Rush, whom he backed in the late 1970s and 1980s.<ref name="airwayrecords1">{{cite web|url=http://airwayrecords.com/bob-is-back-in-town/ |title=Bob Is Back in Town |publisher=Airwayrecords.com |date=|access-date=7 March 2013}}</ref> He toured Europe with Rush and played on two of his albums, ''Live in Europe'' and ''Lost in the Blues''.<ref name="Today"/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/lost-in-the-blues-mw0000263196/credits |title=Otis Rush, ''Lost in the Blues'': Credits |publisher=AllMusic.com |date= |access-date=7 March 2013}}</ref>

Stroger next was a session musician for a while. He worked with Sunnyland Slim<ref name="Today"/> and Mississippi Heat in the late 1980s and early 1990s. He then joined Odie Payne in the regular rhythm section for the series of American Blues Folk Festivals.<ref name="AMG"/> Encouraged by Sunnyland Slim, Stroger began singing and writing his own material.<ref name="airwayrecords1"/> In 1996, Stroger played on Mark Hummel's album, ''Heart of Chicago''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/heart-of-chicago-mw0000091236/credits |title=Mark Hummel, ''Heart of Chicago'': Credits |publisher=AllMusic.com |date=14 January 1997|access-date=7 March 2013}}</ref> In 1997, he played bass on Golden "Big" Wheeler's album ''Jump In''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/jump-in-mw0000597358/credits |title=Big Wheeler, ''Jump In'': Credits |publisher=AllMusic.com |date= |access-date=7 March 2013}}</ref> The following year, he played with a group of musicians at the Lucerne Blues Festival in Switzerland. This led to the recording of his debut solo album, ''In the House: Live at Lucerne, Vol. 1'', on which he was accompanied by Ken Saydak and Billy Flynn.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.crosscut.de/index.php?article_id=59&clang=1 |title=Bob Stroger & His Chicago Blues Legends Feat. the Ken Saydak Trio, ''In the House: Live at Lucerne'', vol. 1 |publisher=Crosscut.de |date= |access-date=7 March 2013}}</ref>

In 2007, Stroger recorded ''Bob Is Back in Town'' in Chicago, backed by Steve Freund (guitar), Willie "Big Eyes" Smith (harmonica), Deitra Farr (backing vocals), and Juli Wood (baritone saxophone).<ref name="airwayrecords1"/> The same year he backed Carey Bell on his final recorded work, ''Gettin' Up: Live at Buddy Guy's Legends, Rosa's and Lurrie's Home'' (Delmark).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/gettin-up-live-at-buddy-guys-legends-rosas-mw0000489121/credits |title=Carey Bell, ''Gettin' Up: Live at Buddy Guy's Legends Rosa's'': Credits |publisher=AllMusiccom |date=17 April 2007|access-date=7 March 2013}}</ref> He also played on Willie "Big Eyes" Smith's albums ''Born in Arkansas'' (2008) and ''Joined at the Hip'' (with Pinetop Perkins, 2010).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/joined-at-the-hip-mw0001989737/credits |title=Pinetop Perkins, Willie 'Big Eyes' Smith, ''Joined at the Hip'': Credits |publisher=AllMusic.com |date=8 June 2010|access-date=7 March 2013}}</ref>

In 2011, the Blues Foundation presented Stroger with a Blues Music Award in the category Best Blues Bassist.<ref>{{cite web|author= |url=http://www.deltabohemian.com/blues-music-awards-2011-delta-bohemian-perspective/ |title=Blues Music Awards 2011: A Delta Bohemian Perspective |publisher=Deltabohemian.com |date=26 May 2011|access-date=7 March 2013}}</ref> He was nominated in the same category in 2013.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://blues.org/#ref=bluesmusicawards_nominees|title=Blues Music Awards Nominees, 2013, 34th Blues Music Awards|publisher=Blues.org|access-date=7 March 2013}}</ref> He won the Best Bassist Award again in 2013. He was named to the Blues Hall of Fame in 2025.<ref>{{cite web |last= Ehrenclou|first= Martine|date= 10 February 2025|title= 2025 Blues Hall of Fame Inductees Announced|url= https://www.rockandbluesmuse.com/2025/02/10/2025-blues-hall-of-fame-inductees-announced/|website= Rock and Blues Muse|location= |publisher= |access-date=16 February 2025}}</ref>

==Discography==

===Solo albums=== {| class="wikitable sortable" |- ! Year || Title || Record label |- | 2002 || ''In the House: Live at Lucerne'', vol. 1 || style="text-align:center;"|Crosscut Records (Germany) |- | 2007 || ''Bob Is Back in Town'' || style="text-align:center;"|Airway Records |- | 2022 || ''That's My Name'' || style="text-align:center;"|Delmark Records |} <ref name="AMG">{{cite web|last=Chadbourne |first=Eugene |url=http://www.allmusic.com/artist/bob-stroger-mn0000064246 |title=Bob Stroger: Biography, Credits, Discography |publisher=AllMusic.com |date= |access-date=7 March 2013}}</ref>

===Collaboration albums=== {| class="wikitable sortable" |- ! Year || Title || Record label |- | 1983 || ''Blues Meeting in Chicago'' || style="text-align:center;"|Strawberry Records |} <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.discogs.com/Sven-Zetterberg-Sunnyland-Slim-Tor-Einar-Jacobsen-Knut-Reiersrud-Hungry-John-Bob-Stroger-Kristin-Ber/release/4244509 |title=Sven Zetterberg, Sunnyland Slim, Tor Einar Jacobsen, Knut Reiersrud, Hungry John, Bob Stroger, Kristin Berglund, S.P. Leary, Zora Young – Bluesmeeting In Chicago (Vinyl, LP, Album) at Discogs |publisher=Discogs.com |date= 1983|access-date=7 March 2013}}</ref>

==See also== * List of Chicago blues musicians * List of electric blues musicians

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links== * [https://web.archive.org/web/20141129102609/http://www.corbydesigns.com/bobstroger/home.htm Official website] * {{allMusic|id=mn0000064246|label=Bob Stroger}} * {{IMDb name|2757854|Bob Stroger}} * [http://www.cduniverse.com/search/xx/music/artist/Bob+Stroger/a/albums.htm Stroger discography] * [http://www.nga.ch/sits/Blue%20sits/concert_sites/concert_sites_2012/salty_dogs_2012.html Stroger photographs] *[http://www.namm.org/library/oral-history/bob-stroger Bob Stroger Interview] NAMM Oral History Library (2017)

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Stroger, Bob}} Category:1930 births Category:Living people Category:American blues guitarists Category:American male bass guitarists Category:American blues singer-songwriters Category:American male singer-songwriters Category:Electric blues musicians Category:People from Hayti, Missouri Category:20th-century American bass guitarists Category:21st-century American bass guitarists Category:Singer-songwriters from Missouri Category:Guitarists from Missouri Category:20th-century American male musicians Category:21st-century American male musicians