“…a veteran keyboardist who has always infused his funky rhythm and jazz with a touch of elegance and improvisational spirit.” Jonathan Widran, All Music Guide 

Bobby Lyle©Andrea Canter

He’s back again! Keyboard prodigy-turned music director and bandleader Bobby Lyle comes home to the Dakota for two nights of funky organ trio fun, May 10-11. Finally we can say “up jumped spring.” 

Bobby Lyle was born in Memphis, moving north to Minneapolis with his family. He started piano lessons under his mother’s tutelage at age six, noting that “growing up in a climate where you had six months of winter every year provided lots of practice time.”  Influenced primarily by Oscar Peterson, Ahmad Jamal, Bill Evans, Erroll Garner, and Art Tatum, as a teen in the early 1960s, Lyle was the talk of the town. At thirteen, fourteen, fifteen, he was burning up pianos and Hammond B3s, soon gigging in clubs that couldn’t yet serve him. Eventually he quit college to go on the road with Red Holt and Eldee Young, soon coming to the attention of Jimi Hendrix, with whom he worked a short time before Hendrix’ death. His family moved to LA and Lyle toured for a while with Sly and the Family Stone, then Ronnie Laws. After making a few recordings for Capitol, Lyle joined forces with George Benson, later touring with and serving as Music Director for Al Jarreau, Bette Midler, and Anita Baker. From the late 80s to mid 90s, Lyle made six recordings for Atlantic, still touring with his own bands and with Bette Midler. 

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