Band Member Biographies/Personnel

Rob Babson - Lead Vocals/Guitar/Harmonica

Rob Babson: Rob is the founder/bandleader/front-person & M.C. of the Delta Knights. He is also the band’s lead vocalist, lead guitarist and chief songwriter/arranger. Rob has been a dedicated musician since middle school, and played professionally since 1988.  Rob excels at what he loves: swing, rhythm and blues, blues and classic rock, That said, Rob never rules out anything if it’s good.

Rob's Musical Roots   

     Rob can trace back his show business roots to elementary school, when he played the King Of Hearts in Fourth Grade in Alice In Wonderland.  Even before that, he had a plastic toy guitar, and he used to play for the chickens and turkeys his family raised.  As a musician, he has performed in New England, Tennessee and St. Croix. Rob was born in Biddeford, but raised in Standish, Maine. He started playing guitar at age 14 and took lessons from the late guitar instructor Mike Silvestri.  It was with Mike that Rob learned intricate finger-style picking, as well as an appreciation for classical guitar.  He put a band together with some high school friends, Troy Bennett and Dean Clegg.  Rob's childhood friend, Eric Driscoll thought up the name Unfinished Business and the name stuck. Initially, Rob wanted to play guitar only, but singers were always in short supply, so he quickly realized he'd get more gigs if he sang, too, so he started building his vocal repertoire, and came to enjoy singing, too.   In High School, Rob was involved in Drama and Chorus at Bonny Eagle High School, under the tutelage of the late P. Michael Bourgoin and Peg McAdam, which gave him the foundation he needed to be comfortable onstage as a performer.  Rob's extensive theater experience continues to give him a theatrical slant to his performances. 

Rob's Musical Evolution

    While in Standish, Rob continued to hone his musical chops.   At age 19, he joined his first professional gigging band, Minus 500.   Rob was singing so much that he decided to take some vocal lessons, to help refine his vocal chops and learn to sing properly.    He took guitar lessons with Gary Richardson, too, and filled in some gaps in his playing.   Around this time, Rob realized that he could earn a living as a musician, and he did so for a few years.   After playing for other bands and bandleaders, further gaining experience as a performer,  around the mid-1990s, Rob envisioned a small band that could play roots music, blues, R&B and swing, and play many different venues that bigger bands couldn't, due to spatial and budget constraints.  He gathered together two musicians he had worked with previously, and the band recorded their demo "tape" at Tree Frog Studios in Dayton, ME.  The Delta Knights Band was born. The trio immediately started gigging extensively in Maine and New Hampshire.

Rob launches The Delta Knights

     In mid-1996, Rob moved to Portland, Maine, to be closer to the vibrant music scene here - where he resides to this day with his wife Camelia, and their 2 dogs and cat.  Their son, Jeremiah, currently resides  in Salem, Oregon, and is a vocalist and actor as well.   It was in Portland that his new band started taking shape. 

     In its debut year, 1996, Rob and his then-new band, The Delta Knights, performed at local and international competitions, representing Maine in the first-ever International Blues Talent Competition in Memphis, TN.

DKB in orbit

     The band forged ahead in the coming years, branching away from blues, into more of a function-type band.  The band played functions, weddings, and more.  It was during this time that Rob came into his own as a bandleader.  During this time, legendary local drummer Larry Peterson and bass player/vocalist Sandy Pardee helped to bring the band local recognition.  Larry and Sandy stayed with the band for over 15 years.  At their gigging peak, DKB played over 120 gigs a year and the trio got very tight, as musicians and as friends. In fact, Rob still considers all his former DK alumni friends that he could call up any time to chat or even play a gig.  In  2001, DKB recorded its third demo, reflecting their ventures into more of a variety music-approach, and sounding much like they did in a live club.  In 2001, the band also launched its website, www.deltaknights.com.

    In 2009, at Rob's wife Camelia's urging, Rob asked sax player Darren Whitney to join the band full-time (see his bio below).  It was a wise move.  Now a quartet, the band had a fuller sound, and the band breathed new life.  For certain engagements, the band expanded, with a second horn, keyboards, and female vocals.  Trombonist Jeff Marsanskis wrote many horn chart arrangements for the band which the band still uses when it plays as a larger unit.   These were busy times for Rob and the band. 

     In 2010, the band appeared on WCSH's popular 207 show (You can see the video on the Videos tab).  The band performed one of Rob's original compositions, "Big Bass Drum," which the band still plays nearly every show.  Around this time, the band entered the social media realm and started a Facebook page.

     In 2011, the band recorded its fifth demo, 12 From 19 at Studio 19, engineered by Dan Merrill.  The band took special care to really nail the parts of the songs they covered.  Rob played all electric and acoustic guitars, harmonica and sang lead and backing vocals.  The tracks can be heard on the DKB website, and feature the quartet, plus Andy Chipman on keyboards.   "Big Bass Drum" is the only original track on the demo.

Rob and DKB today and beyond

     Now in its 25th year, the band continues to evolve and build its fan base. In 2012, drummer Brian Hodgman joined the band (See Brian's bio below).   After 17 years in DKB, bassist Sandy Pardee married and moved to Canada.  Justin Maxwell took over the bass chair (see Justin's bio below). While the band doesn't play over a hundred gigs per year anymore, they are still making an impact at every performance.   On August 18, 2018, the band played to over 800 attendees at Fort Allen Park!  Patsy Wiggins of Friends of The Eastern Promenade filmed the band, and the clip is a good representation of how the band sounds today. It represents the current lineup of the band.  You can view the clip on the band's Videos page, or on The Delta Knights Facebook page (the band joined Facebook in 2010).    

     Around the time Justin joined and rather at his urging/nudging,  Rob changed the band's focus  back to more of a roots-music approach.  Audiences and the band have seemed to like the reboot.   Rob looks forward to recording some of the band's songs to showcase the new lineup and return to its roots in the near future.  The band also hired a sound technician, Chris "Giz" Daniels, and both fans and clients have noted the superior sound quality that change brought.           

   

Other acts and pursuits

    In addition to his beloved Delta Knights, Rob is involved in musical pursuits outside the band as well.  Since 2016, he has played bass, guitar and sang for The Time Pilots.   This band plays very different music from the Delta Knights.  This band plays mostly pop favorites and classic rock, for weddings and functions, with the occasional public performance.  You can find out more by visiting www.timepilotsband.com. 

    A couple of months ago, Rob joined forces with Matt & The Barnburners, a Chicago Blues quartet  featuring harmonica player/vocalist with Matt Bilodeau.  Rob is happy playing authentic blues with this band. 

     While it has been awhile since he has appeared on the theater stage, Rob still enjoys being involved in theatrical productions.  He has performed in pit orchestras for local Broadway Shows, including Grease, Carnival and Bye Bye Birdie.   from 2007-2013, he was involved with Freeport Community Players' Home Time Radio Hour, singing, acting, and playing guitar in the pit.   Rob returned in 2016 to become Radio's guitarist and musical director.

     In 2019, Rob reunited  with his two Bonny Eagle High School friends, Troy Bennett and Dean Clegg, who you read about above, They had a band called Unfinished Business.  It had been 30 years since they played onstage together.  They had such a great time at the reunion gig, they decided to reform the band.  Only this time, they are opting for more of a blues/soul/R&B focus, and they named the band Unfinished Blues Band.  Visit www.unfinishedbluesband.com for more information.

     In 2021, Rob finished recording and released an album of all-original material.  Titled 21 Frets, the album was recorded, mixed and mastered by Delta Knight Justin Maxwell (who also added bass and keyboards).  Rob is proud of this album, as it features songs he wrote from 1988 to the present.  He played guitar, banjo, bass, harmonica and sang on all tracks.  He was joined by many friends, including DK musicians, drummer Brian Hodgman, sax player Darren Whitney, and keyboardists Andy Chipman and Mark Napoleone.  Other musicians on the project include vocalist Ronda Dale, drummers Chris Sweet and Jeff Davison, former DK bassist Sandy Pardee, and sax players Kate Campbell-Strauss (who wrote the horn parts), and Bruce Couillard.  The album is available in most streaming platforms.  Rob will have copies of the CD for purchase at live performances.

     Please visit the Rob Babson Music tab to find out what projects Rob is involved in outside of The Delta Knights.

     Education

     Rob has been a Reading Teacher and educator for over 20 years, and he values education.  Rob has studied guitar privately with Mike Silvestri, Gary Richardson, and Tony Gabourey. He studied voice with David Goulet and Debbie Scannell. 

     Rob has taught guitar privately, at Fiddlehead Arts Center, and in a group setting at Riverton Elementary School. 

Rob's Equipment at a glance:

Guitars:

1984 Fender American Standard Stratocaster

Epiphone Dot

2013 Fender HSS Stratocaster

2005 Fender American Deluxe Reissue Telecaster

Lakland Skyline DJ-4 Electric Bass

SMF Electric Bass

Larrivee Acoustic

Hohner Special 20 and Lee Oskar Harmonicas

Amps:

Fender '65 Princeton Reverb

Rivera Quiana Studio

Fender Tone Master Deluxe

Fishman Loudbox

Fender Rumble Bass 500 Amp

Ampeg B-15 Bass Amp

Darren Whitney: Tenor and Alto Saxophone

     After high school, Darren had the opportunity to play in the world-renowned college big bands of North Texas State before returning to Maine to receive his BA in English Literature from the University of Southern Maine. In 1997 he had the pleasure of playing on Motor Booty Affair’s CD, “Can You Feel the Love,” which received airplay on MTV’s hit series Road Rules and Real World.  Darren is on a constant mission to create music in any genre with exciting passionate musicians and always trying to deliver performances filled with the exuberance and warmth audiences and concert promoters expect.  In addition to DK, he continues to perform with the best bands in the Greater Portland area.  He can be seen onstage with Bess Berg, Dan Merrill, The Shakes, The Time Pilots, and others.  Recently, he launched his solo act, playing many venues around the Southern Maine area.

     Darren has studied saxophone and music theory with a wellspring of music educators, including Bill Street, Dan Haerle, Scott Reeves, Bob Thompson, Joe Laflamme, Janet Reeves, Alex Johns, James Riggs, George Garzone & and Tim Sessions.  Darren recently started playing solo shows.  Also, Darren has also taught saxophone privately for several years.

 Brian Hodgman - Drums