Hi and Welcome

Where to start?  I’ve had an unusual career as a singer-songwriter and recording artist which I will continue to share with you as time permits.  I had dabbled in writing and playing music in bands when I was in high school and college decades ago.  However, it took a collapsing job market and some personal issues for me to resume my musical interests.

In 2008, I was fired as Senior Paralegal from a large hospital system, the same time the mortgage melt down mass layoffs were occurring.  People were losing their homes and the employment wanted ads were practically non-existent.  It was a tough job market when you're almost sixty years of age and just fired from one of the best paralegal jobs in the state of Florida. I sent out hundreds of resumes but could not find gainful employment.

Not only was the economy and job market crashing, but I had just separated from my wife and was living alone with my two dogs, Sam and Joey.  They were right by my side every night, listening to me play guitar and sing, and sometimes cry.  If I wasn’t playing my guitar, I was listening to a lot of Eric Church, a country music artist, who I had just discovered.  His songs inspired me to start writing my own music again. 

I hadn't thought of performing in public, again, but one night a friend of mine, who knew the owner of a local restaurant, asked if I would be interested in playing there.  The owner agreed and things took off from there.  I was represented  by Talent and Entertainment Productions as my booking agent, and was soon playing at some of the finest  beach resorts and restaurants in Southwest Florida.

I recorded my first album, "Ruff Draft", in 2016 , but stopped performing live in 2018 due to mobility issues.  I started physical therapy and was hoping to return on a limited basis, but then the COVID pandemic hit and live music venues closed.  I started doing live performances on Facebook as a way of providing a little online entertainment until live venues reopened.

I did a series of Facebook Mini Concert Tours where I would perform one song and post it live on Facebook.   These tours included the “Pandemic Relief” tour”, the “Welcome in the Weekend TGIF” tour, the “Ruff Draft” tour, and the “Younger Than Ever” tour.   I now play and post all my new releases on Facebook as singles. Please visit me on Facebook at Facebook.com/robert.yates.509 or click on the "Facebook Concert Tours" link on the navigation bar.

MIKE DIVITO

Mike DiVito is the real “artist” when I call myself a recording artist. He takes my songs to another level.  Mike not only played all the instruments on my last two albums, “Climb on Board” and “Younger Than Ever”, he is our recording engineer with a special gift for blending sounds and tracks into something special. Please buy our records so Mike can quit his daytime job.