ROB YATES

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. 

Besides writing and recording songs, I am a certified pet loss counselor and have spent many hours with pet loss parents and their loved ones. I am familiar with the emotional roller coaster ride pet parents experience when they lose a beloved pet and friend. It can be an emotionally challenging time, often affecting our physical, mental, and emotional well-being.

Many pet loss counselors and therapists agree that the act of memorializing a beloved pet is a vital and beneficial way to deal with our loss. Creative coping is a term used to describe a mechanism that can help us move through this journey more effectively and may include drawing painting, writing, and photography.

When I lost my beloved dog and best friend, Sam, in 2019, it was a very emotional time. Sam and I shared a special and loving bond with each other that I didn't know existed. What a great team we made! I wanted to find a way, not only to get through the pain of losing him, but also to remember all the great times we experienced. I did this through looking at pictures and videos as well as thinking about the memories we made. This inspired me to write a song to commemorate him in a music video I wanted to produce. Please take a few minutes and listen to the song I wrote about Sam called "I'll Help You Write Your Song." Kind of uncanny. Now I want to help you write your song.

So, I now write original songs and produce music videos for pet-loss parents wanting to always remember their beloved pet by way of a song and music video. Working with me on a music video about your pet can be both therapeutic and rewarding experience when you are ready.

Please don't hesitate to call me at (239) 209-8220. I welcome the opportunity to answer any of your questions or talk to you about writing "Your Song".

Thank you for visiting!