Today we’d like to introduce you to Robert Ingman
Hi Robert, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
When I was 10 years old, I told my parents that when I grew up I wanted to be a guitar player/singer on Hilton Head . There wasn’t much of that happening on Hilton Head in 1966 but my Grandmother had been here since the early ’50s. I just figured I would live in her old house and play music somewhere. That’s pretty much what ultimately happened. I moved from a very vibrant music scene in Gainesville Florida up to Hilton Head in 1980 to play on a break from college. I continued off and on in college, more off than on, and kept coming back to Hilton Head to play music. I think I am still on a break from school that has lasted 45 years.
I came up to Hilton Head on a surfing trip after I graduated from high school and got a job at the Holiday Inn as a bus boy. 50 years later I am still working at that Holiday Inn playing music at the Tiki Hut. I apparently have not gotten very far!
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
When I started out playing, my parents wanted me to get my college degree and use that to find a job, then play music on the side. I didn’t want to do that. I sort of had to figure it out on the fly as to how to make a living as a full-time musician. You definitely have to commit to it. I was working doubles five days a week in the beginning, but it didn’t seem like an obstacle to me. I loved every minute of it. I kept raising my price and people kept paying me, so it really wasn’t that difficult as a single person. I got married and quickly had two children in the early 90s and I was a little paranoid at first about my ability to support a four- person family with one income as a musician. But doing 6–8 jobs per week turned out to be fine. One obstacle would be the fact that playing eight times a week can really stress your voice out. I had to learn to sing around a lot of hoarseness, changed the way I sang so it would be less stressing to the vocal cords, etc.
Another obstacle on Hilton Head was the fact that in the 80s and 90s, Hilton Head would shut down after Labor Day. I had to travel and haul my family out to Colorado to play the winter seasons out there. But again, we loved that, and it made for some great experiences for me and my family. I did that for 39 years, only stopped going last year.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
As a solo performer, it can be difficult to generate a lot of energy. It’s a lot easier for a full band but solo acts have to work a little harder. So, I do a nearly 100% request show. My repertoire is a little over 800 songs which I have on a song list that I throw out to the crowd. That helps me generate a rapport with the audience as I try to incorporate a lot of north/south conflict humor, some college sports trash talking, changing words to well-known songs just to see if people are listening, etc. There are a lot of really talented musicians around Hilton Head, so I try to separate myself by being engaging and trying to develop a relationship with individuals in the crowd. I genuinely like people so that comes pretty naturally and as a result, I have made many long-lasting 40+ year relationships with people who still come out to hear me play. It’s been really fun.
Alright so before we go can you talk to us a bit about how people can work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
In terms of collaboration, I have only worked with two other musicians as a legitimate duo. The first one was with my friend and fellow Florida Gator JB Miller. We got together and became the “Joe Brown Trio”, the only two-man trio that I am aware of! That’s a long story. We met at the University of Florida as we were both studying zoology. He graduated and went off to be a zoologist; I dropped out and moved to Hilton Head to be a musician. I met Shannon Tanner there who was, and still is, a very strong solo act on Hilton Head. We started the “Tanner and Ingman” duo, traveled and worked in Colorado, the Virgin Islands (where I met my wife of 36 years Desiree), and Monterey California. As was also the case with the Joe Brown Trio, Shannon and I had more fun than should be legal. It was a great time in my life with so many really good memories. I have recently sat in with Shannon’s Jimmy Buffett tribute band called the “Oyster Reefers” playing guitar and steel drum and also put together a couple of one-night bands of my own but 99.99% of my career has been solo. I guess there was some collaboration on my original CD, “Bacardiac Arrest”. It’s a collection of what I refer to as “Seafood Rock” and has all my old music buddies playing on it…more fun.
Contact Info:
- Email: robertingman@yahoo.com
