Bob Flick is a mentor, a singing partner, and a friend.

When I joined The Brothers Four as a green as willow kid of 21 the other guys were 8 to 10 years older and experienced in the ways of the road and the world. I developed wonderful and lifelong relationships with each of them. John Paine and I have been neighbors for years. There is no one better to travel and sing with than Dick Foley. Recently I have also developed a strong bond with Mike Kirkland, the guy I replaced so long ago. While my relationships with these men remains important we are no longer traveling and making music together. That distinction is Bob’s alone.

Bob started performing as a kid growing up in Seattle doing magic tricks and pantomime. It was as if he was both destined and determined to make it in show business. I believe sharing that spirit with all its meanings has been Bob’s most important gift to me.
He’s fun to travel with. He practices both gratitude and grace. He takes the responsibility of representing American folk music seriously but not himself.

Personally he has been there for me for nearly 50 years now. There were years when I had trouble believing in myself. Bob quietly kept the faith.

Without Bob’s dedication and hard work (and regular visits to Japan between Brothers Four tours) the group would not be making our 55th trip here.
While I’ve got lots of memories of times together one of my strongest was when we toured Japan for 5 plus weeks in 1979. He and I would go out after a show and play an arcade game that had just become the rage in Japan-Space Invader. The game was so popular that the country was dealing with a shortage of 100 Yen coins. Bob and I dropped any number of them in those huge game consoles. It is the only video game that I felt I got sort of good at thanks to those nights after those shows.

Lots of years. Lots of memories. The best thing? We aren’t done yet.
Thanks, Bob.