Bob Derkach
BiographyBOB DERKACH is a Canadian multi-instrumentalist, composer, arranger, producer and musical director. He creates original music, soundscape and special SFX for film, television, multimedia, theatre and dance.
Bob was the original keyboardist with Edmonton AB blues band Hot Cottage 1971-79, recording the album “Hot Cottage with Walter Horton” (London Records 1972). He has played and recorded with Big Miller, Johnny Shines, Sonny Terry and Brownie McGee, Paul Hann, Louisiana Red, Joe Hall, Brian Hughes Trio, The Edmonton Shumka Orchestra, Zen Magus Big Band and had the unique honour of sitting in on piano with B.B. King in concert. He co-wrote, arranged and produced the Daisy DeBolt albums “I Can” (1999) and “Just Mountain Songs” (2000). In 2014 Bob and the other original members of Hot Cottage were inducted into the Edmonton Blues Hall of Fame.
Bob was the Audio Producer/Composer at The Queen Elizabeth Planetarium, Edmonton AB 1978-82 and designed the recording studio for the Edmonton Space Sciences Centre (Telus World of Science). He was the Musical Director of The Second City Theatres in Edmonton AB, Toronto ON and Santa Monica CA 1983-2006 and for the comedy sketch group “Women Fully Clothed” 2006-16. Bob was also the Musical Director on the GSN television series “”Drew Carey’s Improv-A-Ganza” 2010.
Bob’s soundscape “The Winds of Mars” opens Visions of Mars which is an extra-terrestrial DVD-ROM artifact created by Jon Lomberg and The Planetary Society, Pasadena CA and is on-board NASA’s Phoenix Mars Lander 2007. The spacecraft was launched from Cape Canaveral Florida on August 4th, 2007 and safely landed in the northern plains of Mars on May 25th, 2008 after a journey of about 423 million miles. Phoenix has successfully completed its mission of exploration and analysis of the Martian soil and Visions of Mars remains on the deck of the lander as a time-capsule greeting for future settlers of the planet Mars.
Bob purchased the Kurzweil K250 and Apple Macintosh Plus in 1985 and, as the featured composer and artist, he premiered the instrument on the CBC Radio IDEAS program three-part series “Artists in Their Laboratory”. With the K250 he created several of the soundtracks and soundscapes for a number of installations at the Vancouver World Expo '86. Bob featured the instrument on several of his film and television score compositions, orchestral actualizations, sound design and other music productions.
Currently active in Vancouver BC, Bob is also the Musical Director with Ryan Stiles' live comedy improv touring show “Whose Live Anyway?” (www.whoselive.com). He has released 6 CDs of original electronic and piano music available on iTunes.
Bob was the original keyboardist with Edmonton AB blues band Hot Cottage 1971-79, recording the album “Hot Cottage with Walter Horton” (London Records 1972). He has played and recorded with Big Miller, Johnny Shines, Sonny Terry and Brownie McGee, Paul Hann, Louisiana Red, Joe Hall, Brian Hughes Trio, The Edmonton Shumka Orchestra, Zen Magus Big Band and had the unique honour of sitting in on piano with B.B. King in concert. He co-wrote, arranged and produced the Daisy DeBolt albums “I Can” (1999) and “Just Mountain Songs” (2000). In 2014 Bob and the other original members of Hot Cottage were inducted into the Edmonton Blues Hall of Fame.
Bob was the Audio Producer/Composer at The Queen Elizabeth Planetarium, Edmonton AB 1978-82 and designed the recording studio for the Edmonton Space Sciences Centre (Telus World of Science). He was the Musical Director of The Second City Theatres in Edmonton AB, Toronto ON and Santa Monica CA 1983-2006 and for the comedy sketch group “Women Fully Clothed” 2006-16. Bob was also the Musical Director on the GSN television series “”Drew Carey’s Improv-A-Ganza” 2010.
Bob’s soundscape “The Winds of Mars” opens Visions of Mars which is an extra-terrestrial DVD-ROM artifact created by Jon Lomberg and The Planetary Society, Pasadena CA and is on-board NASA’s Phoenix Mars Lander 2007. The spacecraft was launched from Cape Canaveral Florida on August 4th, 2007 and safely landed in the northern plains of Mars on May 25th, 2008 after a journey of about 423 million miles. Phoenix has successfully completed its mission of exploration and analysis of the Martian soil and Visions of Mars remains on the deck of the lander as a time-capsule greeting for future settlers of the planet Mars.
Bob purchased the Kurzweil K250 and Apple Macintosh Plus in 1985 and, as the featured composer and artist, he premiered the instrument on the CBC Radio IDEAS program three-part series “Artists in Their Laboratory”. With the K250 he created several of the soundtracks and soundscapes for a number of installations at the Vancouver World Expo '86. Bob featured the instrument on several of his film and television score compositions, orchestral actualizations, sound design and other music productions.
Currently active in Vancouver BC, Bob is also the Musical Director with Ryan Stiles' live comedy improv touring show “Whose Live Anyway?” (www.whoselive.com). He has released 6 CDs of original electronic and piano music available on iTunes.
(division of Norlin Music Instruments, Ltd.)
Canadian Music Icon and Broadcaster | 1936 - 2018
Broadcaster and Founder of Stony Plain Records | born 1949