about us
For 5 years, playing full time and traveling coast to coast, The Blue Ribbon Healers have been perfecting the recipe for their gumbo sound. As much grassy and down home as it is sultry and exotic, Rob and Cindy’s original music, like the best home cookin, will both soothe your soul and ignite your imagination.
Based in the Florida Panhandle but equally at home in New Orleans, Colorado, California, and most recently Spain and France, these gypsy songsters thrive on reading their audiences and tailoring their sets to match. With 200+ shows a year and a songbook as deep and wide at the Mississippi, you're guaranteed never to get the same show twice.
Based in the Florida Panhandle but equally at home in New Orleans, Colorado, California, and most recently Spain and France, these gypsy songsters thrive on reading their audiences and tailoring their sets to match. With 200+ shows a year and a songbook as deep and wide at the Mississippi, you're guaranteed never to get the same show twice.
the nitty gritty
6 cross-country tours ranging from 2-6 months
6 tours of the southeast
6 live albums, 1 studio EP, 1 full-length studio release
30+ appearances on radio and TV
available as a duo, trio, or quartet
6 tours of the southeast
6 live albums, 1 studio EP, 1 full-length studio release
30+ appearances on radio and TV
available as a duo, trio, or quartet
contact us
videos
audio
promo photo
show poster
press
With all the traveling we do, we’re often playing in towns that are new to us. We love making connections with the local media to help spread the word about our unique sound.
Newspaper & Internet
"McDermott equates the past five years to a Grateful Dead tour. 'Deciding to leave everything and just go follow the Dead, because that’s kind of how it felt for my life,' she explains. 'Everything changed for me in the best possible way. I would say that the five years for me is a long, strange trip. And I’m not getting off any time soon.'"
Nikki Hedrick - Beachcomber Destin / March 27, 2014
“Five songs full of whimsy and charm make up the Healers’ newest EP—part old-timey music, part jazz vocals and part gypsy music approached with a ton of heart and creativity. It’s a lovely release that brings into focus what makes this sometimeslocal band special.”
Nikki Hedrick - Destin Beachcomber / March 15, 2013
“The Gulf Coast doesn’t necessarily strike music fans as a bastion of Old Time string music, but Cindy Rose and Rob Pate of the Blue Ribbon Healers have managed to make it work. Between their hometown of Panama City, Fla., and New Orleans, they’ve carved out a niche for themselves as purveyors of “thrashed-out foot-stompin’ swanky tonk,” and this weekend they’ll set up shop for a week in East Tennessee. In the spring, they came through and enjoyed a rousing welcome at Preservation Pub in downtown Knoxville. Playing their chosen style of music in what’s essentially the cradle of Old Time and Appalachian traditions was an honor, the couple said, and they were received warmly.”
Steve Wildsmith - Maryville Daily Times / November 21, 2012
“They're gypsy troubadours who turn Big Easy jazz blues, Texas swing and mountain jams into sprightly irrepressible music with a speakeasy flair. And while the Blue Ribbon Healers' sound may be weathered and old-fashioned, their subject matter is infused with a modern sensibility. Reminiscent of acts like the Squirrel Nut Zippers and Asylum Street Spankers, they're distinguished by the interplay of Pate's gruff baritone and Rose's sultry fluttering croon, a sort of fire and ice like Tom Waits courting Bessie Smith. "She's the orchid and I'm the rusty beer can," Pate says. ”
Chris Parker - Colorado Springs Independent / January 5, 2012
Radio & TV
WMBB, News Channel 13 This Morning hosted by Greg Sherrod & Jessica Foster
March 2014, March & May 2013, Panama City, FL
WJHG, News Channel 7 with Paris Janos
April 2013, Panama City FL
WUNC, The State of Things with Frank Stasio (NPR)
December 2012, Durham, NC
WDVX, Blue Plate Special hosted by Red Hickey
November 2012 & August 2011, Knoxville, TN
KLNX, Jammin in the Valley with DJ Chaos
September 2012 & September 2011, Minturn, CO
KRCC, Grass Roots Revival with Steve Harris
January 2012, Colorado Springs, CO
Newspaper & Internet
"McDermott equates the past five years to a Grateful Dead tour. 'Deciding to leave everything and just go follow the Dead, because that’s kind of how it felt for my life,' she explains. 'Everything changed for me in the best possible way. I would say that the five years for me is a long, strange trip. And I’m not getting off any time soon.'"
Nikki Hedrick - Beachcomber Destin / March 27, 2014
“Five songs full of whimsy and charm make up the Healers’ newest EP—part old-timey music, part jazz vocals and part gypsy music approached with a ton of heart and creativity. It’s a lovely release that brings into focus what makes this sometimeslocal band special.”
Nikki Hedrick - Destin Beachcomber / March 15, 2013
“The Gulf Coast doesn’t necessarily strike music fans as a bastion of Old Time string music, but Cindy Rose and Rob Pate of the Blue Ribbon Healers have managed to make it work. Between their hometown of Panama City, Fla., and New Orleans, they’ve carved out a niche for themselves as purveyors of “thrashed-out foot-stompin’ swanky tonk,” and this weekend they’ll set up shop for a week in East Tennessee. In the spring, they came through and enjoyed a rousing welcome at Preservation Pub in downtown Knoxville. Playing their chosen style of music in what’s essentially the cradle of Old Time and Appalachian traditions was an honor, the couple said, and they were received warmly.”
Steve Wildsmith - Maryville Daily Times / November 21, 2012
“They're gypsy troubadours who turn Big Easy jazz blues, Texas swing and mountain jams into sprightly irrepressible music with a speakeasy flair. And while the Blue Ribbon Healers' sound may be weathered and old-fashioned, their subject matter is infused with a modern sensibility. Reminiscent of acts like the Squirrel Nut Zippers and Asylum Street Spankers, they're distinguished by the interplay of Pate's gruff baritone and Rose's sultry fluttering croon, a sort of fire and ice like Tom Waits courting Bessie Smith. "She's the orchid and I'm the rusty beer can," Pate says. ”
Chris Parker - Colorado Springs Independent / January 5, 2012
Radio & TV
WMBB, News Channel 13 This Morning hosted by Greg Sherrod & Jessica Foster
March 2014, March & May 2013, Panama City, FL
WJHG, News Channel 7 with Paris Janos
April 2013, Panama City FL
WUNC, The State of Things with Frank Stasio (NPR)
December 2012, Durham, NC
WDVX, Blue Plate Special hosted by Red Hickey
November 2012 & August 2011, Knoxville, TN
KLNX, Jammin in the Valley with DJ Chaos
September 2012 & September 2011, Minturn, CO
KRCC, Grass Roots Revival with Steve Harris
January 2012, Colorado Springs, CO
contact us
[email protected]
(850) 625-0677
(850) 625-0677