Naptown Soul Rob Dixon

• 1 Sly Vibe 05:15
• 2 Bumpin' on Sunset 06:14
• 3 Walking in Rhythm 05:07
• 4 Naptown Blues 05:32
• 5 I Want You 05:29
• 6 The Earth, The Sky 05:37
• 7 Fields and Valleys 06:47
• 8 Four One 04:52
• Total Runtime 44:53

Info for Naptown Soul

"Naptown Soul" doesn’t waste much time making an impression. From the opening notes, Rob Dixon and his band come out with a soulful, hard-hitting sound that grabs your attention and makes you want to keep listening.

The Hammond B-3 quickly becomes one of the defining voices on the album. Sometimes it sits quietly in the background, humming underneath the band, and other times it pushes out thick bass notes that make you wonder who needs a bass player. Sam Fribush also delivers some of the album’s most memorable solos, while giving Dixon’s soulful tenor and soprano, Dave Stryker’s guitar, and Richard “Sleepy” Floyd’s drums plenty of room to speak.

Dixon has a knack for making every phrase feel connected to the groove. His tenor sound is warm and full, whether he is staying in the middle register or reaching for notes that ring out above the band. On “Sly Vibe,” his lines glide through the relaxed funk setting, while “I Want You” reveals a different side of his playing, his soprano floating over a slow, shuffling rhythm, the notes hanging in the air before disappearing.

The conversation between the musicians is what makes Naptown Soul so much fun. Dave Stryker never seems interested in filling every space. His guitar lines feel like replies, with notes that seem to linger before he moves to the next idea. On “Bumpin’ on Sunset,” he takes Wes Montgomery’s familiar groove and gives it a bluesy, soulful reading, stretching some notes while speeding others along. When the guitar, organ, and saxophone come back together, they sound like three musicians picking up exactly where they left off.

Richard “Sleepy” Floyd’s drumming gives Naptown Soul a lot of its energy. His funk-powered sticks are always pushing the music, with tight, forceful accents that add weight to the grooves. Floyd has a powerful presence of his own, but he uses it to connect with the musicians around him, responding to every change and helping shape the album’s hard-driving sound.

Dixon’s own compositions sound right at home next to Wes Montgomery’s “Naptown Blues” and the Blackbyrds’ “Walking in Rhythm.” “Fields and Valleys” is different, with Dixon’s saxophone taking on a jazzier, more jagged edge before returning to the warmer soul sound that runs through the album.

“Four One” may be Dixon’s strongest original here, opening with a gorgeous saxophone line before the full band enters into this soulful big sounding blast. The groove is relaxed but intense at the same time, with Stryker stretching notes until their tone lingers in the room and Fribush bringing a deep soul feeling that recalls the emotional pull of Percy Sledge’s “When a Man Loves a Woman.”

"Naptown Soul is the kind of record that makes you stop and listen. The grooves hit hard, the melodies stay with you, and this band sounds like it was made to play together." (Tim Larsen, jazzviews.net)

"Since 2014, guitarist Dave Stryker has been issuing recordings reminiscent of the soul jazz era on his Strikezone label. Saxophonist Rob Dixon’s Naptown Soul is the latest example of that. The infectious sounds of tenor, organ, guitar and drums will keep you, as they say in the vernacular of classic soul jazz records, groovin’ and movin’." (Abe Goldstien, papatamusredux.com)

Rob Dixon, tenor & soprano saxophone
Dave Stryker, guitar
Sam Fribush, Hammond B-3 organ
Richard “Sleepy” Floyd, drums

Recorded January 29-30, 2026 at Azmyth Recording, Indianapolis
Mixed and mastered at 416 Wabash Studio by Mitch Lohman
Produced by Dave Stryker, Rob Dixon

Rob Dixon
grew up in the small town of Sharptown, Maryland in a family of musicians and singers. He was given his first record player at the age of 5 and his first record was Lefty Frizzell's "Long Black Veil." Rob's passion for country music had just begun. He learned to play the guitar when he was 12 years old and at age 14 began his stage career in his father's neighborhood bar and band. It didn't take Rob long to realize that singing and playing country music was all he would ever want to do.

Rob began writing music when he was 15 and recorded his first album (all original songs) when he was 20. This first album achieved regional success in the Maryland / Delaware / Virginia area with two number one singles.

In September of 1977, Rob was offered the chance to move to Nashville to pursue his musical dream. Rob’s band had backed up several acts locally from Nashville, including Mel Street and Carl Smith and had come to the attention of some agents in Nashville. After Elvis past away, Rob received a phone call from a booking agent that was looking for a backup band for JD Sumner and the Stamps Quartet who were Elvis’s backup singers. Rob took his band to Nashville to audition and was hired on the spot. After working with JD for almost a year, Rob joined the band of David Houston, a Grand Ole Opry star, touring the country and playing on the Grand Ole Opry stage.

In 1979, Rob formed his own band which became the house band at a prominent nightclub in Nashville called Faron Young's Celebrity Ballroom, backing up legends like Webb Pierce, Faron Young Thumbs Carlisle and others. In 1980, Rob auditioned for the legendary George Jones. Once again he was hired on the spot as lead guitar player, band leader and front man. Over the next 20 months Rob traveled all over America, Canada, and Europe with George playing to sold out concerts and television shows. He even got to play on a George Jones recording and a Tammy Wynette recording from the movie soundtrack of “The Night The Lights Went Out In Georgia”. After George performed numerous times at Billy Bob’s Texas, in Ft Worth, Rob became friends with Billy Bob Barnett, the original owner and builder. Billy Bob was impressed and wanted to use his new club to help Rob further his career so in late 1981, he offered Rob a position in the house band at the club as singer and guitar player. Sadly for Rob, Billy Bob had so much going at the time that Rob’s career was put on the back burner. So not to be dismayed, in the spring of 82, Rob went to Billy and suggested he form his own band and work at other clubs in the DFW area. Rob and Billy remained good friends and Rob continues to play Billy Bob’s Texas to this date. Rob Dixon and the Lost Cowboy band was formed in a club in the stockyards as a house band but quickly branched out to all the top clubs in DFW. Over the years, RD and LCB have traveled and performed all over Texas. The band has played continually in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex for 36 years, longer than any other band and still going strong.

This album contains no booklet.