Uncle Rock to release new album April 13

Uncle Rock, the singer-songwriter, author and globetrotting bassist also known as Robert Burke Warren, will celebrate spring with his fourth family music CD, The Big Picture. Featuring a gallery full of new musical works, it will be available April 13th from Jackpot Music (http://www.unclerock.com).

The Big Picture s a socially conscious salute to Uncle Rock’s musical heroes. The 12 original songs (and two covers—Carol Burnett’s theme song and Tom T. Hall’s “Sneaky Snake”) offer sonic nods to David Bowie, The Rolling Stones, Cat Stevens, the Ramones, Buddy Holly , Johnny Cash and even Billy Idol. Known for his rockabilly style and lyricism inspired by Roald Dahl and Shel Silverstein, Uncle Rock offers a musical variety show here with songs about recycling, acceptance of differences and the importance of shopping locally. Some of the songs are just plain whimsical, like “My Friend Bigfoot” and “Leave the Bees Be,” which is currently enjoying heavy rotation on Sirius-XM Satellite radio.

To craft the cross-generational shout-out that is The Big Picture, Uncle Rock brought in producer and multi-instrumentalist Dean Jones, the man behind the acclaimed family music group Dog on Fleas. Together they’ve created a collection of hooky singalongs primed to take up residence on radio playlists and iPods everywhere. As Uncle Rock says, “The Big Picture is about how rock, folk, funk, and thinking green can get together at the all-ages party.”

Uncle Rock’s band The Playthings, featuring musicians who have shared stages with Joe Cocker, Vassar Clements and Hanoi Rocks, joins him for The Big Picture. Smithsonian Folkways artist Elizabeth Mitchell elevates the story song “There Is No Away,” and Jane Scarpantoni (cellist for Nirvana, Sheryl Crow, Bruce Springsteen, Patti Smith, and Natalie Merchant just to name a few) provides the plaintive cello on "There Is No Away" and "Very Good Question."

Before his nephew dubbed him “Uncle Rock,” Robert Burke Warren performed as a bass player in many rock and roll bands, including international garage rock titans The Fleshtones. He portrayed the title character in Buddy: The Buddy Holly Storyin London’s West End. He’s also co-written songs for multi-Grammy winner Rosanne Cash and Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Wanda Jackson.