Bob & Gene facts for kids

Bob & Gene
Background information
Genres	R&B, pop, soul
Occupation(s)	Singers-songwriters record producers
Instruments	Vocals, keyboards
Years active	1960s–1970s
Labels	MoDo Records, Daptone
Associated acts	Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings, Bobby Nunn, Charles Bradley, The Sugarman 3

Bob & Gene is a music duo from America. It's made up of two talented singers and songwriters, Bobby Nunn and Eugene Coplin Jr. Back in 1967, when they were just teenagers in Buffalo, New York, they started writing and recording their own songs. These songs were released in their local area by a record company called MoDo Records.

MoDo Records: Their First Studio

In the late 1960s, Bobby's father, William Nunn, started MoDo Records. He wanted to earn some extra money and also give young people in their neighborhood a chance to learn about the music business.

Recording in a Basement Studio

The MoDo recording studio was right in the basement of the Nunn family home in Buffalo. Bob and Gene spent most of their free time there. They loved writing and recording their own songs. Bobby once said, "We’d see local bands that had one mission... to play cover songs in the local bars. We thought it would be so much cooler to do original music and to have our own songs on the radio." They even recorded enough songs for a full album! However, by the early 1970s, MoDo Records closed down, so their album was never officially released back then.

Daptone Records: A Second Chance

In the early 1970s, Bob and Gene went their separate ways. Gene stayed in Buffalo and worked with his church and community. Bobby moved to Los Angeles and continued his music career, finding a lot of success.

Their Music Found Again

In 2001, a music historian named David Griffiths found some old Bob & Gene records. These records mentioned an album called If This World Were Mine. After a lot of searching, Griffiths found the tapes of the unreleased album. He took them to Daptone Records, a record company known for soul music.

Album Release and Recognition

Daptone Records released Bob and Gene's album in 2007, many years after it was first recorded! Since then, their songs have been used in movies like Why Did I Get Married Too?, Our Family Wedding, and Different from Whom?. In 2011, Bob and Gene were honored and added to the Buffalo Music Hall of Fame.

Possible Reunion Shows

Inspired by the life of singer Sharon Jones, Bob and Gene have talked about getting back together. They have discussed with Daptone Records the idea of performing some shows in the future.