PENDLETON, BAKER CITY — Blues guitarist Terry Robb is heading east from Portland next week to play two shows — one solo, and one with a band.

You can catch him at Great Pacific, 403 S. Main St. in Pendleton, on Friday, May 2. The music starts at 6 p.m. There is no cover charge for this solo show.

Next, he heads to Baker City for a concert on Saturday, May 3, at Churchill School, 3451 Broadway St. He’ll be joined by Luke McKern on bass and Mark Emerson on drums. Doors open at 6 p.m. Tickets are $20 in advance at churchillbaker.com, or $25 at the door. Admission is free for ages 15 and younger who attend with a paid adult.

Robb, 68, started playing music when he was 8. He played in bands through high school and college.

“The day I graduated, I became a professional musician,” he said.

That was in 1978.

“Portland was a really happening music town,” he said. “You could play six days a week and make a good living. My generation, music was important. It was a way of life.”

Most of his shows are outside of Portland these days — the western states, Texas, back east, Canada and Europe.

He plays at wineries, festivals, concerts in the park and smaller venues. He’s earned many accolades over his career — in fact, he took home the Muddy Award for Best Acoustic Guitar so many times that the Cascade Blues Association finally attached his name to the trophy permanently.

He has also been praised by numerous magazines and toured the country with Buddy Guy, Steve Miller, Robin Trower and John Fahey.

His most recent collaboration was with David Vest. The two musicians recorded an album in Vancouver, Canada, releasing it on Oct. 4, 2024.

“The great boogie-woogie piano player,” Robb said of Vest. “Each of us brought songs the other hadn’t heard before.”

This style of play, he said, brings out the personalities of each musician on stage.