Outback Dude (aka Rob Dean) was born in Kalamazoo, Michigan, and raised in a small country town. Rob’s journey into music began by playing saxophone in the school band, but his musical path took a turn when he stumbled upon an old acoustic guitar at a local flea market in Chicago, where he moved as a teenager. This discovery led him to transition from saxophone to bass guitar, and by 17, he was playing electric guitar. Rob’s love for rock music solidified when he heard ‘Appetite For Destruction’ by Guns ‘N Roses, which deeply resonated with his inner free-spirit.
His musical course set, Rob co-founded the band ‘Scrood’ with bassist John “Jay” Czekala, later joined by drummer Dan Stremlau and vocalist Russ Masias. The band made waves (both good and bad) in the Chicago music scene until the rise of grunge led to their split. Seeking new horizons, Rob’s gypsy soul led him to Australia, where he embraced life Down Under. Reflecting on his musical journey as the years passed, he realized the absence of a true representation of his passion for music, aside from an old ‘Scrood’ demo tape. Determined to leave a legacy, he set out to create something meaningful.Starting from scratch, Rob invested in new equipment, penned new songs, and produced the album “The Last Rodeo.” Enlisting the talents of his wife, AJ Dean, for vocals, and his former bandmate, J Czekala, for bass, Rob took on the challenge of learning to mix and engineer the recordings himself. Over the course of a year, he poured his heart into the project, producing an album that may not be polished to modern AI-generated standards, but is undeniably authentic.
“The Last Rodeo” stands as a testament to Rob’s lifelong dedication to his love of music—a gift from the heart, crafted for future generations to understand his deep connection to music in all of it’s forms.
Outback Dude, where the legacy of a life lived through music is alive and resonating.