MTF first introduced you to Robert A. Kraft in 2023, and we now shine our spotlight on him once again
Condition(s):
Biceps tendon tear
Date(s) of Treatment:
Surgery in February of 2022
Robert A. Kraft writes and performs what he calls original vintage soul, built on the R&B he grew up hearing. He has played across the country since he was fifteen. In 2022, a torn distal bicep tendon pushed him away from his instruments. The Musician Treatment Foundation had him playing again in about three weeks.
Music ran through Robert’s childhood home. His older siblings played and sang. He learned harmony and rhythm in the living room, working through hymns and folk songs with them. His early friendships formed around guitars and singing, and those friends drifted into bands together as teenagers.
Music offered him something he needed. It opened a world that valued beauty for its own sake, along with love, compassion, and kindness. Robert felt those things missing from his own life. Music carried him through hard years as a kid. He started performing with the thought that he might do the same for someone else.
He played his first solo acoustic gigs around Dallas at fifteen. He has performed with bands and on his own ever since. His influences sit deep in soul and songwriting. Ray Charles. James Taylor. Gordon Lightfoot. Bill Withers. Marvin Gaye. Chaka Khan. Carole King. The Beatles and the Stones. Vocal groups like the Chi-Lites, the Spinners, the Emotions, and the Temptations.
In 2022, Robert tore his distal bicep tendon. The injury changed his whole arm position when he reached for a bass or guitar. It ached badly enough to discourage him from playing at all.
An acquaintance told him about the Musician Treatment Foundation. Robert could not believe the organization existed. He did the initial intake and consulted with Dr. Alton Barron who performed surgery to repair the tendon within two weeks. Robert was playing again about three weeks after surgery.
“It is still hard to believe that there are such kind, compassionate people in the world.”
-Robert A. Kraft
Robert now plays solo acoustic shows around Central Texas, and he is putting a band together again. Most of his time goes to the nonprofit he founded in 2023, the Bastrop Live Music Foundation. The organization sponsors live performances at Bastrop venues and city events, finds instruments for people who need them, and funds music lessons for kids whose families face financial strain. This year it launched a Prison Music Program that brings performances by Austin musicians to incarcerated people in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice system.
You can find Robert’s recordings on most streaming services under Robert A. Kraft. Visit robertakraftmusic.com and follow his social pages for live shows and new projects. You can also see him at the MTF Elvis Costello Tribute Show in early September!