Robert Randolph and the Family Band

If idle hands are the devil’s playthings, then pedal-steel phenomenon Robert Randolph shouldn’t have to worry about Old Scratch knocking on his door anytime soon. Although this wasn’t always the case for the son of devout Pentecostal parents during his formative years, the Jersey native eventually discovered his instrument and has been testifying ever since alongside the Family Band with steel-stringed sermons infused with the raucous jubilation of a roadside revival and liberal doses of the gospel according to Jimi. Randolph will appear on upcoming releases from the North Mississippi Allstars, Soulive, and Ozzy Osbourne (there’s no official word yet on a follow-up to his acclaimed 2003 release Unclassified), but he has already proven worthy of a few epistles of his own.