Career
Robert Sledge began playing bass guitar at the age of eleven. Before playing with he was bassist for the bands Toxic Popsickle and Lexx Luthor (with Godsmack"s Sully Erna). Robert was the bass player for the group as well as taking up backup vocal duties on almost every song at the time.
During the Reinhold Messner tour Robert began to use synths on stage as well as playing bass until the band"s break up in 2000.
Robert is known for his use of a Big Muff distortion pedal and rockstar flair. Sledge played a Hamer Blitz Bass throughout the early years of lieutenant was used on their eponymous debut album.
He later switched to a Fender Jazz Bass to record Whatever and Ever Amen, while playing his Gibson and Epiphone Les Paul basses in live shows from that time to the present. Sledge had a sponsorship from Epiphone for his use of the Les Paul Bass, which can be seen in the performance on Sessions at West 54th.
He also plays an upright double bass for several songs, including Brick.
Ben Folds made reference to Sledge in the lyrics of his song "Not the Same" on his 2001 solo album Rockin" the Suburbs: "You took a trip and climbed a tree/At Robert Sledge"s party". Though Folds used Sledge"s name, he claims the events in the song actually happened at drummer Darren Jessee"s party. After broke up, Robert Sledge performed for one summer with the short lived rock group Brother Seeker, a band composed of Robert and former Squirrel Nut Zippers members Tom Maxwell and Ken Mosher.
According to John Doctorate. Luerssen"s Rivers" Edge: The Weezer Story Sledge was heavily considered to replace Mikey Welsh as the new Weezer bassist in 2001 but instead Scott Shriner took the job.
He later joined the band International Orange, as a songwriter, bassist and vocalist. International Orange broke up in 2005.
Currently he lives in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. He currently gives music lessons and plays in a local rock band named the "Bob Sledge Band."
Sledge lives in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.