Robert Randolph Records Theme Song for New York Knicks

Posted on Oct 30th 2009 11:00AM by David Chiu
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Pedal steel guitarist Robert Randolph is one truly unabashed fan of the New York Knicks. He grew up watching the team since the late '70s, admired Knicks players Patrick Ewing and Mark Jackson and has gone to many of the team's games. Now Randolph has taken on more of a prominent role as a fan after he and his Family Band recorded a rock tune called 'Get There' for the MSG Network, which televises the Knicks games.

"I'm a Knicks fan, and I'm connected with so many people at MSG," Randolph tells Spinner. "They started to talk about this campaign that they wanted to do. We sat down and I basically had the song."

In addition to recording 'Get There,' Randolph and the Family Band are featured performing the song in a clip -- mixed with footage of the team in action -- that will lead into every Friday night Knicks telecast on the MSG Network for this season. It begins tonight at 7:00PM ET when the Knicks play the Charlotte Bobcats.

According to Randolph, the song is intended "to show that the Knicks are heading in a much more positive direction now. We're trying to get there, and we're almost there. We personalized the lyrics for New York and the Knicks. It feels good for me and the band to do this thing." He later says, "This song is basically like 'We got hope now.'"

During the clip, Randolph is standing with the legendary former Knicks guard Walt "Clyde" Frazier, who is the team's analyst on television. "I've been to Madison Square Garden so many times being able to say 'hey' to Clyde," says Randolph. "That particular day I actually got a chance to sit down and talk to Clyde. He's a great guy."

Speaking like a general manager, Randolph is already thinking about next season, hoping that the Knicks could land big name stars such as LeBron James and Dwyane Wade, both of whom are free agents next year. As for this current Knicks team and their prospects for this season, Randolph says, "I think they're gonna do better than what most people would think. I won't be surprised next year when they get those two players if we ain't talking championship."

As for his own group, Randolph says that he and the Family Band have just finished recording the follow-up to 2006's 'Colorblind' with producer T-Bone Burnett. "It's gonna be a big deal," he says about the album, which is due for release early next year. "The sound is gonna blow people away." The excitement he has about his upcoming album seems to match his enthusiasm for his basketball team. And if the Knicks go all the way to win a championship, Randolph says, with a laugh, "I'm gonna have them make me a ring! I'm gonna get a ring!"

Watch Robert Randolph's 'Get There' Video