The trio was formed in the latter part of 2014, after leaving the five piece Irish band Croagh Patrick. They began playing Celtic tunes and covering a mix of songs, mainly American and English folk. This has more recently evolved into Rob and Theresa writing some songs of their own and the trio developing a more defined country blues sound.
Rob has played guitar since he was a teenager, and played in a rock band with school mates until they inevitably went their separate ways. Although he played only mandolin and bouzouki in Croagh Patrick he has gravitated back to his acoustic guitar roots since then.
Tony learned violin at school and took it up again when he retired from full time employment. Apart from his excellent improvised fiddle playing he also plays Mandolin on some songs. Prior to the formation of Dogwood Union he played in Grantham band Ruff n Ready, Peterborough based The Collaborators and Sleaford band Croagh Patrick.
Theresa enjoyed music lessons at Junior school, learning recorder and cello with which she attended some group orchestra practices at the old Spring Hill School in Lincoln. After dabbling with classical guitar for a while she picked up Rob’s neglected 5 string banjo and found an instant affinity. Her recorder playing childhood has since allowed her to add whistles and now flute to the Dogwood sound.
After a period of learning instruments together and separately at home (plus a very influential weekend at the 2009 Cambridge Folk Festival) Rob and Theresa struck out to play to audiences with Lincoln based singer, the late Ivan Johnson, as The Pettimores. Croagh Patrick and Dogwood Union followed.