THE SOUNDS OF BEAU ROBERTSON

He sits propped on a wooden stool with nothing in his hands but a worn guitar. The instrument shows its scars from countless hours of strumming.

Standing 5 feet 6 inches, Beau's eyes look down at his guitar through a mound of dark, shaggy hair as he starts to pick at his six string. The chords begin to pick up speed and his head slowly rises to meet the microphone in front of him. When he sings, you are taken aback by the soulful undertone you might not expect. He cracks a smile and several of the bar patrons receive him with returning grins.

This is Beau Robertson on a typical Tuesday night at McNellie’s Irish Pub in downtown Tulsa. Robertson, 23, is a Tulsa musician who lives to play music.

“I bartend so I can play music,” he says. You can find Beau at Arnie’s bar once a month and at McNellie’s every Tuesday doing what he loves most: playing music.

People might classify him as a struggling musician, poking around the local bar scene trying to find a gig.

But Beau’s not struggling at all. He’s not trying to pull a record deal or waiting for something better to come his way. As long as he has his guitar in his hand and a microphone at his mouth, he has no complaints.

“I’ve played for two people and I’ve played for 200 people. It makes no difference to me,” he says.

Growing up in Broken Arrow, Beau was drawn to playing music at the age of 13, where he would listen to Tulsa’s own J.J. Cale for hours, mesmerized by his steady voice and smooth guitar. Beau has come a long way since those days.

He's become a weekly favorite in the local bar scene. Simply known as Beau on stage, his music can be heard filtering through the pubs of downtown Tulsa, soothing his listeners, adding to the sounds of the bar.

--Brian Fagan