Big Phony

Born Robert Choy, Big Phony is a singer/songwriter born and raised in New York City. Off stage Big Phony is simply known to his friends and family as “Bobby.” At an early age Bobby began secretly practicing his older brother Eddy’s guitar in defiance of warnings that he would surely get his a** kicked if he so much as laid a finger on it. Because of Bobby’s dedication to and success in surpassing his brother’s skill level, mom eventually transferred ownership of that guitar over to Bobby. At the age of 14, with 2 older brothers away at college and grad school, Bobby’s family relocated to Los Angeles, leaving him in New York City so he could attend the legendary School of Performing Arts and Music and Art, which has produced a long list of talent including Al Pacino, Adrian Brody, and Bela Fleck. Living alone at such an early age, Big Phony devoted his time to writing in his New York City apartment. With strong religious conviction, Big Phony left for Boston to attend a Christian college to study to be a pastor. He quickly realized that this was not the path for him and returned his focus to his music. After college, he moved to Los Angeles to be closer with his family. It was in Los Angeles where Big Phony began his pursuit to be a singer-songwriter. He quickly built a devout fan base with his songs and performances. In early 2006 he returned to New York to build that same kind of following and has since been splitting his time between both cities crashing on couches and aerobeds. Big Phony delivers honest lyrics and natural talent. There’s a fragile but controlled quality in his voice, which he attributes to thin apartment walls and easily disgruntled neighbors. Fans of Elliott Smith, Bright Eyes, and Death Cab For Cutie will instinctively gravitate towards Big Phony’s sound. His latest project “Kicking Punching Bags” is set to release early 2010.