He was born on July 2, 1863, the eldest of 9 children of Argyll & Sutherland Highlander Sergeant William and Annie Robb. He joined the army as a red-haired lad at age 13 years, 6 months, when he was listed as a drummer. He would later be listed as a piper, and would study under the great Pipe Major Robert Meldrum.

He was Pipe Major of the 2nd Battalion Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders from 1887-1891, and of the 1st Argylls from 1891-1894. He was also famous in his day for a 'test march' he made with P/M James MacKay, another A & S Highlander, in 1895 when the two marched 35 miles from Aldershot to Hyde Park Corner playing alternately all the way. He left the regular army in 1897 and later went to the Highland Light Infantry, where he served four years as a Sergeant piper with the 4th Militia Battalion prior to his death. He lived much of his life in Stirling. His son served in the HLI during the Great War, and Robb had a younger brother killed with the Argylls in France in 1915.