MUSIC HISTORY 101 JANUARY 23, 1953 - Born on this day in Beloit, Wisconsin: Cheap Trick singer/songwriter/musician ROBIN ZANDER Zander is the fourth of five children with two older brothers, and older and younger sisters. He was reportedly was reading books by age three, and learned to play the guitar by age 12. He played with his first group, The Destinations, while in seventh grade. The next year he was with a group called Butterscotch Sundays, playing summer festivals, and after that formed a band called Robin and the Hoods. In high school, Zander sang for three years in the Madrigals, the most demanding of the three choral groups at his school, played basketball and football, and had a part-time job at a sandwich shop. Zander discovered his fondness for music via his fathers jazz band, as well as his older sisters record collection. But as with countless other subsequent musicians, it was the Beatles infamous appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show that inspired Zander to pick up the guitar, and play in various high-school bands. By the dawn of the 70s, Zander turned his back on rock for a spell, as he played in a folk band with a piano player (Zander and Kent), which held down a residency for three summers at the Wisconsin Dells Piccadilly Pub. Between breaks however, Zander would play in groups that featured drummer Bun E. Carlos. In 1972, Zander hitchhiked across Europe and was approached by Carlos and his bandmates to join their group full-time (who just happened to be in France on a night that Zander was playing a solo show at a pub). Zander was still under contract with Wisconsin Dells however, and had to decline the offer. By September of 1974, Zander had moved back to the U.S., and his contract with the Dells had finally expired, resulting in a second invite to join Carlos band, Cheap Trick (which also included guitarist Rick Nielsen and bassist Tom Petersson). This time, Zander accepted. At the time, Cheap Trick already had a lead vocalist, Randy Xeno Hogan, but hed left the group just around the same time Zanders resort contract expired, and Zander joined Cheap Trick as their new lead singer. The Rockford, Illinois-based quartet played the area steadily during the mid-70s, during which time Zanders pin-up good looks were incorporated into the groups image (Zander and Petersson would be the cool guys) while Carlos and Nielsen would be the nerds. The ploy worked, as the group signed a recording contract with Epic, and issued a trio of underappreciated studio albums that combined power pop, punk, and hard rock. 1977s self-titled debut, and In Color, plus 1978s Heaven Tonight. It wasnt until 1979s classic concert recording, Live at Budokan, that the band took off, resulting in Zander briefly becoming one of rocks leading teen idols. But Cheap Tricks success was fleeting, as a string of unfocused albums during the 80s saw the group (which had lost Petersson along the way to a solo career) barely stay afloat. Zander performed a one-off solo show in 1983 at Rockfords Midway Theater (backed by an orchestra and choir for select numbers), performing everything from versions of Ava Maria and Nights in White Satin to Cheap Trick standards, and was also invited to join a group being assembled by former UFO bassist Pete Way. Although such activity would lead one to think that perhaps Zander was contemplating leaving the group, he remained a member of Cheap Trick through the thick and thin. Almost immediately upon Peterssons re-entry into the group in 1988, Cheap Trick issued their first hit album in years, Lap of Luxury, which helped introduce the quartet to the MTV generation. Around the same time, Zander began duet ting with others, including soul singer Rebbie Jackson (You Send the Rain Away from her Reaction album) and with Hearts Ann Wilson (the Top Ten hit Surrender to Me, from the motion picture soundtrack for Tequila Sunrise). The 90s saw Cheap Trick continue issuing albums and touring, while Zander found the time in 1993 to issue a self-titled solo debut. The album failed to ignite the charts, but did include an impressive roster of guest talent including Stevie Nicks, Dr. John, Maria McKee, Don Felder, Mick Fleetwood, Dave Stewart, and members of Tom Pettys Heartbreakers. In addition to his solo work and Cheap Trick releases, Zander has guested on several other artists albums over the years, including Mötley Crües Dr. Feelgood, the Posies Amazing Disgrace, Shudder to Thinks First Love, Last Rites, Scotty Moore and D.J. Fontanas All the Kings Men, Foreigners Complete Greatest Hits, Boot Camps As You Were, and on a Queen tribute, Stone Cold Queen: A Tribute. Zanders country-rock album titled Countryside Blvd. was released online in 2011 but was pulled from online music outlets within hours of being released. In January 2013 Zander formed The Robin Zander Band with drummer and long time friend Steve Luongo. The band also includes Mark Hitt on guitar and Larry Hobbs on bass. Zander and his Cheap Trick band mates had cameo roles in the 2003 Eddie Murphy comedy Daddy Day Care. Zander continues to perform with Cheap Trick around the world. In 2008, the group played in Japan for the 30th anniversary of their original Live at Budokan album release. Zanders vocal style has influenced many other rock singers from 1980s hard rockers such as Joe Elliott of Def Leppard, Vince Neil of Mötley Crüe, Axl Rose of Guns N Roses, Bret Michaels of Poison, and Sebastian Bach of Skid Row, 1990s punk revivalists, Billie Joe Armstrong of Green Day, to alternative icons Billy Corgan of The Smashing Pumpkins, Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam, Kurt Cobain of Nirvana, and Scott Weiland of Stone Temple Pilots. Zander currently resides in Safety Harbor, Florida with his wife, former Playboy Playmate Pamela Stein and two children: a son, Robin Zander Jr., and a daughter, Robin-Sailor Zander. He owns a Bichon Frise named Daisy Mae. He has two children from a previous marriage, Ian and Holland, who currently reside in Rockford, Illinois. READ MORE: cheaptrick/ robinzanderband/ mtv/artists/robin-zander/biography/ ultimateclassicrock/tags/cheap-trick/ allmusic/artist/robin-zander-mn0000831403/biography allmusic/artist/cheap-trick-mn0000105354/biography en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robin_Zander en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cheap_Trick https://facebook/RobinZanderBand https://twitter/cheaptrick
Posted on: Fri, 23 Jan 2015 20:03:31 +0000
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