Rockin' Robin Roberts
Encyclopedia
Lawrence Fewell Roberts II (23 November 1940 – 22 December 1967), known as Robin Roberts and in his music career as "Rockin' Robin" Roberts, was an American
singer best known for his performances in the early 1960s with The Wailers
, a rock and roll
band based in Tacoma, Washington
. His best known record was the earliest cover version
of Richard Berry
's "Louie Louie
", recorded in 1960 and released the following year.
, Roberts moved to the Pacific Northwest
as a child after his father died, settling with his mother in Tacoma. While at Mason Junior High School he started listening to rhythm and blues
music and buying records in Tacoma's black district. At the Puyallup Fair
in 1957 he stood up and began singing Little Richard
songs unaccompanied, and was heard there by members of a local band, the Bluenotes. He joined the band, who already had a regular lead singer in Bill Englehart, and performed with them as an occasional guest singer at weekend dances. One of the R&B songs he started performing with the group was "Louie Louie
", the B-side of a 1957 single by Richard Berry
; another was "Rockin' Robin
" by Bobby Day
, which gave him his new stage name.
In 1959, the Bluenotes - without Roberts, who was a full-time student at the time - recorded a ballad, "I Love An Angel", sung by Englehart. Credited to Little Bill and the Bluenotes, the single was issued by Dolton Records
and rose to no. 66 on the Billboard
Hot 100. Sidelined by the Bluenotes, Roberts left and, a few months later, joined rival local band The Wailers (sometimes known as The Fabulous Wailers), whose instrumental
"Tall Cool One" had also made the national charts. In 1960 he recorded "Louie Louie" with the Wailers, although for contractual reasons it was released under Roberts' own name on a new record label, Etiquette, established by the band. The record was released in early 1961 and became a local hit in the Seattle area, before being reissued and promoted by Imperial Records
in Los Angeles
; however, it failed to chart. The song finally became a hit for Portland, Oregon
band The Kingsmen
in 1963, largely using the arrangement devised by Roberts and the Wailers, including Roberts' ad-lib "Let's give it to 'em, RIGHT NOW!!". Known for his dynamic onstage performances, Roberts continued to sing with the Wailers, and was one of the singers featured on their live album The Fabulous Wailers at the Castle, recorded in 1961.
In parallel with his singing career, Roberts was a successful student who attended the University of Washington
and the University of Puget Sound
, from where he graduated in 1964. He then attended Oregon State University
from 1965 to 1967, eventually achieving a masters degree in biochemistry
and becoming an assistant professor. He also joined the United States Marine Corps Reserve
from 1962 to 1967. In effect, he abandoned his musical career during this period, and the Wailers continued without him. However, in 1966 he returned to make his last recordings with the band on the single "You Don't Love Me". In July 1967, he moved to San Francisco and began work as a chemist for the Crown Cork & Seal Company.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
singer best known for his performances in the early 1960s with The Wailers
The Wailers (rock band)
The Wailers, often credited as The Fabulous Wailers, were an American rock band from Tacoma, Washington. They became popular around the United States Pacific Northwest around the late 1950s and the start of the 1960s, performing saxophone-driven R&B and Chuck Berry rock and roll...
, a rock and roll
Rock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
band based in Tacoma, Washington
Tacoma, Washington
Tacoma is a mid-sized urban port city and the county seat of Pierce County, Washington, United States. The city is on Washington's Puget Sound, southwest of Seattle, northeast of the state capital, Olympia, and northwest of Mount Rainier National Park. The population was 198,397, according to...
. His best known record was the earliest cover version
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
of Richard Berry
Richard Berry
Richard Berry was an African American singer, songwriter and musician, who performed with many Los Angeles doo-wop and close harmony groups in the 1950s, including The Flairs and The Robins....
's "Louie Louie
Louie Louie
"Louie Louie" is an American rock 'n' roll song written by Richard Berry in 1955. It has become a standard in pop and rock, with hundreds of versions recorded by different artists...
", recorded in 1960 and released the following year.
Life
Born in New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, Roberts moved to the Pacific Northwest
Pacific Northwest
The Pacific Northwest is a region in northwestern North America, bounded by the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains on the east. Definitions of the region vary and there is no commonly agreed upon boundary, even among Pacific Northwesterners. A common concept of the...
as a child after his father died, settling with his mother in Tacoma. While at Mason Junior High School he started listening to rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...
music and buying records in Tacoma's black district. At the Puyallup Fair
Puyallup Fair
The Puyallup Fair is the largest single attraction held annually in the state of Washington. The fair continually ranks in the top ten largest fairs in the United States...
in 1957 he stood up and began singing Little Richard
Little Richard
Richard Wayne Penniman , known by the stage name Little Richard, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, recording artist, and actor, considered key in the transition from rhythm and blues to rock and roll in the 1950s. He was also the first artist to put the funk in the rock and roll beat and...
songs unaccompanied, and was heard there by members of a local band, the Bluenotes. He joined the band, who already had a regular lead singer in Bill Englehart, and performed with them as an occasional guest singer at weekend dances. One of the R&B songs he started performing with the group was "Louie Louie
Louie Louie
"Louie Louie" is an American rock 'n' roll song written by Richard Berry in 1955. It has become a standard in pop and rock, with hundreds of versions recorded by different artists...
", the B-side of a 1957 single by Richard Berry
Richard Berry
Richard Berry was an African American singer, songwriter and musician, who performed with many Los Angeles doo-wop and close harmony groups in the 1950s, including The Flairs and The Robins....
; another was "Rockin' Robin
Rockin' Robin
Rockin' Robin usually refers to either:* Rockin' Robin , Robin Smith, a professional female wrestler* "Rockin' Robin" , a rock 'n' roll song...
" by Bobby Day
Bobby Day
Bobby Day , was an early African American rock and roll and R&B musician.Born Robert James Byrd, , in Fort Worth, Texas, he moved to Los Angeles, California, at the age of 15...
, which gave him his new stage name.
In 1959, the Bluenotes - without Roberts, who was a full-time student at the time - recorded a ballad, "I Love An Angel", sung by Englehart. Credited to Little Bill and the Bluenotes, the single was issued by Dolton Records
Dolton Records
Dolton Records was a record label based in Seattle that was originally known as Dolphin Records. It was owned by Bob Reisdorf and Bonnie Guitar. Success for the label came early with "Come Softly to Me" by The Fleetwoods, the first single to be released on that label...
and rose to no. 66 on the Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
Hot 100. Sidelined by the Bluenotes, Roberts left and, a few months later, joined rival local band The Wailers (sometimes known as The Fabulous Wailers), whose instrumental
Instrumental
An instrumental is a musical composition or recording without lyrics or singing, although it might include some non-articulate vocal input; the music is primarily or exclusively produced by musical instruments....
"Tall Cool One" had also made the national charts. In 1960 he recorded "Louie Louie" with the Wailers, although for contractual reasons it was released under Roberts' own name on a new record label, Etiquette, established by the band. The record was released in early 1961 and became a local hit in the Seattle area, before being reissued and promoted by Imperial Records
Imperial Records
Imperial Records is a United States based label started in 1947 by Lew Chudd and reactivated in 2006 by label owner EMI.- The independent and Liberty Records years :...
in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
; however, it failed to chart. The song finally became a hit for Portland, Oregon
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
band The Kingsmen
The Kingsmen
The Kingsmen is a 1960s garage rock band from Portland, Oregon, United States. They are best known for their 1963 recording of Richard Berry's "Louie Louie", which held the #2 spot on the Billboard charts for six weeks...
in 1963, largely using the arrangement devised by Roberts and the Wailers, including Roberts' ad-lib "Let's give it to 'em, RIGHT NOW!!". Known for his dynamic onstage performances, Roberts continued to sing with the Wailers, and was one of the singers featured on their live album The Fabulous Wailers at the Castle, recorded in 1961.
In parallel with his singing career, Roberts was a successful student who attended the University of Washington
University of Washington
University of Washington is a public research university, founded in 1861 in Seattle, Washington, United States. The UW is the largest university in the Northwest and the oldest public university on the West Coast. The university has three campuses, with its largest campus in the University...
and the University of Puget Sound
University of Puget Sound
The University of Puget Sound is a private liberal arts college located in the North End of Tacoma, Washington, in the United States...
, from where he graduated in 1964. He then attended Oregon State University
Oregon State University
Oregon State University is a coeducational, public research university located in Corvallis, Oregon, United States. The university offers undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degrees and a multitude of research opportunities. There are more than 200 academic degree programs offered through the...
from 1965 to 1967, eventually achieving a masters degree in biochemistry
Biochemistry
Biochemistry, sometimes called biological chemistry, is the study of chemical processes in living organisms, including, but not limited to, living matter. Biochemistry governs all living organisms and living processes...
and becoming an assistant professor. He also joined the United States Marine Corps Reserve
United States Marine Corps Reserve
The Marine Forces Reserve is the reserve force of the United States Marine Corps. It is the largest command in the U.S...
from 1962 to 1967. In effect, he abandoned his musical career during this period, and the Wailers continued without him. However, in 1966 he returned to make his last recordings with the band on the single "You Don't Love Me". In July 1967, he moved to San Francisco and began work as a chemist for the Crown Cork & Seal Company.