Austin Roberts (born George Austin Robertson Jr.; September 19, 1945) is an American singer and songwriter. His most successful

recording A record, recording or records may refer to: An item or collection of data Computing * Record (computer science), a data structure ** Record, or row (database), a set of fields in a database related to one entity ** Boot sector or boot record, r ...

was 1975's "

Rocky ''Rocky'' is a 1976 American sports drama film directed by John G. Avildsen and written by and starring Sylvester Stallone. It is the first installment in the ''Rocky'' franchise and stars Talia Shire, Burt Young, Carl Weathers, and Burge ...

"; a

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Top 40 In the music industry, the Top 40 is the current, 40 most-popular songs in a particular genre. It is the best-selling or most frequently broadcast popular music. Record charts have traditionally consisted of a total of 40 songs. "Top 40" or "cont ...

hit single. He also wrote several songs that featured in episodes of Scooby-Doo Where Are You! and performed the theme for season 2 of the show.

Career

Roberts was born on September 19, 1945 in

Newport News Newport News () is an independent city in the U.S. state of Virginia. At the 2020 census, the population was 186,247. Located in the Hampton Roads region, it is the 5th most populous city in Virginia and 140th most populous city in the Uni ...

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

. As the lead singer of Arkade, he had two ''Billboard'' Hot 100 hits in 1970-71, including the easy listening

crossover Crossover may refer to: Entertainment Albums and songs * ''Cross Over'' (Dan Peek album) * ''Crossover'' (Dirty Rotten Imbeciles album), 1987 * ''Crossover'' (Intrigue album) * ''Crossover'' (Hitomi Shimatani album) * ''Crossover'' (Yoshino ...

, "The Morning of Our Lives", which became the ''Bridal Fair'' theme, later a Top 15 Adult Contemporary hit, and "Sing Out the Love (In My Heart)", which reached No. 99 on the Hot 100. Roberts performed the

theme song Theme music is a musical composition that is often written specifically for radio programming, television shows, video games, or films and is usually played during the title sequence, opening credits, closing credits, and in some instances at ...

to the second season of the animated series, ''

Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! ''Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!'' is an American animated comedy television series created by Joe Ruby and Ken Spears and produced by Hanna-Barbera for CBS. The series premiered as part of the network's Saturday morning cartoon schedule on Septem ...

'' as well as the season 2 "chase songs", many of which he also composed. In 1972 he sang the hit "Something's Wrong With Me",

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by Danny Janssen and Bobby Hart, which reached No. 12 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in 1972. "

Keep on Singing "Keep on Singing" is a 1973 song composed by Danny Janssen and Bobby Hart, and was originally recorded by Austin Roberts from the album ''Austin Roberts''. It was released as a single on Chelsea Records and reached No. 50 on the U.S. ''Billboa ...

", later a No. 15 single for Helen Reddy in April 1974, was another hit for Roberts, reaching No. 50 on the Hot 100 in March 1973. "

" brought his greatest success, reaching No. 9 on the Hot 100 in October 1975. The track also reached No. 22 in the UK in November 1975, which to date is Roberts' only chart appearance in the UK. Roberts and Hart later wrote the song "Over You" for the 1983 film, ''

Tender Mercies ''Tender Mercies'' is a 1983 American drama film directed by Bruce Beresford. The screenplay by Horton Foote focuses on Mac Sledge, a recovering alcoholic country music singer who seeks to turn his life around through his relationship with a young ...

''. "Over You" was nominated for the 1984 Academy Award for Best Original Song, as well as the Golden Globe nomination for Best Song in a Motion Picture. In 1988, Roberts wrote the American Gymnastics Team's theme song for the Olympics, "When You Put Your Heart in It". It subsequently became a Top 20 Adult Contemporary hit for

Kenny Rogers Kenneth Ray Rogers (August 21, 1938 – March 20, 2020) was an American singer, songwriter, and actor. He was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2013. Rogers was particularly popular with country audiences but also charted m ...

. In 1999, Busch Gardens commissioned Roberts to write the opening song for their Williamsburg Extravaganza. Roberts has written a number of songs for soap operas as well. Roberts also wrote music and lyrics for two musicals, ''Rachinoff'' and ''Damon's Song''. ''Rachinoff'', starring

Rob Marshall Robert Doyle Marshall Jr.http://www.alumni.cmu.edu/s/1410/images/editor_documents/alumnirelations/getinvolved/alumniawards/all_honorees_2018june1.pdf (born October 17, 1960) is an American film and theater director, producer, and choreographer. ...

, was performed at Carnegie Mellon in 1981. It was nominated for an

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(Cable Emmy). ''Damon's Song'', starring three

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ce ...

winners, was performed at Pennsylvania Stage Co. in 1979. As a songwriter, Roberts also had No. 1 single successes with

country singer Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...

Reba McEntire ('' Annie Get Your Gun'') and singer Gary Morris (''

Les Misérables ''Les Misérables'' ( , ) is a French historical novel by Victor Hugo, first published in 1862, that is considered one of the greatest novels of the 19th century. In the English-speaking world, the novel is usually referred to by its origin ...

'').

Awards

Roberts has been nominated for four

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pr ...

s, two of which he won (" I.O.U" by

Lee Greenwood Melvin Lee Greenwood (born October 27, 1942) is an American country music singer-songwriter. He also plays the saxophone. Active since 1962, he has released more than 20 major-label albums and has charted more than 35 singles on the ''Billboa ...

and "Chance of a Lifetime" by

Take 6 Take 6 is an American a cappella gospel sextet formed in 1980 on the campus of Oakwood College in Huntsville, Alabama. The group integrates jazz with spiritual and inspirational lyrics. Take 6 has received several Grammy Awards as well as Dove ...

). He also won a German award (for "Mission of Love"), four Canadian awards (for " He Would Be Sixteen" by

Michelle Wright Michelle Wright (born July 1, 1961) is a Canadian country music artist. She is one of the country's most widely recognized and awarded female country singers of the 1990s, winning the Canadian Country Music Association's Fans' Choice Award twice ...

, as well as the 1993

CCMA CCMA may refer to: * Central Committee of Anti-Fascist Militias, during the Lluís Companys's government of Catalonia, in the Spanish Revolution *Canadian Country Music Association, the association of the Canadian country music industry * Catholic ...

Single of the Year), a

CMA Award The Country Music Association Awards, also known as the CMA Awards or CMAs, are presented to country music artists and broadcasters to recognize outstanding achievement in the country music industry. The televised annual presentation ceremony f ...

, an ACM Award, a Music City News Award, two NSAI Awards, and numerous ASCAP and SESAC Awards for airplay. Roberts has also been nominated for an additional CMA Award and ACM Award.

Discography

Albums

*1972: ''Austin Roberts'' (Chelsea) - AUS No. 64 *1973: ''The Last Thing On My Mind'' (Chelsea) *1975: ''Rocky'' (Private Stock) *1976: ''Eight Days: A Personal Journey'' (Austin Roberts & Advent) (Newpax) *1981: ''Paint My Life'' (MCA Songbird)

Soundtrack

*'' Scooby-Doo's Snack Tracks: The Ultimate Collection''

Singles

*1968: "Ricky Ticky Ta Ta Ta" (Philips) *1968: "Mary and Me" (Philips) *1969: "Baltimore" (Philips) *1970: " Runaway" / " Just a Little" (Philips) *1970: "Pretty Mary Sunlight" (Philips) *1970: "One Night Ann" (Philips) *1970: "Sing Out the Love (In My Heart)" (lead vocalist for Arkade) (ABC Dunhill) - U.S. No. 99 *1971: "Life Is for Living" (ABC Dunhill) *1971: "The Morning of Our Lives" (lead vocalist for Arkade) (ABC Dunhill) - U.S. No. 60 *1971: " Where You Lead" (lead vocalist for Arkade) (ABC Dunhill) *1972: "Like a Rosebud" (Horizon featuring Austin Roberts) (Virgo) *1972: "Every Day in My Life with Linda" (Horizon featuring Austin Roberts) (Virgo) *1972: " Something's Wrong with Me" (Chelsea) - U.S. No. 12, AUS No. 40 *1972: "

Keep On Singing "Keep on Singing" is a 1973 song composed by Danny Janssen and Bobby Hart, and was originally recorded by Austin Roberts from the album ''Austin Roberts''. It was released as a single on Chelsea Records and reached No. 50 on the U.S. ''Billboa ...

" (Chelsea) - U.S. No. 50, AUS #46 *1973: "One Word" (Chelsea) *1973: "The Last Thing on My Mind" (Chelsea) *1974: "Something to Believe In" (Chelsea) *1974: "I'd Rather Be with You" (Chelsea) *1975: "

" (Private Stock) - U.S. No. 9, UK No. 22, AUS No. 25 *1975: "Children of the Rain" (Private Stock) *1976: "Just to Make You Mine" (Private Stock) *1976: " This Time I'm in It for Love" (Private Stock) *1978: "Don't Stop Me Baby (I'm On Fire)" (Arista) *1980: "In the Garden" (MCA Songbird)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Roberts, Austin 1945 births Living people Musicians from Newport News, Virginia American country singer-songwriters American male pop singers American male singer-songwriters Singer-songwriters from Virginia 20th-century American singers 21st-century American singers Philips Records artists 20th-century American male singers 21st-century American male singers Private Stock Records artists