The Robbs
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

The Robbs were an
American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...
1960s pop and rock band from
Oconomowoc, Wisconsin Oconomowoc ( ) is a city in Waukesha County, Wisconsin, United States. The name was derived from Coo-no-mo-wauk, the Potawatomi term for "waterfall." The population was 15,712 at the 2010 census. The city is partially adjacent to the Town of Oco ...
. They are best known for being the house band on
Dick Clark Richard Wagstaff Clark (November 30, 1929April 18, 2012) was an American radio and television personality, television producer and film actor, as well as a cultural icon who remains best known for hosting ''American Bandstand'' from 1956 to 198 ...
's mid-1960s show ''
Where The Action Is ''Where the Action Is'' is a music-based television variety show that aired in the United States from 1965 to 1967. It was carried by the ABC network and aired each weekday afternoon. Created by Dick Clark as a spin-off of '' American Bandstan ...
''. They are also known for placing the most singles on ''
Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...
'' magazine's "
Bubbling Under Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles (also known as Bubbling Under the Hot 100) is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. The chart lists the top songs that have not yet charted on the main ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Chart ...
" chart (five as The Robbs, plus a final single as Cherokee) without ever once crossing over into the ''Billboard'' Hot 100.


History


Formation and early years (1960s)

The Robbs were centered around a band of brothers, all of whom adopted pseudonyms. The brothers were David Donaldson ("Dee Robb" – lead vocals and guitar), Robert Donaldson ("
Bruce Robb Bruce Robb is an American musician, record producer, engineer, and music supervisor. He is most recognized for his time as a member of " The Robbs" during the 1960s, then as a founder of Cherokee Studios in the 1970s; followed by decades of pro ...
" – keyboards and vocals), and George Donaldson ("Joe Robb" – guitar and vocals). The fourth member was family friend
Craig Krampf Craig Krampf (born October 22, 1954) is an American drummer, percussionist, arranger, record producer and songwriter. The majority of his notable credits are as a studio drummer. Since the 1970s, he has played on albums by other artists ranging f ...
("Craig Robb" – drums); although some publicity material identified Craig as a "cousin" of the other three members, he was in fact wholly unrelated to the Donaldsons. The band was founded in the early 1960s without Krampf, and recorded as Dee Robb, Robby & The Robbins, and Dee Robb & the Robins before settling on The Robbs and hiring Krampf in 1965. Musically, the Robbs were noted for their use of harmony vocals, and instrumentation that was inspired by folk-rock,
bubblegum music Bubblegum (also called bubblegum pop) is pop music in a catchy and upbeat style that is considered disposable, contrived, or marketed for children and adolescents. The term also refers to a rock and pop subgenre, originating in the United States ...
, and
jangle pop Jangle pop is a subgenre of pop rock or college rock that emphasizes jangly guitars and 1960s-style pop melodies. The term originated from Bob Dylan's song " Mr. Tambourine Man", whose 1965 rendition by the Byrds became considered one of the g ...
. Spotted by
Dick Clark Richard Wagstaff Clark (November 30, 1929April 18, 2012) was an American radio and television personality, television producer and film actor, as well as a cultural icon who remains best known for hosting ''American Bandstand'' from 1956 to 198 ...
, the band was signed to
Mercury Records Mercury Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group. It had significant success as an independent operation in the 1940s and 1950s. Smash Records and Fontana Records were sub labels of Mercury. In the United States, it is ...
in 1966, and moved to
California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
to appear as regular performers on ''
Where the Action Is ''Where the Action Is'' is a music-based television variety show that aired in the United States from 1965 to 1967. It was carried by the ABC network and aired each weekday afternoon. Created by Dick Clark as a spin-off of '' American Bandstan ...
'' during late 1966 and early 1967, replacing
Paul Revere and the Raiders Paul Revere & the Raiders (also known as Raiders) were an American rock band formed in Boise, Idaho, in 1958. They saw considerable U.S. mainstream success in the second half of the 1960s and early 1970s. The band was known for including Revolu ...
. The band recorded with some regional success between 1966 and 1970, at first for Mercury and subsequently for a variety of
record label A record label, or record company, is a brand or trademark of music recordings and music videos, or the company that owns it. Sometimes, a record label is also a publishing company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the produ ...
s. Almost all of their
singles Singles are people not in a committed relationship. Singles may also refer to: Film and television * ''Singles'' (miniseries), a 1984 Australian television series * ''Singles'' (1992 film), written and directed by Cameron Crowe * ''Singles'' ...
charted on radio stations in and around
Milwaukee, Wisconsin Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at th ...
. As well, their 1966 single "Race With The Wind" was a substantial
hit Hit means to strike someone or something. Hit or HIT may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Fictional entities * Hit, a fictional character from '' Dragon Ball Super'' * Homicide International Trust, or HIT, a fictional organization ...
in
Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...
, and several other singles were breakout successes in smaller markets such as
Honolulu Honolulu (; ) is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, which is in the Pacific Ocean. It is an unincorporated county seat of the consolidated City and County of Honolulu, situated along the southeast coast of the island ...
,
Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...
and
Columbus, Ohio Columbus () is the state capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 census population of 905,748, it is the 14th-most populous city in the U.S., the second-most populous city in the Midwest, after Chicago, and t ...
. An early single was co-written and produced by the team of
P.F. Sloan Philip Gary "Flip" Sloan (born Philip Gary Schlein; September 18, 1945 – November 15, 2015), known professionally as P. F. Sloan, was an American singer and songwriter. During the mid-1960s, he wrote, performed, and produced many Billboard H ...
and
Steve Barri Steve Barri (born Steven Barry Lipkin in Brooklyn, New York on February 23, 1942) is an American songwriter and record producer. Career Early in his career, Barri was a staff writer with Dunhill Records. He produced such huge hits as " Dizzy" ...
, who had earlier written a hit single for the (then) strictly studio-concocted band
The Grass Roots The Grass Roots are an American rock band that charted frequently between 1965 and 1975. The band was originally the creation of Lou Adler and songwriting duo P. F. Sloan and Steve Barri. In their career, they achieved two gold albums, two ...
. Sloan and Barri reportedly offered The Robbs a chance to step in and actually become The Grass Roots for both touring purposes and for future singles, but the group turned the offer down. The Robbs continued to release singles to regional acclaim, but unlike The Grass Roots (who went on to have over a dozen Hot 100 hits), The Robbs were never able to garner a true nationwide hit, accounting for their inability to break into the Hot 100. The Robbs' lone
album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...
, from 1967, was compiled from the
A-side and B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record compan ...
s of their 1966 and 1967 singles, along with two new tracks. This self-titled LP made the ''Billboard'' 200 chart for one week in January 1968, peaking at No. 200, and the band was shortly thereafter dropped by Mercury Records. (The LP was reissued in mono on CD by Collectors' Choice in 2004.) Upon signing to
Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe an ...
in 1968, The Robbs pursued a more
country rock Country rock is a genre of music which fuses rock and country. It was developed by rock musicians who began to record country-flavored records in the late 1960s and early 1970s. These musicians recorded rock records using country themes, vocal s ...
orientation. After their two Atlantic singles missed even the "bubbling under" charts, Atlantic let the band go, and they were picked up by ABC/Dunhill in 1969. The Robbs continued to release singles for this label, with the usual regional success and some "bubbling under" appearances, but no national breakthrough.


Rebirth as Cherokee

In 1971, the group changed their name to Cherokee, and re-emphazised their country rock influenced sound. The four band members also reverted to their birth names for their work with this band. They released one self-titled studio album as Cherokee, as well as the 1971 non-LP single "Girl, I've Got News for You". Both the album and the single featured the participation of
Chris Hillman Christopher Hillman (born December 4, 1944) is an American musician. He was the original bassist of and one of the original members of the Byrds, which in 1965 included Roger McGuinn, Gene Clark, David Crosby and Michael Clarke. With frequent ...
of
the Byrds The Byrds () were an American rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1964. The band underwent multiple lineup changes throughout its existence, with frontman Roger McGuinn (known as Jim McGuinn until mid-1967) remaining the sole cons ...
. However, the album did not chart, nor did the album's lead single "Rosianna". The follow-up single ("Girl, I've Got News for You") charted in the top 40 on radio stations in at least six U.S. states as well as in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. However, as had happened with numerous singles credited to The Robbs, nationally the single only appeared on ''Billboard''s "Bubbling Under" chart, as well as the equivalent charts in ''Cash Box'' and ''Record World''.


Dissolution, and formation of Cherokee Studios

Cherokee had set up their own
recording studio A recording studio is a specialized facility for sound recording, mixing, and audio production of instrumental or vocal musical performances, spoken words, and other sounds. They range in size from a small in-home project studio large enoug ...
in a rural California barn to record their material, and they soon started recording other acts there as well. Artists such as
Del Shannon Charles Weedon Westover (December 30, 1934 – February 8, 1990), better known by his stage name Del Shannon, was an American musician, singer and songwriter, best known for his 1961 number-one '' Billboard'' hit " Runaway". In 1999, he was ind ...
and Zane Ashton recorded there. According to Dee Robb, although his band would never record or perform again after 1971 (as either The Robbs or Cherokee), they never officially broke up. Instead, they simply started spending so much time operating their studio that the band was put on hold—as it turned out, permanently. In 1975, the three Robb Brothers (who had gone back to using their "Robbs" names) opened
Cherokee Studios Cherokee Studios is a recording studio facility in Hollywood founded in 1972 by members of 1960s pop band The Robbs. Cherokee has been the location of many notable recordings by such artists as Steely Dan, David Bowie, Journey, The Cars, Foreign ...
in Los Angeles. This studio became one of America's premier recording facilities whose clients included
The Go-Go's The Go-Go's are an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1978. Except for short periods when other musicians joined briefly, the band has had a relatively stable lineup consisting of Charlotte Caffey on lead guitar and keyboards, Belind ...
(including
Jane Wiedlin Jane Marie Genevieve Wiedlin (born May 20, 1958) is an American musician and singer, best known as the co-founder, rhythm guitarist and backing vocalist of the new wave music, new wave band The The Go-Go's, Go-Go's. She has also had a successful ...
, who was also born in Oconomowoc),
Jane's Addiction Jane's Addiction is an American rock band from Los Angeles, formed in 1985. The band consists of vocalist Perry Farrell, guitarist Dave Navarro, drummer Stephen Perkins and bassist Eric Avery. Jane's Addiction was one of the first bands from t ...
,
Steely Dan Steely Dan is an American rock band founded in 1971 in New York by Walter Becker (guitars, bass, backing vocals) and Donald Fagen (keyboards, lead vocals). Initially the band had a stable lineup, but in 1974, Becker and Fagen retired from live ...
,
Aerosmith Aerosmith is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Boston in 1970. The group consists of Steven Tyler (lead vocals), Joe Perry (musician), Joe Perry (guitar), Tom Hamilton (musician), Tom Hamilton (bass), Joey Kramer (drums) and Brad Whi ...
,
Devo Devo (, originally ) is an American rock band from Akron, Ohio, formed in 1973. Their classic line-up consisted of two sets of brothers, the Mothersbaughs (Mark and Bob) and the Casales (Gerald and Bob), along with Alan Myers. The band had a ...
,
Public Enemy "Public enemy" is a term which was first widely used in the United States in the 1930s to describe individuals whose activities were seen as criminal and extremely damaging to society, though the phrase had been used for centuries to describe p ...
,
Lenny Kravitz Leonard Albert Kravitz (born May 26, 1964) is an American singer-songwriter. His style incorporates elements of rock, blues, soul, R&B, funk, jazz, reggae, hard rock, psychedelic, pop and folk. Kravitz won the Grammy Award for Best Male Roc ...
,
John Cougar John J. Mellencamp (born October 7, 1951), previously known as Johnny Cougar, John Cougar, and John Cougar Mellencamp, is an American singer-songwriter. He is known for his catchy brand of heartland rock, which emphasizes traditional instrument ...
,
Al Green Albert Leornes Greene (born April 13, 1946), better known as Al Green, is an American singer, songwriter, pastor and record producer best known for recording a series of soul hit singles in the early 1970s, including " Take Me to the River", ...
,
Warren Zevon Warren William Zevon (; January 24, 1947 – September 7, 2003) was an American rock singer, songwriter, and musician. Zevon's most famous compositions include "Werewolves of London", "Lawyers, Guns and Money", and " Roland the Headless Tho ...
, Sneaker and many others. Through their association with Cherokee Studios, the Robb brothers have participated in the creation of more than 250 gold or platinum records. Under his real name, Robbs' drummer Craig Krampf also found success in the
music industry The music industry consists of the individuals and organizations that earn money by writing songs and musical compositions, creating and selling recorded music and sheet music, presenting concerts, as well as the organizations that aid, train, ...
, becoming a respected session drummer,
songwriter A songwriter is a musician who professionally composes musical compositions or writes lyrics for songs, or both. The writer of the music for a song can be called a composer, although this term tends to be used mainly in the classical music gen ...
and
record producer A record producer is a recording project's creative and technical leader, commanding studio time and coaching artists, and in popular genres typically creates the song's very sound and structure.Virgil Moorefield"Introduction" ''The Producer as ...
. His drumming can be heard on (among many other songs) the
Kim Carnes Kim Carnes (; born July 20, 1945) is an American singer and songwriter. Born and raised in Los Angeles, California, she began her career as a songwriter in the 1960s, writing for other artists while performing in local clubs and working as a sess ...
No. 1 hit "
Bette Davis Eyes "Bette Davis Eyes" is a song written and composed by Donna Weiss and Jackie DeShannon in 1974. It was originally recorded by DeShannon in that year for her album '' New Arrangement'' but it was made popular by American singer Kim Carnes in 1981 wh ...
"; as a writer, his biggest hit was
Steve Perry Stephen Ray Perry (born January 22, 1949) is an American singer and songwriter. He was the lead singer of the rock band Journey during their most commercially successful periods from 1977 to 1987, and again from 1995 to 1998. He also wrote/co ...
's 1984 hit "
Oh Sherrie "Oh Sherrie" is the debut solo single by American singer Steve Perry. Written by Perry, Randy Goodrum, Craig Krampf and Bill Cuomo, the song was recorded and released on Perry's first solo album ''Street Talk'' in 1984, which he released while s ...
" (a co-write with three others); and as a producer, his most notable credit is his co-production of the first album by
Melissa Etheridge Melissa Lou Etheridge (born May 29, 1961) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and guitarist. Her eponymous debut album was released in 1988 and became an underground success. It peaked at No. 22 on the ''Billboard'' 200 and its lead ...
. Dee Robb, The Robbs' vocalist and chief songwriter (and oldest sibling) died in 2008.


Discography


Albums

* ''The Robbs'' (
Mercury Mercury commonly refers to: * Mercury (planet), the nearest planet to the Sun * Mercury (element), a metallic chemical element with the symbol Hg * Mercury (mythology), a Roman god Mercury or The Mercury may also refer to: Companies * Merc ...
, 1967) – US No. 200


Singles

Includes information on local markets in which The Robbs made the Top 40. In order to qualify, at least one radio station in the market named had to place the relevant 45 on their published weekly chart, at position No. 40 or higher. Local charts compiled by ARSA: As Robby & The Robbins: As The Robbs: As Cherokee:


References


External links


ARSA , The Radio Surveys / Record Charts Site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Robbs, The American pop rock music groups Musical groups from Wisconsin Mercury Records artists Atlantic Records artists Dunhill Records artists