Robert Hilburn
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Robert Hilburn (born September 25, 1939) is an American
pop music Pop music is a genre of popular music that originated in its modern form during the mid-1950s in the United States and the United Kingdom.S. Frith, W. Straw, and J. Street, eds, ''iarchive:cambridgecompani00frit, The Cambridge Companion to Pop ...
critic, author, and radio host. As music critic and editor at the ''
Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...
'' from 1970 to 2005, his reviews, essays, and profiles have appeared in publications worldwide. A member of the nominating committee for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for 20 years, he has written five books, including biographies of
Johnny Cash John R. Cash (born J. R. Cash; February 26, 1932 – September 12, 2003) was an American singer-songwriter. Most of his music contains themes of sorrow, moral tribulation, and redemption, especially songs from the later stages of his career. ...
, Paul Simon and Randy Newman.


Early life and education

Hilburn was born in
Natchitoches, Louisiana Natchitoches ( ; , ), officially the City of Natchitoches, is a small city in, and the parish seat of, Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana, Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana, United States. At the 2020 United States census, the city's population was ...
, and lived there until he was five, mostly on his grandfather’s cotton farm in nearby Campti. During those years, and when visiting his grandparents in later summers, he was exposed to the blues and
country music Country (also called country and western) is a popular music, music genre originating in the southern regions of the United States, both the American South and American southwest, the Southwest. First produced in the 1920s, country music is p ...
styles that eventually gave birth to rock ‘n’ roll. After a few years in
Dallas, Texas Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...
, he moved with his family to
Southern California Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and Cultural area, cultural List of regions of California, region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Its densely populated coastal reg ...
. He attended Reseda High School and in 1961 graduated from California State University, Northridge with a degree in journalism.


Career


1966-2005: Early career, ''Los Angeles Times''

Hilburn worked as a news reporter on a suburban Los Angeles newspaper, ''The Valley Times,'' in the early 1960s, and was later a public information officer for the
Los Angeles Unified School District Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) is a State school, public school district in Los Angeles County, California, United States of America. It is the largest public school system in California in terms of number of students and the List ...
. Eager to write about music, Hilburn began writing for the ''Los Angeles Times'' as a freelancer in 1966. He wrote a series of articles about artists including
Johnny Cash John R. Cash (born J. R. Cash; February 26, 1932 – September 12, 2003) was an American singer-songwriter. Most of his music contains themes of sorrow, moral tribulation, and redemption, especially songs from the later stages of his career. ...
and
Janis Joplin Janis Lyn Joplin (January 19, 1943 – October 4, 1970) was an American singer and songwriter. One of the most iconic and successful Rock music, rock performers of her era, she was noted for her powerful mezzo-soprano vocals and her "electric" ...
for the paper before he was hired full-time, replacing Pete Johnson as rock critic in 1970. While at the ''Times'', Hilburn accompanied several artists on landmark tours; he covered Elton John's inaugural visit to Russia, Paul Simon's ''Graceland'' tour stop in Zimbabwe; and Bob Dylan's first concerts in Israel. He spent a week on the road with the Sex Pistols during the British band's first U.S. tour. He was with Johnny Cash when he performed at Folsom Prison in 1968. In addition to writing extensively about Dylan, Springsteen,
David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer, songwriter and actor. Regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Bowie was acclaimed by critics and musicians, pa ...
, and U2, Hilburn was an early champion of artists including John Prine,
Patti Smith Patricia Lee Smith (born December 30, 1946) is an American singer, songwriter, poet, painter, author, and photographer. Her 1975 debut album '' Horses'' made her an influential member of the New York City-based punk rock movement. Smith has fu ...
, The Eagles,
Tom Petty Thomas Earl Petty (October 20, 1950October 2, 2017) was an American singer, songwriter, and musician. He was the leader and frontman of the Rock music, rock bands Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and Mudcrutch and a member of the late 1980s sup ...
,
Prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. The ...
,
Elvis Costello Declan Patrick MacManus (born 25 August 1954), known professionally as Elvis Costello, is an English singer, songwriter, record producer, author and television host. According to ''Rolling Stone'', Costello "reinvigorated the literate, lyrical ...
, Guns N' Roses,
Rage Against the Machine Rage Against the Machine (often abbreviated as RATM or shortened to Rage) was an American Rock music, rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1991. It consisted of vocalist Zack de la Rocha, bassist and backing vocalist Tim ...
, Nine Inch Nails, Ice Cube,
Public Enemy Public Enemy is an American Hip-hop, hip hop group formed in Roosevelt, New York, in 1985 by Chuck D and Flavor Flav. The group rose to prominence for their political messages including subjects such as Racism in the United States, American r ...
,
Eminem Marshall Bruce Mathers III (born October 17, 1972), known professionally as Eminem, is an American rapper, songwriter, and record producer. Regarded as one of the greatest and most influential rappers of all time, he is credited with popula ...
, The White Stripes, Arcade Fire, and X. John credited Hilburn for helping to launch his career; U2, Prine, Springsteen, and Dr. Dre, among other artists, commented similarly. Although credited with taking rock journalism to a "new, more serious frontier," Hilburn approached rock criticism as a fan; in a 2009 interview with the ''Washington Post'', he said: “I thought the message of the artist was more important than the writing style...I tried to be clear, I wanted everyone to be welcome." In 2005 he accepted a buy-out package and retired from his staff position at the ''Times''. He continued to write features for the paper.


2006-present: ''Corn Flakes with John Lennon''; Dylan, Simon, and Newman biographies; KSCN

In 2010, Hilburn's memoir, ''Corn Flakes with John Lennon'', was published. It focused on the work and influence of
John Lennon John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer-songwriter, musician and activist. He gained global fame as the founder, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of the Beatles. Lennon's ...
, Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash, Bruce Springsteen,
Stevie Wonder Stevland Hardaway Morris (; Judkins; born May 13, 1950), known professionally as Stevie Wonder, is an American and Ghanaian singer-songwriter, musician, and record producer. He is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th c ...
,
Phil Spector Harvey Phillip Spector (December 26, 1939 – January 16, 2021) was an American record producer and songwriter who is best known for pioneering recording practices in the 1960s, followed by his trials and conviction for murder in the 2000s. S ...
,
Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Michael Jackson, one of the most culturally significan ...
, U2,
Kurt Cobain Kurt Donald Cobain (February 20, 1967 – ) was an American musician. He was the lead vocalist, guitarist, primary songwriter, and a founding member of the grunge band Nirvana (band), Nirvana. Through his angsty songwriting and anti-establis ...
, and N.W.A. In a review of the book in ''
The Austin Chronicle ''The Austin Chronicle'' is an alternative weekly newspaper published every Thursday in Austin, Texas, United States. The paper is distributed through free news-stands, often at local eateries or coffee houses frequented by its targeted demogra ...
'',
Margaret Moser Margaret Moser (May 16, 1954 – August 25, 2017), or Margaret Moser Malone, was an American journalist, music enthusiast, critic and historian, groupie, and backup singer. She was best known for her work as the director of the Austin Music Awa ...
wrote: "It's not just that Hilburn has been there and gotten the tour T-shirt... Hilburn is the real thing writing about the real thing." In 2013, Hilburn published a biography of Cash titled ''Johnny Cash: The Life''.
Michiko Kakutani is an American writer and retired literary critic, best known for reviewing books for ''The New York Times'' from 1983 to 2017. In that role, she won the Pulitzer Prize for Criticism in 1998. Early life and family Kakutani, a Japanese Americ ...
, the chief book critic of ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'', named the biography one of her ten favorite books of the year. ''Kirkus'' called it "an instant-classic music biography with something to offer all generations of listeners." After reading the Cash book, Paul Simon, who previously declined multiple offers to tell his story, sat for more than 100 hours of interviews with Hilburn. Published by
Simon & Schuster Simon & Schuster LLC (, ) is an American publishing house owned by Kohlberg Kravis Roberts since 2023. It was founded in New York City in 1924, by Richard L. Simon and M. Lincoln Schuster. Along with Penguin Random House, Hachette Book Group US ...
in 2018, Hilburn's biography, ''Paul Simon: The Life,'' was described as "epic" in ''
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...
''. A four-star review in ''
USA Today ''USA Today'' (often stylized in all caps) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth in 1980 and launched on September 14, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headq ...
'' described the book as "a straight-shooting tour de force", noting Hilburn’s "reportorial skill" and "nuanced attention to the dynamics and the substance of Simon’s artistry." Hilburn's ''A Few Words in Defense of Our Country: The Biography of Randy Newman,'' was published by Hachette in October 2024. Friends since they met at Newman's 1970 debut concert at the Troubadour, Hilburn wrote that Newman would become a "creative master." Despite their relationship, it took Hilburn some time to convince Newman to support the biography. In an interview with ''
The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...
'', Hilburn noted that despite Newman's success, he did not like to talk about his songs. Shy and introverted, Newman described songwriting as torture. "He always had to find what was important enough to say; he really wanted to truly explain his country." ''A Few Words in Defense of Our Country'' explored Newman's catalog of socially conscious songs that attacked what he saw as shortcomings in the American character, including racism, sexism and greed. An "immersive and satisfying" biography, it "clarifies the intentions underlying Newman's most challenging songs." Hilburn, who lives in Los Angeles, hosts a weekly Wednesday evening music program, ''Rock 'n' Roll Times'', on 885 The SoCal Sound, a public broadcasting radio station in Southern California.


Bibliography

* ''Springsteen,'' Rolling Stone Press, January 1986; 256 pages; * ''Cornflakes with John Lennon and Other Tales from A Rock and Roll Life''; Rodale Books, October 2010; 288 pages; * ''Johnny Cash: The Life'', Orion Books, January 2013, 352 pages; * ''Paul Simon: The Life;'' Simon & Schuster; May 28, 2019; 448 pages; * ''A Few Words in Defense of Our Country: The Biography of Randy Newman;'' Hachette Books; October 2024, 544 pages;


References


External links

* - roberthilburnonline.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Hilburn, Robert California State University, Northridge alumni People from Natchitoches, Louisiana 1939 births American music critics Living people Los Angeles Times people Rock critics