Robin Zander
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| Robin Zander | ||
|---|---|---|
| Background information | ||
| Birth name | Robin Wayne Zander | |
| Born | January 23, 1953 | |
| Genre(s) | Rock | |
| Occupation(s) | Musician | |
| Instrument(s) | Vocals, Guitar | |
| Associated acts |
Cheap Trick | |
Robin Zander (born Robin Wayne Zander, January 23, 1953, in Beloit, Wisconsin) is the lead singer and rhythm guitarist for the rock band, Cheap Trick.
[edit] Early life
Zander is the fourth-born of five children, having two older brothers, Leonard and John, and older and younger sisters, Pamela and Shelly.
His father was of Dutch-German ancestry, whilst his mother has a Belgian, Welsh, and American Indian heritage.
Zander's education commenced early in life, and exactly how he learned to read at age three still mystifies his mother.[citation needed] This capability offered Zander the opportunity to advance in school; however, feeling this might create social adjustment problems, his parents decided to keep him with children his own age.
Zander's father seems to have had a number of talents. He built and flew model airplanes, had his pilot's license, and was a member of the Civil Air Patrol. He is also said to have had a talent for music. Mrs. Zander has said that, upon hearing a song on the radio, Robin's father could sit down and play it on the piano.[citation needed]
By the age of twelve, Zander had learned to play the guitar. At some time Robin was apparently tested for this musical acumen, as Mrs. Zander spoke of his "97% true ear". Once again his parents came to play a role in molding Zander's future. Such a gift was an obvious asset, but his parents also saw to it that he learned to read music, and with this added dimension he began to write it as well.
He played with his first group, "The Destinations", while in the seventh grade. The next year he was with "Butterscotch Sundays" playing summer festivals, and after that, "Robin and the Hoods". Harlem High found Zander continuing with his music, singing for three years in the Madrigals, the most demanding of the three choral groups at his school. He took a job at a local Beefaroo Sandwich Shop, a job he kept all through high school. He played basketball and football.
[edit] Professional life
Zander had initially been offered the lead singer role in the band by the drummer Bun E. Carlos, but was still under contract with one of the Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin resorts, where he sang and played cover songs, impressing audiences and critics with his ability to sound like any singer requested.[citation needed] It was during this time he was first referred to as "the man of a thousand voices". When the contract with the resort expired and Randy "Xeno" Hogan, the first singer, exited, Zander joined Cheap Trick as lead singer.
In 1983, Zander contributed a Top 40 hit, writing "I Can't Take It". In 1993, Zander released a self-titled solo album.
One current trademark of Cheap Trick concerts is that guitarist Rick Nielsen introduces Zander as his "favorite lead singer in the whole wide world".
On June 6, 2006, Cheap Trick released their new studio album Rockford on Cheap Trick Unlimited/Big3 Records. The first single from the album is "Perfect Stranger" (produced by Linda Perry and co-written by Cheap Trick and Perry).
| Cheap Trick |
| Robin Zander | Rick Nielsen | Tom Petersson | Bun E. Carlos |
| Randy "Xeno" Hogan | Pete Comita | Jon Brant |
| Discography |
|---|
| Studio albums: Cheap Trick | In Color | Heaven Tonight | Dream Police | All Shook Up | Found All The Parts | One on One | Next Position Please | Standing on the Edge | The Doctor | Lap of Luxury | Busted | Woke Up With A Monster | Cheap Trick (1997) | Special One | Rockford |
| Live albums: At Budokan | Music for Hangovers | Silver |
| Compilations/Box Sets: The Greatest Hits | Sex, America, Cheap Trick | Authorized Greatest Hits | The Essential Cheap Trick |
Categories: Cleanup from January 2007 | All pages needing cleanup | Articles lacking sources from December 2006 | All articles lacking sources | Articles with unsourced statements since January 2007 | All articles with unsourced statements | 1952 births | Living people | American rock singers | American male singers | American rock guitarists | People from Beloit, Wisconsin | Cheap Trick members
