Robert John
Robert John (* 1946 in Brooklyn , New York ; real name Robert John Pedrick Junior ) is an American singer and songwriter. His trademark is his high, bright falsetto voice .
Life
As a teenager he was already traveling with a group of street musicians in New York and at the age of 12 he made his first recordings. Back then he was still known as Bobby Pedrick and was successful at that. His debut single White Bucks And Saddle Shoes in the Doo Wop style reached 1958 No. 74 on the US charts. Pajama Party was another hit the following year, but it missed the charts.
After that, however, he was unable to build on these initial successes, but switched from one record company to the next throughout the 1960s, at least half a dozen times he started a fresh start with another label (including Shell, Duel, Diamond, MGM, Verve. ) In 1963 he briefly tried band as Bobby & The Consoles and had a New York-limited hit called My Jelly Bean . In 1967 he also worked as a music producer for the band The Carousel .
From 1968 he called himself Robert John and slowly the success returned. With If You Don't Want My Love he also had another chart hit that made it into the top 50 and was even successful in Great Britain. It followed every two years When The Party's Over and in 1972, by now it had landed on Atlantic Records, his first really big success with the cover version of a 10-year-old number 1 hit by the Tokens , The Lion Sleeps Tonight . Tokens member Hank Medress was the producer. The song, which originated from the South African song Mbube from 1939, was already a million seller in 1961 and Robert John also sold over a million copies in the United States, making it to number 3. It was the only time he was also in Germany was in the hit parade.
After that it became quiet again for a long time. Several years passed before it made a staggering return in 1979. With the self-written Sad Eyes , a gentle pop ballad, he entered the Billboard charts on May 19 and 21 weeks later, on October 6, he topped the US charts . It was his second million seller and also reached number 31 in Great Britain. He had a few more successes until the 1980s, including cover versions of Hey There, Lonely Girl , a similarly quiet number as Sad Eyes , and Sherry , one Hit the Four Seasons . All the songs have in common that, as with the original interpreters, Robert John's falsetto singing comes into its own.
In 1983, 25 years after his first hit, the pop singer was on the US charts for the last time with Bread And Butter , formerly a number 2 hit for Newbeats .
Discography
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Chart positions Explanation of the data |
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Albums
- On The Way Up (1971)
- Robert John (1979)
- Back On The Street (1980)
Singles
as Bobby Pedrick Jr.
- White Bucks And Saddle Shoes (1958, Big Top)
- Pajama Party (1959, Big Top)
as Bobby & The Consoles
- My Jelly Bean (1963, Diamond)
as Robert John
- If You Don't Want My Love (1968, Columbia)
- When The Party's Over (1970, A&M)
- The Lion Sleeps Tonight (1972, Atlantic)
- Hushabye (1972, Atlantic)
- Sad Eyes (1979, EMI)
- Lonely Eyes (1979, EMI)
- Hey There, Lonely Girl (1980, EMI)
- Sherry (1980, EMI)
- Bread And Butter (1983, Motown)
Web links
- Entry at allmusic.com (English)
- Article at jasonhare.com (English)
- Article at rockabilly.nl (English)
Individual evidence
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | John, Robert |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Pedrick Jr., Bobby (real name); Pedrick Jr., Robert John (full name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American pop singer |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 1946 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Brooklyn , New York City, USA |