Robin Zander

Template:Short description {{#invoke:Other people|otherPeople}} Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox musical artist Robin Wayne Zander (born January 23, 1953)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> is an American musician, best known as the lead singer and rhythm guitarist for the rock band Cheap Trick, but is also a solo artist. Zander was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2016 as a member of Cheap Trick.

File:Robin Zander - 2014.jpg

Zander performing at Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater, Florida – January 31, 2014

Early life

Zander was born in Beloit, Wisconsin, and grew up in nearby Loves Park, Illinois.<ref name="allmusic.com">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> He learned to play the guitar by age 12.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Zander graduated from Harlem High School in Machesney Park, Illinois.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> After playing in high school bands in the 1960s,<ref name="naplesnews.com">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> he joined Brian Beebe to form the folk duo Zander & Kent in the early 1970s.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Music career

Cheap Trick

{{#invoke:Labelled list hatnote|labelledList|Main article|Main articles|Main page|Main pages}} In 1974, Zander accepted an invitation to join Cheap Trick.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Along with Zander, the band consisted of guitarist Rick Nielsen, bassist Tom Petersson, and drummer Bun E. Carlos.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Cheap Trick's 1979 album, Cheap Trick at Budokan, catapulted the band to stardom.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The band reached the Top 10 in the U.S. charts in 1979 with "I Want You to Want Me" and topped the charts in 1988 with "The Flame".<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> As of 2018, Cheap Trick had been a band for over 40 years.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Cheap Trick has performed more than 5,000 shows<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and has sold more than 20 million albums.<ref name="naplesnews.com"/> Zander was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Cheap Trick in 2016.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Other work

Zander released the solo album Robin Zander in 1993. A second solo album, Countryside Blvd, was released online in April 2011 but was withdrawn from online music outlets within hours of being available.

On September 30, 2016, Los Angeles rock band Steel Panther released a cover version of Cheap Trick song "She's Tight" (from Cheap Trick's 1982 album One On One), which features Zander in the music video.<ref name=spst>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Influence

Known for his "pin-up good looks",<ref name="allmusic.com"/> Zander's singing has been described as "jaw-dropping" and "supremely virtuosic".<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In a 2014 piece titled "Unsung Heroes: The 10 Most Underrated Classic Rock Singers", Dan Tucker of VH1.com described Zander as having "range, style and attitude."<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Zander is a tenor.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Zander's vocal style has influenced many other rock singers, from 1980s hard rockers (such as Joe Elliott of Def Leppard, Vince Neil of Mötley Crüe, Axl Rose of Guns N' Roses, Bret Michaels of Poison, and Sebastian Bach of Skid Row) to 1990s punk revivalists (such as Billie Joe Armstrong of Green Day) to alternative singers (such as Billy Corgan of The Smashing Pumpkins, Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam, Kurt Cobain of Nirvana, and Scott Weiland of Stone Temple Pilots).<ref name=autogenerated1>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="allmusic.com"/>

The May 2009 issue of Classic Rock magazine published a list of the 50 Greatest Singers in Rock. Zander was voted #23 on the list by readers, Classic Rock critics and a number of singers.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Personal life

File:RobinZander.JPG

Zander performing in Minneapolis, Minnesota in 2008

Zander and his first wife, Karen, had a son Ian and a daughter Holland.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

As of 2018, Zander lives in Safety Harbor, Florida<ref name="auto">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="auto1">Template:Cite news</ref> with his wife, former Playboy Playmate Pamela Stein.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Zander and Stein have a son Robin and a daughter;<ref name="auto"/> both are singer-songwriters.<ref name="auto1"/> When Cheap Trick bassist Tom Petersson was unable to tour in 2021 due to surgery, Zander's son filled in for him on tour.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Solo discography

Albums

• Robin Zander (1993)<ref name="allmusic1">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

• Countryside Blvd (2011)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Singles

• "In This Country" (1987), from the soundtrack to Over the Top.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

• "You Send the Rain Away" (1987) duet with Rebbie Jackson,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref> #50 Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

• "Surrender to Me" with Ann Wilson (1988), from the soundtrack to Tequila Sunrise, #6 Billboard's Hot 100 Chart,<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> #42 Billboard's Mainstream Rock.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>
• "I've Always Got You" (1993), #13 Billboard's Mainstream Rock, from the album Robin Zander.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

External links

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