Artist:The Robins
Song:Cherry Lips
Album:Rock & Roll:The Best Of The Robins
Most casual music fans are familiar with the classic doo wop group The Coasters. But they don't know that The Coasters were an offshoot of The Robins. The recordings on this comp were made after The Coasters became famous. The Robins started in San Francisco in 1945 with Billy & Roy Richards and Ty Tyrell. Bobby Nunn joined the group and they took on the name The Robins and joined the Johnny Otis Revue. They made quite a few Otis produced records at Savoy. Grady Chapman & Carl Gardner joined the group in 1953 and that's also when the partnership with Jerry Lieber & Mike Stoller began. The Robins had their one big hit Smokey Joe's Cafe in 1955 and then Nunn & Gardner left to form The Coasters. It appears that Atlantic and Lieber & Stoller simply pulled the rug out from under the other members. The Robins signed with concert promoter Gene Norman's Whippet label and Carl Gardner was supposed to sing on Cherry Lips but was legally banned from participating. Legendary vocal arranger HB Barnum actually sang Cherry Lips. It's decent material but not essential for casual fans. Today The Robins are a footnote in the history of The Coasters. Here's a video of Riot In Cell Block #9 & Smokey Joe's Cafe by The Robins.
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