| Robin Zander | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Robin Wayne Zander |
| Born | January 23 1953 |
| Genre(s) | Rock |
| Occupation(s) | Musician |
| Instrument(s) | Vocals, Guitar |
| Associated acts |
Cheap Trick |
Robin Wayne Zander (born January 23 1953, in Beloit, Wisconsin) is the lead singer and rhythm guitarist for the rock band Cheap Trick.
Early life
Zander is the fourth of five children; he has two older brothers, Leonard and John, and older and younger sisters, Pamela and Shelly. His father was of Dutch-German ancestry. He built and flew model airplanes, had his pilot's license, and was a member of the Civil Air Patrol. Zander's mother has Belgian, Welsh, and Native American ancestors.
Zander reportedly was reading books by age three, and learned to play the guitar by age 12. He played with his first group, The Destinations, while in seventh grade. The next year he was with a group called Butterscotch Sundays, playing summer festivals, and after that formed a band called Robin and the Hoods. In high school, Zander sang for three years in the Madrigals, the most demanding of the three choral groups at his school, played basketball and football, and had a part-time job at a sandwich shop.
Cheap Trick
In 1972, Zander was offered the lead singer role in a new band called Cheap Trick by the group's drummer, Bun E. Carlos. At the time, Zander was under contract with a resort in Wisconsin Dells, where he sang and played cover songs, and Cheap Trick had a lead vocalist, Randy "Xeno" Hogan. Hogan left the band around the same time Zander's resort contract expired, and Zander joined Cheap Trick as lead singer. Guitarist Rick Nielsen introduces Zander at concerts as his "favorite lead singer in the whole wide world". Zander performed the love theme, "In This Country", on the soundtrack to the Sylvester Stallone action film Over the Top, and had a small role in Tequila Sunrise and Say Anything. In 1993, Zander released a self-titled solo album. Zander and Cheap Trick guitarist Rick Nielsen had cameo roles in the 2003 Eddie Murphy comedy Daddy Day Care. Zander continues to tour and perform with Cheap Trick.
External links
| Cheap Trick |
|---|
| Current members |
| Robin Zander | Rick Nielsen | Tom Petersson | Bun E. Carlos |
| Former members |
| Jon Brant | Pete Comita | Randy "Xeno" Hogan | Phil Cristian | Tod Howarth |
| Discography |
| Studio albums: Cheap Trick | In Color | Heaven Tonight | Dream Police | All Shook Up | One on One | Next Position Please | Standing on the Edge | The Doctor | Lap of Luxury | Busted | Woke Up with a Monster | Cheap Trick (Cheap Trick '97) | Special One | Rockford |
| Compilations/Box sets: The Greatest Hits | Sex, America, Cheap Trick | Authorized Greatest Hits | The Essential Cheap Trick |
| Live albums: At Budokan | Music for Hangovers | Silver |
| EPs: Found All the Parts |
