Robert John
Robert John | |
---|---|
Born | Robert John Pedrick, Jr. January 3, 1946 Brooklyn, New York City, U.S. |
Occupation(s) | Singer, songwriter |
Robert John (born Robert John Pedrick, Jr., January 3, 1946)[1] is an American singer perhaps best known for his 1979 hit single, "Sad Eyes", which reached number 1 on the US Billboard Hot 100.
Biography
John was born in Brooklyn, New York City.[1] Under the name of Bobby Pedrick, Jr., he first hit the pop chart in 1958 when he was only 12 years old with "White Bucks and Saddle Shoes", written by Doc Pomus and Mort Shuman.[1] As the lead singer of Bobby & The Consoles, he had the minor 1963 hit entitled "My Jelly Bean" on Diamond Records. By 1965, he had changed his name and signed with MGM Records for two ill-fated singles.[1] In 1967, he signed a contract with Columbia Records and released a string of singles with help from writing partner Mike Gately.
After a short tenure from 1970 to 1971 with
John recorded for Arista Records with guitarist Bobby Mancari and keyboardist Steve Butera,[citation needed] as well as Bread and Butter on Motown in 1984. A re-recorded version of "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" was released on his 1992 greatest hits album.
John, who has not performed often in recent decades, received a chance to appear in his hometown of New York as part of a "70s Reunion Concert" produced by radio station WPLJ-FM on March 24, 1995. Among the acts who took the stage at the sold-out concert were Three Dog Night, Rupert Holmes, Looking Glass featuring Elliot Lurie, Andrew Gold, Alan O'Day, Ian Lloyd (lead singer of Stories), Sonny Geraci (lead singer of the Outsiders and Climax), and John.
John is largely retired from music, but lives in
Select discography
Albums
- 1968: If You Don't Want My Love
- 1971: On the Way Up
- 1979: Robert John – US No. 68, CAN No. 81
- 1980: Back on the Street – US No. 205
Singles
Year | Title | Chart positions | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
US | US AC | Australia[3] | UK
|
CAN | ||
1958 | "White Bucks and Saddle Shoes" (as Bobby Pedrick, Jr.) | 74 | — | — | — | — |
1963 | "My Jelly Bean" (as Bobby & The Consoles) | — | — | — | — | — |
1968 | "If You Don't Want My Love" | 49 | — | — | 42 | 21 |
"Don't Leave Me" | 108 | — | — | — | — | |
1970 | "When the Party is Over" | 71 | — | — | — | 60 |
1972 | "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" | 3 | 6 | 31 | — | 15 |
"Hushabye" | 99 | — | — | — | 70 | |
1979 | "Sad Eyes" | 1 | 10 | 9 | 31 | 3 |
"Only Time" | 102 | 42 | — | — | — | |
"Lonely Eyes" | 41 | 49 | — | — | 80 | |
1980 | "Hey There Lonely Girl" | 31 | 10 | — | — | 81 |
"Sherry" | 70 | — | — | — | — | |
1983 | "Bread and Butter" | 68 | — | — | — | — |
1984 | "Greased Lightning"* | — | — | — | — | — |
- *"Greased Lightning" – peaked at No. 60 on the US Dance chart
Source:[4]
References
- ^ ISBN 0-85112-939-0.
- ISBN 0-214-20512-6.
- ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
- ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
External links
- Allmusic entry
- Robert John discography at Discogs