Robin zander young

American singer and guitarist

For other people named Zander, see Zander (disambiguation).

Musical artist

Robin Wayne Zander (born January 23, )^[1] 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 as a member of Cheap Trick.

Early life

Zander was born in Beloit, Wisconsin, and grew up in nearby Loves Park, Illinois.^[2] He learned to play the guitar by age ^[3] Zander graduated from Harlem High School in Machesney Park, Illinois.^[4] After playing in high school bands in the s,^[5] he joined Brian Beebe to form the folk duo Zander & Kent in the early s.^[6]

Music career

Cheap Trick

Main article: Cheap Trick

In , Zander accepted an invitation to join Cheap Trick.^[7] Along with Zander, the band consisted of guitarist Rick Nielsen, bassist Tom Petersson, and drummer Bun E.

Carlos.^[8] Cheap Trick's album, Cheap Trick at Budokan, catapulted the band to stardom.^[9] The band reached the Top 10 in the U.S. charts in with "I Want You to Want Me" and topped the charts in with "The Flame".^[10] As of , Cheap Trick had been a band for over 40 years.^[11] Cheap Trick has performed more than 5, shows^[12] and has sold more than 20 million albums.^[5] Zander was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Cheap Trick in ^[13]

Other work

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released the solo album Robin Zander in A second solo album, Countryside Blvd, was released online in April but was withdrawn from online music outlets within hours of being available.

On September 30, , Los Angeles rock band Steel Panther released a cover version of Cheap Trick song "She's Tight" (from Cheap Trick's album One On One), which features Zander in the music video.^[14]

Influence

Known for his "pin-up good looks",^[2] Zander's singing has been described as "jaw-dropping" and "supremely virtuosic".^[15] In a piece titled "Unsung Heroes: The 10 Most Underrated Classic Rock Singers", Dan Tucker of described Zander as having "range, style and attitude."^[16] Zander is a tenor.^{[17][18][19][20]}

Zander's vocal style has influenced many other rock singers, from s 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 s 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).^{[21][22][23][2]}

The May 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.^[24]

Personal life

Zander and his first wife, Karen, had a son Ian and a daughter Holland.^[25]

As of , Zander lives in Safety Harbor, Florida^[26][27] with his wife, former Playboy PlaymatePamela Stein.^[28] Zander and Stein have a son Robin and a daughter;^[26] both are singer-songwriters.^[27] When Cheap Trick bassistTom Petersson was unable to tour in due to surgery, Zander's son filled in for him on tour.^[29]

Solo discography

Albums

Singles

References

External links