The Robins | |
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Also known as | The Robins A-Sharp Trio The Four Bluebirds |
Origin | San Francisco, California, U.S. |
Genres | Doo-wop[1] |
Years active | 1945–1960 |
Labels | Spark, Whippet, RCA |
Past members | Bobby Nunn Terrell "Ty" Leonard Billy Richard Roy Richard Grady Chapman Carl Gardner H. B. Barnum Bobby Sheen "Little" Billy Richards, Jr. |
The Robins were a successful and influential American R&B group of the late 1940s and 1950s, one of the earliest such vocal groups who established the basic pattern for the doo-wop sound.[2] They were founded by Ty Terrell, and twin brothers Billy Richards and Roy Richards. Bobby Nunn soon joined the lineup. They began their career as the Bluebirds but switched to recording as the Robins in May 1949.[2] In 1955, the group disagreed over whether to remain on the West Coast or sign with Atlantic Records and move to the East Coast. This led to a split within the group. Music producers and songwriters Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller took former Robins members Nunn and Carl Gardner, recruited singers Leon Hughes and Billy Guy, and formed the Coasters.[3] The founding Richards brothers and Tyrell continued to record as the Robins until 1961.[4]
The Coasters grew out of a successful Los Angeles doo wop group called the Robins