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Robin Zander        

Lead Singer & Guitarist For Cheap Trick

Robin Zander is a singer, songwriter and rhythm guitarist. He is 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 2016 as a member of Cheap Trick.

Zander discovered his fondness for music via his father's jazz band, as well as his older sister's record collection. But as with countless other subsequent musicians, it was the Beatles' infamous appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show that inspired Zander to pick up the guitar. By the dawn of the '70s, Zander played in a folk band with a piano player which held down a residency for three summers at the Wisconsin Dells Picadilly Pub. Between breaks however, Zander would play in groups that featured drummer Bun E. Carlos, the man who in 1974 would offer Zander a full-time gig with Cheap Trick. Cheap Trick's 1979 album, Cheap Trick at Budokan, catapulted the band to stardom. The band reached the Top 10 in the U.S. charts in 1979 with "I Want You to Want Me" and topped the charts in 1988 with "The Flame".

Cheap Trick has performed more than 5,000 shows and sold more than 20 million albums. Zander also released the solo albums Robin Zander in 1993 and Countryside Blvd in 2011. Zander is one of the only singers in rock history whose influence can be detected in such polar opposite musical styles as '80s glam metal (Mötley Crüe's Vince Neil, Enuff Z'nuff's Donnie Vie), and '90s alternative (Nirvana's Kurt Cobain, Stone Temple Pilots' Scott Weiland, etc.).

News


Cheap Trick won't surrender to age
It’s been almost 50 years since the band Cheap Trick burst onto the music scene. Today, they are still releasing new albums and touring thanks in large part to their kids, who have also joined the band. “The best part about being in Cheap Trick is being able to be in a band with my dad,” said Robin Taylor Zander who plays rhythm guitar.
‘The best rock band around’: A chat with Safety Harbor resident Robin Zander, of Cheap Trick
Even rock stars get cabin fever. Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Robin Zander, lead singer with the band Cheap Trick, has been rattling around the Safety Harbor home he shares with his wife, Pam, for weeks now. A lengthy summer tour – sharing bills with ZZ Top first, then Rod Stewart – has been put on temporary ice. And although plans are still on for Cheap Trick to visit Australia and New Zealand in the fall, uncertainty is, of course, hanging in the air.
Cheap Trick Makes It A Family Affair, Rocks Rockford During 4th Of July Homecoming
On July 4, 1979, northern Illinois natives Cheap Trick performed alongside fellow Rock and Roll Hall of Famers AC/DC, headlining a legendary concert just outside their hometown of Rockford, Illinois. 42 years later to the day, the classic rockers returned home for another 4th of July performance near Rockford in Loves Park, Illinois, amongst only a handful of live dates the band has performed in the last sixteen months following the onset of the COVID pandemic in America.
CHEAP TRICK's ROBIN ZANDER: We'll Continue Making Music 'As Long As There's Still Musical Breath In Our Bodies'
In a new interview with Brazil's Wikimetal, CHEAP TRICK singer Robin Zander was asked where he thinks his band stands in the history of rock and roll. He replied (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "We stand up. [Laughs] We're still here. I don't know. This is what we've always done. We're musicians and songwriters, and we enjoy what we do. And we've always made music for ourselves. We just hope that the audience likes it. And we'll continue to do so as long as there's still musical breath in our bodies."

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