Robbin Thompson
Encyclopedia
Robbin Thompson is an American singer-songwriter based in Richmond, Virginia
. Since 1976 he has recorded several albums which have featured guest appearances by, among others, Melissa Manchester
, Steve Cropper
, Waddy Wachtel
, Bruce Hornsby
and Ellen McIlwaine
. He was also a member of an early Bruce Springsteen
band, Steel Mill
, and has co-written songs with Timothy B. Schmit
, Phil Vassar
and Butch Taylor
and Carter Beauford
of the Dave Matthews Band
. He has twice won the American Song Festival and in 1980 had a minor national hit with "Brite Eyes". He has also written songs which have featured on the soundtracks of Gleaming the Cube
and The Fighting Temptations
. His song, "Sweet Virginia Breeze", together with "Oh Shenandoah
", has also been nominated to replace "Carry Me Back to Old Virginny
" as the State song of Virginia
.
where he graduated from Melbourne High School
. Between 1963 and 1967 he was the lead singer and songwriter with several Florida-based bands including The Hanging Five, The Five Gents and The Tasmanians. The latter band even released a couple of singles in 1966. In 1968 he formed Transcontinental Mercy Flight before moving to Richmond, Virginia
, initially to attend Virginia Commonwealth University
. While at VCU he formed Mercy Flight in early 1969.
when they played a concert at VCU. Throughout early 1970 Mercy Flight continued to open regularly for Steel Mill and when Bruce Springsteen
decided to add another vocalist he recruited Thompson. He made his debut with Steel Mill on August 29, 1970 at the 3rd Annual Nashville Music Festival, sponsored by WMAC. Steel Mill was one of about twenty different acts to take part. Headliners included Roy Orbison
, Brian Hyland
, Ronnie Milsap
, Bobby Bloom
, Ballin' Jack
, Ten Wheel Drive
and The Illusion
. During Thompson’s time with Steel Mill they also opened for, among others, Ike & Tina Turner
, Cactus
and Black Sabbath
. While Springsteen was Steel Mill’s main songwriter, the band did also perform some Thompson songs, including "Train Ride". Thompson would release his own version of this song as a B-side in 1982 and then on a 1999 re-issue of Two B's Please . Steel Mill played their final show on January 23, 1971 at The Upstage in Asbury Park, New Jersey
. While Thompson went on to establish his own career, the remaining members of the band - Vini Lopez
, Danny Federici
and Steve Van Zandt - would continue to play with Springsteen and eventually evolved into the E Street Band
.
Since the breakup of Steel Mill
, Thompson and Springsteen, have occasionally guested at each others concerts. On August 6, 1981 at the Bayou Club in Washington D.C., Thompson was joined onstage by Springsteen, Garry Tallent
and Clarence Clemons
for an eight minute version of "Carol
"
On March 3, 2003 at the Richmond Coliseum
during The Rising Tour
, Thompson, together with Bruce Hornsby
, joined Springsteen on stage for the Hank Ballard
song "Let's Go, Let's Go, Let's Go". According to Thompson they were going to try and perform a version of "He’s Guilty (Send That Boy To Jail)", a Steel Mill era song that Thompson had recorded. However apparently nobody in the E Street Band
could remember how it went.
, Melissa Manchester
, Steve Cropper
, Waddy Wachtel
and Rick Roberts
. Schmidt would go onto provide harmony vocals on several of Thompson’s albums. Together they also co-wrote the song "Find Out In Time" which was recorded by Schmit with Poco
on their 1977 album, Indian Summer
. In 1978 Thompson released Together, a collaboration with another Richmond based songwriter, Steve Bassett. Among the songs they co-wrote and recorded for this album was an early version of "Sweet Virginia Breeze". Thompson had some commercial success with Two B's Please, released in 1980 and credited to The Robbin Thompson Band. Background vocals on the majority of album were provided by Schmit and Roberts. The album would eventually sell 200,000 copies and included a re-recorded version of "Sweet Virginia Breeze" as well as "Candy Apple Red" and "Brite Eyes". All three songs were hits in the Southeastern United States
. The latter song was also a minor national hit and spent nine weeks on the Billboard charts
, peaking at No.66. It also spent six weeks on the Cash Box chart, reaching No.78. The album also included "Even Cowgirls Get the Blues", which was originally intended to be theme song for a film based on the Tom Robbins
novel of the same name. However when a film
was eventually made the song was not featured.
Thompson’s 1985 album Better Late Than Never, which featured cover versions of "Fortunate Son
" and "Be My Baby
", was his first to be released on his own label Out There Records. It also included "Guilty", Thompson's version of "He’s Guilty (Send That Boy To Jail)", originally written by Bruce Springsteen
for Steel Mill
. In 1997 this song was also included on the compilation One Step Up/Two Steps Back: The Songs Of Bruce Springsteen. Another highlight was "You're My Obsession" which was an American Song Festival winner in 1984. In 1988 Thompson released Since Grade School: A Robbin Thompson Anthology, which combined five new songs with eleven songs from his first four albums. Among the new songs was the title song for the film Gleaming the Cube
. I Don't Need A Reason To Ride from 1991 featured Bruce Hornsby
while Out on the Chesapeake from 1998 was the first of several collaborations with Butch Taylor
of the Dave Matthews Band
and saw Schmit once again provide backing vocals. In between Thompson was also involved in a collaboration with fellow songwriters Michael Lille and Lewis McGehee, recording an eponymous album as The Famous Unknowns. In 2002 a second collection, The Vinyl Years, was basically a reissue of Robbin Thompson plus later songs such as the original version of "Sweet Virginia Breeze" and a reissue of "Guilty". His 2003 album One Step Ahead of the Blues again featured Schmit and Taylor, as well a song called "Orange Moon" that was recorded in Shanghai
with traditional Chinese musical instruments. It also included another Springsteen / Steel Mill song, "The Train Song". Live In Studio A was recorded at the In Your Ear Studios in Richmond, Virginia
with an invited audience of eighty people over two nights. It features thirteen live tracks and stories about how some of the songs were written. Just A Blur In The Rearview featured a guest appearances by Ellen McIlwaine
. The title song was co-written with Phil Vassar
while "I Won't Quit" was co-written and recorded with Carter Beauford
and Butch Taylor
of the Dave Matthews Band
. It was also featured on the soundtrack of The Fighting Temptations
.
In early 2008, Thompson's Move On Down the Line won in The 7th Annual Independent Music Awards
for Gospel Song.
Richmond, Virginia
Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area...
. Since 1976 he has recorded several albums which have featured guest appearances by, among others, Melissa Manchester
Melissa Manchester
Melissa Manchester is an American singer-songwriter and actress. Beginning in the 1970s, she has recorded generally in the adult contemporary genre. She has also appeared as an actress on television, in films, and on stage....
, Steve Cropper
Steve Cropper
Steve Cropper , also known as Steve "The Colonel" Cropper, is an American guitarist, songwriter and record producer. He is best known as the guitarist of the Stax Records house band, Booker T...
, Waddy Wachtel
Waddy Wachtel
Robert "Waddy" Wachtel is an American musician, composer and record producer, most notable for his guitar work...
, Bruce Hornsby
Bruce Hornsby
Bruce Randall Hornsby is an American singer, pianist, accordion player, and songwriter. Known for the spontaneity and creativity of his live performances, Hornsby draws frequently from classical, jazz, bluegrass, folk, Motown, rock, blues, and jam band musical traditions with his songwriting and...
and Ellen McIlwaine
Ellen McIlwaine
Ellen McIlwaine is an American singer-songwriter and musician best known for her career as a slide guitarist.-Biography:...
. He was also a member of an early Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen , nicknamed "The Boss," is an American singer-songwriter who records and tours with the E Street Band...
band, Steel Mill
Steel Mill
Steel Mill was an early Bruce Springsteen band. Other members of the band included three future members of the E Street Band - Vini Lopez, Danny Federici and Steve Van Zandt. As well as playing on the Jersey Shore, Steel Mill also played regularly in Richmond, Virginia and played gigs in California...
, and has co-written songs with Timothy B. Schmit
Timothy B. Schmit
Timothy Bruce Schmit is an American musician and songwriter, best known for his work as bass guitar player and singer for Poco and the Eagles. Schmit has also worked for decades as a session musician and solo artist.-Early career:Raised in Sacramento, Schmit began playing in the folk music group...
, Phil Vassar
Phil Vassar
Phil Vassar is an American country music artist. Vassar made his debut on the country music scene in the late 1990s, co-writing singles for several country artists, including Tim McGraw , Jo Dee Messina , Collin Raye , and Alan Jackson Phil Vassar (born May 28, 1964 in Lynchburg, Virginia) is an...
and Butch Taylor
Butch Taylor
Butch Taylor is a composer, writer, keyboardist and long time guest musician with Dave Matthews Band....
and Carter Beauford
Carter Beauford
Carter Anthony Beauford is an American drummer, percussionist, and founding member of Dave Matthews Band. He is known for his ability to adapt to a variety of genres, and both his ambidextrous and his open hand drumming styles. He plays the drums and sings backing vocals in the band...
of the Dave Matthews Band
Dave Matthews Band
Dave Matthews Band, sometimes shortened to DMB, is a U.S. rock band formed in Charlottesville, Virginia in 1991. The founding members were singer-songwriter and guitarist Dave Matthews, bassist Stefan Lessard, drummer/backing vocalist Carter Beauford and saxophonist LeRoi Moore. Boyd Tinsley was...
. He has twice won the American Song Festival and in 1980 had a minor national hit with "Brite Eyes". He has also written songs which have featured on the soundtracks of Gleaming the Cube
Gleaming the Cube
Gleaming the Cube is an American movie released in 1989. It featured Christian Slater as Brian Kelly, a 16-year-old skateboarder investigating the death of his adopted Vietnamese brother.The Skating Technical Advisor for the film was original Z-Boy, Stacy Peralta...
and The Fighting Temptations
The Fighting Temptations
The Fighting Temptations is a 2003 American musical dramedy film produced by Paramount Pictures and MTV Films. It stars Cuba Gooding, Jr. as the film's protagonist as he attempts to revive a church choir in order to enter a gospel competition with the help of a beautiful lounge singer with whom he...
. His song, "Sweet Virginia Breeze", together with "Oh Shenandoah
Oh Shenandoah
"Oh Shenandoah" is a traditional American folk song of uncertain origin, dating at least to the early 19th century...
", has also been nominated to replace "Carry Me Back to Old Virginny
Carry Me Back to Old Virginny
"Carry Me Back to Old Virginny" is a song which was written by James A. Bland , an African American minstrel who wrote over 700 folk songs...
" as the State song of Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
.
Early years
Thompson was born near Boston, Massachusetts, however from aged seven he lived in Melbourne, FloridaMelbourne, Florida
Melbourne is a city in Brevard County, Florida, United States. As of 2009, the population estimated by the U.S. Census Bureau is 78,323. The municipal area is the second largest by size and by population in the county. Melbourne is a principal city of the Palm Bay – Melbourne – Titusville, Florida...
where he graduated from Melbourne High School
Melbourne High School (Melbourne, Florida)
Melbourne High School or Mel-Hi is a public secondary school located in Melbourne, Florida, United States and operated by Brevard Public Schools. The principal is Jim Willcoxon.- History :...
. Between 1963 and 1967 he was the lead singer and songwriter with several Florida-based bands including The Hanging Five, The Five Gents and The Tasmanians. The latter band even released a couple of singles in 1966. In 1968 he formed Transcontinental Mercy Flight before moving to Richmond, Virginia
Richmond, Virginia
Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area...
, initially to attend Virginia Commonwealth University
Virginia Commonwealth University
Virginia Commonwealth University is a public university located in Richmond, Virginia. It comprises two campuses in the Downtown Richmond area, the product of a merger between the Richmond Professional Institute and the Medical College of Virginia in 1968...
. While at VCU he formed Mercy Flight in early 1969.
Steel Mill
On November 11, 1969 Mercy Flight opened for Steel MillSteel Mill
Steel Mill was an early Bruce Springsteen band. Other members of the band included three future members of the E Street Band - Vini Lopez, Danny Federici and Steve Van Zandt. As well as playing on the Jersey Shore, Steel Mill also played regularly in Richmond, Virginia and played gigs in California...
when they played a concert at VCU. Throughout early 1970 Mercy Flight continued to open regularly for Steel Mill and when Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen , nicknamed "The Boss," is an American singer-songwriter who records and tours with the E Street Band...
decided to add another vocalist he recruited Thompson. He made his debut with Steel Mill on August 29, 1970 at the 3rd Annual Nashville Music Festival, sponsored by WMAC. Steel Mill was one of about twenty different acts to take part. Headliners included Roy Orbison
Roy Orbison
Roy Kelton Orbison was an American singer-songwriter, well known for his distinctive, powerful voice, complex compositions, and dark emotional ballads. Orbison grew up in Texas and began singing in a rockabilly/country & western band in high school until he was signed by Sun Records in Memphis...
, Brian Hyland
Brian Hyland
Brian Hyland is an American pop recording artist who was particularly successful during the early 1960s. He continued recording into the 1970s...
, Ronnie Milsap
Ronnie Milsap
Ronnie Lee Milsap is an American country music singer and pianist. He was one of country’s most popular and influential performers of the 1970s and 1980s...
, Bobby Bloom
Bobby Bloom
Robert "Bobby" Bloom was an American singer-songwriter. He is known best for being a one-hit wonder with the 1970 song, "Montego Bay," which was co-written with and produced by Jeff Barry.-Biography:...
, Ballin' Jack
Ballin' Jack
Ballin' Jack was an American horn rock group formed in Seattle, Washington in 1969 by Luther Rabb and Ronnie Hammon . They had a minor hit in 1970 with "Super Highway", which hit #90 on the Billboard Top 100.-Career:...
, Ten Wheel Drive
Ten Wheel Drive
Ten Wheel Drive were an American Jazz fusion band that existed from 1968 to 1974.-History:In 1968, after the final break-up of the all-female rock band Goldie & The Gingerbreads, Genya Ravan was looking for a new band, as were two New Jersey musicians and songwriters, Michael Zager and Aram Schefrin...
and The Illusion
The Illusion (band)
The Illusion were an American hard rock band from Long Island, New York. They released three full-length albums in the U.S., the first of which was also issued in the United Kingdom. All three albums were produced by the famous Jeff Barry. The group had one major hit in the U.S...
. During Thompson’s time with Steel Mill they also opened for, among others, Ike & Tina Turner
Ike & Tina Turner
Ike & Tina Turner were an American rock & roll and soul duo, made of the husband-and-wife team of Ike Turner and Tina Turner in the 1960s and 1970s. Spanning sixteen years together as a recording group, the duo's repertoire included rock & roll, soul, blues and funk...
, Cactus
Cactus (band)
Cactus is an American hard rock supergroup, formed in 1970.-Biography:Cactus was initially conceived as early as late 1969 by the Vanilla Fudge rhythm section of bassist Tim Bogert and drummer Carmine Appice with guitarist Jeff Beck and Xylophone player Adele Smitchell acted as the counterpart and...
and Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath are an English heavy metal band, formed in Aston, Birmingham in 1969 by Ozzy Osbourne , Tony Iommi , Geezer Butler , and Bill Ward . The band has since experienced multiple line-up changes, with Tony Iommi the only constant presence in the band through the years. A total of 22...
. While Springsteen was Steel Mill’s main songwriter, the band did also perform some Thompson songs, including "Train Ride". Thompson would release his own version of this song as a B-side in 1982 and then on a 1999 re-issue of Two B's Please . Steel Mill played their final show on January 23, 1971 at The Upstage in Asbury Park, New Jersey
Asbury Park, New Jersey
Asbury Park is a city in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States, located on the Jersey Shore and part of the New York City Metropolitan Area. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city population was 16,116. The city is known for its rich musical history, including its association with...
. While Thompson went on to establish his own career, the remaining members of the band - Vini Lopez
Vini Lopez
Vini "Mad Dog" Lopez is an American drummer. Between 1968 and 1974 Lopez backed Bruce Springsteen in several bands, including Steel Mill and the E Street Band. He also played on Springsteen’s first two albums, Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J. and The Wild, the Innocent and the E Street Shuffle...
, Danny Federici
Danny Federici
Daniel Paul "Danny" Federici was an American musician, best known as the longtime organ, glockenspiel, and accordion player for Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band.- Career :...
and Steve Van Zandt - would continue to play with Springsteen and eventually evolved into the E Street Band
E Street Band
The E Street Band has been rock musician Bruce Springsteen's primary backing band since 1972.The band has also recorded with a wide range of other artists including Bob Dylan, Meat Loaf, Bonnie Tyler, Air Supply, Dire Straits, David Bowie, Peter Gabriel, Stevie Nicks, Tom Morello, Sting, Ian...
.
Since the breakup of Steel Mill
Steel Mill
Steel Mill was an early Bruce Springsteen band. Other members of the band included three future members of the E Street Band - Vini Lopez, Danny Federici and Steve Van Zandt. As well as playing on the Jersey Shore, Steel Mill also played regularly in Richmond, Virginia and played gigs in California...
, Thompson and Springsteen, have occasionally guested at each others concerts. On August 6, 1981 at the Bayou Club in Washington D.C., Thompson was joined onstage by Springsteen, Garry Tallent
Garry Tallent
Garry Wayne Tallent , sometimes billed as Garry W. Tallent, is an American musician and record producer, best known for being the longtime bass player in Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band....
and Clarence Clemons
Clarence Clemons
Clarence Anicholas Clemons, Jr. , also known as The Big Man, was an American musician and actor. From 1972 until his death, he was a prominent member of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band, playing the tenor saxophone. He released several solo albums and in 1985, had a hit single with "You're a...
for an eight minute version of "Carol
Carol (song)
"Carol" is a song written by Chuck Berry, first released by Chuck Berry in 1958. It was later covered by The Beatles for a live BBC performance during 1963, this version was released on the 1994 compilation album Live at the BBC. It was also recorded by The Rolling Stones and released on their...
"
On March 3, 2003 at the Richmond Coliseum
Richmond Coliseum
Richmond Coliseum is an arena in Richmond, Virginia, where the SPHL Richmond Renegades played until the 2008-2009 season and the SIFL Richmond Raiders will play starting with the 2010 season. It is also the venue for various large concerts. The arena opened in 1971 and holds 13,500 people. A...
during The Rising Tour
The Rising Tour
The Rising Tour was a lengthy, worldwide, top-grossing concert tour featuring Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band that took place in arenas and stadiums over 2002 and 2003...
, Thompson, together with Bruce Hornsby
Bruce Hornsby
Bruce Randall Hornsby is an American singer, pianist, accordion player, and songwriter. Known for the spontaneity and creativity of his live performances, Hornsby draws frequently from classical, jazz, bluegrass, folk, Motown, rock, blues, and jam band musical traditions with his songwriting and...
, joined Springsteen on stage for the Hank Ballard
Hank Ballard
Hank Ballard , born John Henry Kendricks, was a rhythm and blues singer and songwriter, the lead vocalist of Hank Ballard and The Midnighters and one of the first proto-rock 'n' roll artists to emerge in the early 1950s...
song "Let's Go, Let's Go, Let's Go". According to Thompson they were going to try and perform a version of "He’s Guilty (Send That Boy To Jail)", a Steel Mill era song that Thompson had recorded. However apparently nobody in the E Street Band
E Street Band
The E Street Band has been rock musician Bruce Springsteen's primary backing band since 1972.The band has also recorded with a wide range of other artists including Bob Dylan, Meat Loaf, Bonnie Tyler, Air Supply, Dire Straits, David Bowie, Peter Gabriel, Stevie Nicks, Tom Morello, Sting, Ian...
could remember how it went.
Recording career
In 1976, Thompson launched his solo career with the release of an eponymous album on Nemperor Records. Among the albums highlights was the American Song Festival winner "Boy From Boston". The album featured guest appearances by Timothy B. SchmitTimothy B. Schmit
Timothy Bruce Schmit is an American musician and songwriter, best known for his work as bass guitar player and singer for Poco and the Eagles. Schmit has also worked for decades as a session musician and solo artist.-Early career:Raised in Sacramento, Schmit began playing in the folk music group...
, Melissa Manchester
Melissa Manchester
Melissa Manchester is an American singer-songwriter and actress. Beginning in the 1970s, she has recorded generally in the adult contemporary genre. She has also appeared as an actress on television, in films, and on stage....
, Steve Cropper
Steve Cropper
Steve Cropper , also known as Steve "The Colonel" Cropper, is an American guitarist, songwriter and record producer. He is best known as the guitarist of the Stax Records house band, Booker T...
, Waddy Wachtel
Waddy Wachtel
Robert "Waddy" Wachtel is an American musician, composer and record producer, most notable for his guitar work...
and Rick Roberts
Rick Roberts (musician)
Rick Roberts is a country rock and classic rock singer-songwriter who recorded with many influential artists over several genres in the 1970s. He is best known for his work with The Flying Burrito Brothers on their 1971 self-titled album, and as a founding member and lead singer of Firefall from...
. Schmidt would go onto provide harmony vocals on several of Thompson’s albums. Together they also co-wrote the song "Find Out In Time" which was recorded by Schmit with Poco
Poco
Poco is an Southern California country rock band originally formed by Richie Furay and Jim Messina following the demise of Buffalo Springfield in 1968. The title of their first album, Pickin' Up the Pieces, is a reference to the break-up of Buffalo Springfield. Highly influential and creative,...
on their 1977 album, Indian Summer
Indian Summer (Poco album)
Indian Summer is the 12th album by the Country rock band Poco, released in 1977. This was the band's last studio album before both Timothy B. Schmit and George Grantham left the group.-Track listing:#"Indian Summer" – 4:40...
. In 1978 Thompson released Together, a collaboration with another Richmond based songwriter, Steve Bassett. Among the songs they co-wrote and recorded for this album was an early version of "Sweet Virginia Breeze". Thompson had some commercial success with Two B's Please, released in 1980 and credited to The Robbin Thompson Band. Background vocals on the majority of album were provided by Schmit and Roberts. The album would eventually sell 200,000 copies and included a re-recorded version of "Sweet Virginia Breeze" as well as "Candy Apple Red" and "Brite Eyes". All three songs were hits in the Southeastern United States
Southeastern United States
The Southeastern United States, colloquially referred to as the Southeast, is the eastern portion of the Southern United States. It is one of the most populous regions in the United States of America....
. The latter song was also a minor national hit and spent nine weeks on the Billboard charts
Billboard charts
The Billboard charts tabulate the relative weekly popularity of songs or albums in the United States. The results are published in Billboard magazine...
, peaking at No.66. It also spent six weeks on the Cash Box chart, reaching No.78. The album also included "Even Cowgirls Get the Blues", which was originally intended to be theme song for a film based on the Tom Robbins
Tom Robbins
Thomas Eugene "Tom" Robbins Thomas Eugene "Tom" Robbins Thomas Eugene "Tom" Robbins (born July 22, 1936 is an American author. His best-selling novels are serio-comic, often wildly poetic stories with a strong social and philosophical undercurrent, an irreverent bent, and scenes extrapolated from...
novel of the same name. However when a film
Even Cowgirls Get the Blues (film)
Even Cowgirls Get the Blues is a 1993 American comedy-drama-romance film based on the 1976 Tom Robbins novel of the same name. The film was directed by Gus Van Sant, Jr. and starred Uma Thurman, Lorraine Bracco, Pat Morita, Angie Dickinson, Keanu Reeves, John Hurt, Rain Phoenix, and Grace...
was eventually made the song was not featured.
Thompson’s 1985 album Better Late Than Never, which featured cover versions of "Fortunate Son
Fortunate Son (song)
"Fortunate Son" is a song by Creedence Clearwater Revival on their album Willy and the Poor Boys in 1968. It was released as a single, together with "Down on the Corner", in September 1968. This song reached #14 on the United States charts. It won the RIAA Gold Disc award in December 1970...
" and "Be My Baby
Be My Baby
"Be My Baby" is a 1963 single written by Phil Spector, Jeff Barry, and Ellie Greenwich, performed by The Ronettes and produced by Spector. When released as a single, the song reached #2 on the U.S. Billboard Pop Singles Chart and #4 on the UK's Record Retailer...
", was his first to be released on his own label Out There Records. It also included "Guilty", Thompson's version of "He’s Guilty (Send That Boy To Jail)", originally written by Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen , nicknamed "The Boss," is an American singer-songwriter who records and tours with the E Street Band...
for Steel Mill
Steel Mill
Steel Mill was an early Bruce Springsteen band. Other members of the band included three future members of the E Street Band - Vini Lopez, Danny Federici and Steve Van Zandt. As well as playing on the Jersey Shore, Steel Mill also played regularly in Richmond, Virginia and played gigs in California...
. In 1997 this song was also included on the compilation One Step Up/Two Steps Back: The Songs Of Bruce Springsteen. Another highlight was "You're My Obsession" which was an American Song Festival winner in 1984. In 1988 Thompson released Since Grade School: A Robbin Thompson Anthology, which combined five new songs with eleven songs from his first four albums. Among the new songs was the title song for the film Gleaming the Cube
Gleaming the Cube
Gleaming the Cube is an American movie released in 1989. It featured Christian Slater as Brian Kelly, a 16-year-old skateboarder investigating the death of his adopted Vietnamese brother.The Skating Technical Advisor for the film was original Z-Boy, Stacy Peralta...
. I Don't Need A Reason To Ride from 1991 featured Bruce Hornsby
Bruce Hornsby
Bruce Randall Hornsby is an American singer, pianist, accordion player, and songwriter. Known for the spontaneity and creativity of his live performances, Hornsby draws frequently from classical, jazz, bluegrass, folk, Motown, rock, blues, and jam band musical traditions with his songwriting and...
while Out on the Chesapeake from 1998 was the first of several collaborations with Butch Taylor
Butch Taylor
Butch Taylor is a composer, writer, keyboardist and long time guest musician with Dave Matthews Band....
of the Dave Matthews Band
Dave Matthews Band
Dave Matthews Band, sometimes shortened to DMB, is a U.S. rock band formed in Charlottesville, Virginia in 1991. The founding members were singer-songwriter and guitarist Dave Matthews, bassist Stefan Lessard, drummer/backing vocalist Carter Beauford and saxophonist LeRoi Moore. Boyd Tinsley was...
and saw Schmit once again provide backing vocals. In between Thompson was also involved in a collaboration with fellow songwriters Michael Lille and Lewis McGehee, recording an eponymous album as The Famous Unknowns. In 2002 a second collection, The Vinyl Years, was basically a reissue of Robbin Thompson plus later songs such as the original version of "Sweet Virginia Breeze" and a reissue of "Guilty". His 2003 album One Step Ahead of the Blues again featured Schmit and Taylor, as well a song called "Orange Moon" that was recorded in Shanghai
Shanghai
Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...
with traditional Chinese musical instruments. It also included another Springsteen / Steel Mill song, "The Train Song". Live In Studio A was recorded at the In Your Ear Studios in Richmond, Virginia
Richmond, Virginia
Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area...
with an invited audience of eighty people over two nights. It features thirteen live tracks and stories about how some of the songs were written. Just A Blur In The Rearview featured a guest appearances by Ellen McIlwaine
Ellen McIlwaine
Ellen McIlwaine is an American singer-songwriter and musician best known for her career as a slide guitarist.-Biography:...
. The title song was co-written with Phil Vassar
Phil Vassar
Phil Vassar is an American country music artist. Vassar made his debut on the country music scene in the late 1990s, co-writing singles for several country artists, including Tim McGraw , Jo Dee Messina , Collin Raye , and Alan Jackson Phil Vassar (born May 28, 1964 in Lynchburg, Virginia) is an...
while "I Won't Quit" was co-written and recorded with Carter Beauford
Carter Beauford
Carter Anthony Beauford is an American drummer, percussionist, and founding member of Dave Matthews Band. He is known for his ability to adapt to a variety of genres, and both his ambidextrous and his open hand drumming styles. He plays the drums and sings backing vocals in the band...
and Butch Taylor
Butch Taylor
Butch Taylor is a composer, writer, keyboardist and long time guest musician with Dave Matthews Band....
of the Dave Matthews Band
Dave Matthews Band
Dave Matthews Band, sometimes shortened to DMB, is a U.S. rock band formed in Charlottesville, Virginia in 1991. The founding members were singer-songwriter and guitarist Dave Matthews, bassist Stefan Lessard, drummer/backing vocalist Carter Beauford and saxophonist LeRoi Moore. Boyd Tinsley was...
. It was also featured on the soundtrack of The Fighting Temptations
The Fighting Temptations
The Fighting Temptations is a 2003 American musical dramedy film produced by Paramount Pictures and MTV Films. It stars Cuba Gooding, Jr. as the film's protagonist as he attempts to revive a church choir in order to enter a gospel competition with the help of a beautiful lounge singer with whom he...
.
In early 2008, Thompson's Move On Down the Line won in The 7th Annual Independent Music Awards
The Independent Music Awards
The Independent Music Awards is an international program that honors top-ranked independent artists and releases in more than 50 Album, Song, Music Video and Design categories....
for Gospel Song.
Discography
- Robbin Thompson
- Robbin Thompson (1976)
- Better Late Than Never (1985)
- Since Grade School: A Robbin Thompson Anthology (1988)
- I Don't Need A Reason To Ride (1991)
- Out on the Chesapeake (1998)
- The Vinyl Years (2002)
- One Step Ahead of the Blues (2003)
- Live In Studio A (2006)
- Just A Blur In The Rearview (2007)
- Robbin Thompson and Steve Bassett
- Together (1978)
- The Robbin Thompson Band
- Two B's Please (1980)
- 'The Famous Unknowns
- The Famous Unknowns (1994)
- The Tasmanians
- "Baby" / "Love, Love, Love" (1966)
- "I Can't Explain This Feeling" / "If I Don't" (1966)
- Selected Others
- Various artists: One Step Up/Two Steps Back: The Songs Of Bruce Springsteen (1997)
- Various artists: United We Stand (2001)