Robin Zander

Template:Short description Template:Other people Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox musical artist Robin Wayne Zander (born January 23, 1953) is an American musician who is the lead singer and rhythm guitarist for the rock band Cheap Trick. Zander joined Cheap Trick in 1974 and, as of 2025, remains a member of the band. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2016 as a member of Cheap Trick. Zander is also a solo artist.

Early life and musical beginnings

Zander was born in Beloit, Wisconsin, and grew up in nearby Loves Park, Illinois.<ref name="allmusic.com">Template:Cite web</ref> He learned to play the guitar by age 12.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Zander graduated from Harlem High School in Machesney Park, Illinois.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> After playing in high school bands in the 1960s,<ref name="naplesnews.com">Template:Cite web</ref> Zander formed an acoustic duo with his former classmate and choirmate Brian Beebe (Kent). For four consecutive summers, the pair held residencies at the Lookout Lounge in Wisconsin Dells, a popular resort town, performing six nights a week. <ref>Template:Cite news</ref> During the off-season, they toured colleges across Wisconsin, Illinois, and as far west as Colorado. <ref>Template:Cite podcast</ref> When Cheap Trick formed in 1973, the band initially invited Zander to join as their lead singer, but he declined due to an existing contract and commitments with the duo. Cheap Trick instead recruited Randy “Xeno” Hogan, another former high school classmate of Zander and Beebe. <ref>Template:Cite podcast</ref>

Music career

Cheap Trick

In the fall of 1974, Zander and Kent disbanded, and Zander accepted an invitation to join Cheap Trick, replacing Randy "Xeno" Hogan. Along with Zander on lead vocals and rhythm guitar,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> the band consisted of guitarist Rick Nielsen, bassist Tom Petersson, and drummer Bun E. Carlos.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Cheap Trick's 1979 album, Cheap Trick at Budokan, catapulted the band to stardom.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> 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".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Cheap Trick has performed more than 5,000 shows<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and has sold more than 20 million albums.<ref name="naplesnews.com"/> Zander was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Cheap Trick in 2016.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> As of 2025, he is still the lead singer of the band.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Other work

Zander released the solo album Robin Zander in 1993.

On September 30, 2016, Los Angeles rock band Steel Panther released a cover version of Cheap Trick song "She's Tight" (from Cheap Trick's 1982 album One On One), which features Zander in the music video.<ref name=spst>Template:Cite web</ref>

Artistry and influence

Zander is a tenor.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> His singing has been described as "jaw-dropping" and "supremely virtuosic".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In a 2014 piece entitled "Unsung Heroes: The 10 Most Underrated Classic Rock Singers", Dan Tucker of VH1.com described Zander as having "range, style and attitude."<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Zander's vocal style has influenced many other rock singers, from 1980s 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 1990s 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).<ref name="allmusic.com"/><ref name=autogenerated1>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The May 2009 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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>Template:Better source

Personal life

Zander and his first wife, Karen, had a son Ian, and a daughter, Holland.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

As of 2018, Zander lives in Safety Harbor, Florida<ref name="auto">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="auto1">Template:Cite news</ref> with his wife, former Playboy Playmate Pamela Stein.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Zander and Stein have a son and a daughter;<ref name="auto"/> both are singer-songwriters.<ref name="auto1"/> When Cheap Trick bassist Tom Petersson was unable to tour in 2021 due to surgery, Zander's son Robin filled in for him on tour.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Solo discography

Albums

• Robin Zander (1993)<ref name="allmusic1">Template:Cite web</ref>
• Countryside Blvd (2011)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Singles

• "In This Country" (1987), from the soundtrack to Over the Top.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• "You Send the Rain Away" (1987) duet with Rebbie Jackson,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> #50 Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>
• "Surrender to Me" with Ann Wilson (1988), from the soundtrack to Tequila Sunrise, #6 Billboard's Hot 100 Chart,<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> #42 Billboard's Mainstream Rock.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>
• "I've Always Got You" (1993), #13 Billboard's Mainstream Rock, from the album Robin Zander.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

External links

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