Chris Robison
{{short description|American songwriter}}
Chris Robison was an American musician, songwriter and recording artist. He toured with the New York Dolls, Steam and John Lennon’s backing band, Elephant's Memory. He died in December 2021, at age 73 {{Cite web |title=Chris Robison |url=https://06880danwoog.com/tag/chris-robison/ |access-date=2022-09-08 |website=06880 |language=en-US}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| background = person
| name = Chris Robison
| birth_name = Harold Alton Meyer
| alias =
| birth_place = Wellesley, Massachusetts
| origin =
| death_date = December 2021 (age 73)
| years_active = 1969–2021
| label = Gypsy Frog Records,
Chapter Music
| website = http://www.chrisrobison.net/
| module =
| module2 =
| module3 =
}}
Elephant’s Memory
Robison sang back up with Lennon, Yoko Ono and Elephant’s Memory during a 1972 session at New York City’s Record Plant East on the track Baddest of the Mean, which appeared on the album Lossless, released September 18, 1972. Robison is credited as an author along with Rick Frank and Stan Bronstein on the track Power Boogie, the released version of which featured Lennon on vocals and guitar and Ono on backing vocals. Elephant’s Memory was known for contributing the track Jungle Jim at the Zoo to the Midnight Cowboy soundtrack and for bizarre stage shows with an inflatable stage set and music that
incorporated psychedelia, jazz and acid-tinged rock.{{cite web|url=https://open.spotify.com/artist/7vlen6lzkmCst6naOmK3Et|last=Leggett|first= Steve|publisher=Spotify|title=Elephants Memory |date=January 24, 2018|accessdate=Jan 15, 2020}}{{cite web|url=https://www.isrbx.net/3137617956-elephants-memory-elephants-memory-1972-lossless.html|title=Elephant's Memory - Elephant's Memory (1972) Lossless |date=January 24, 2018|publisher=IsraBox|accessdate=Jan 15, 2020}}{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/elephants-memory-1972-mw0001343694
|title=Elephant's Memory - Elephant's Memory (1972)|last=Leggett|first= Steve|publisher=AllMusic|accessdate=Jan 15, 2020}}
New York Dolls
Robison played keyboards with the 1975 lineup of the New York Dolls that included David Johansen, Sylvain Sylvain, Peter Jordan and Tony Machine. He toured with the Dolls during their 1975 tour of Japan with Jeff Beck, performing on the album Tokyo Dolls Live.{{cite web | title=From The Archives -New York Dolls- Concert Chronology / Gigography/ Timeline | website=From The Archives | date=1972-02-04 | url=https://www.fromthearchives.com/nyd/chronology.html | access-date=2021-07-07}}{{cite magazine|url=http://www.fromthearchives.com/nyd/NYDJuly_75.jpg|title=New Dolls Hit Japanese Jackpot|last=Crescenti|first=Peter|magazine=Front Pages|publisher=Circus magazine|access-date=Jan 15, 2020}}
Solo career
Robison released two albums in the early 1970s that were among the first to deal with explicitly gay themes.{{cite web|url=https://www.collectorsmusicreviews.com/jeff-beck/jeff-beck-new-york-dolls-world-rock-festival-nagoya-1975-no-label/|title=Jeff Beck / New York Dolls – World Rock Festival Nagoya 1975 (no label)|date=February 3, 2013|publisher=Collectors Music Reviews|accessdate=Jan 12, 2020}}{{cite web|url=http://www.queermusicheritage.com/jun2005.html|title=Chris Robison |website=www.queermusicheritage.com}}
"Chris Robison and His Many Hand Band" (1973) and "Manchild" (1974), were both released on Gypsy Frog Records.{{cite web|url=http://www.queermusicheritage.com/jun2005cr.html|title=Chris Robison|website=www.queermusicheritage.com}} The former has been released on CD by Chapter Music.{{cite web|url=https://chaptermusic.com/store/chris-robison/many-hand-band/|title=Many Hand Band by Chris Robinson|website=chaptermusic.com}} The style of these albums differed from the glam rock that was in vogue at the time, being much more varied, improvisational and loose. Where glam artists from the time, such as Jobriath, wrapped homosexual themes in a veneer of science fiction and otherworldliness, Robison was much more direct in his approach, with songs such as "Doctor Doctor" and "Looking for a Boy Tonight", both from his first album, dealing with the issue head on.
Stumblebunny
After his release from the New York Dolls, Robison formed Stumblebunny, which premiered at Max's Kansas City in 1977. The band issued a self produced EP and the European label Phonogram signed the band, which toured until the band split up in 1979. Robison reformed the power-pop band in the 2000s, and it played the C2SV Music & Technology festival, headlined by Iggy and the Stooges. in San Jose, California in 2012.{{cite web
|url=http://robotsforronnie.blogspot.com/2007/08/stumblebunny-stumblebunny-1979.html
|title=Stumblebunny
|author= JKR
|date=Aug 10, 2007
|website=Robots for Ronnie
|publisher=
|access-date=Jan 11, 2020
|quote=}}{{cite web
|url=http://activate.metroactive.com/2013/09/c2sv-highlights-four-days-music-san-jose/
|title=C2SV Highlights: Four Days of Music in downtown San Jose
|last=Carnes
|first= Aaron
|date=Sep 30, 2013
|website=Metroactive
|publisher=Metro Silicon Valley
|access-date=Jan 11, 2020
|quote=}}
Personal life
Robison taught piano, keyboard, guitar and songwriting for over 30 years & was the founder of Half Mile Music Studios near Coleytown, Connecticut.{{cite web|url=http://chrisrobison.net/pages/halfmilestudio.html|title=Chris Robison Half Mile Studio|website=chrisrobison.net}}
He has two sons, Dr. Tiger Robison, an assistant professor of music education at the University of Wyoming, and Dexter Scott.
| year =2020
| title =Dr. Tiger Robison
| publisher =University of Wyoming Department of Music
| page =
| url =http://www.uwyo.edu/music/faculty_staff/robison_tiger.html
| accessdate =January 16, 2020
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [http://www.chrisrobison.net/ Official website]
- [http://www.queermusicheritage.com/jun2005.html Queer Music Heritage]
{{New York Dolls}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Robison, Chris}}
Category:American male songwriters
Category:American LGBTQ musicians
Category:Year of birth missing (living people)