ABOUT
Robert John (January 3, 1946 - February 24, 2025) was a highly acclaimed and veteran singer-songwriter who became famous during the 1970s. Best known for the self-penned doo-wop-influenced soft rock ballad, "Sad Eyes" (1979), which topped the charts, other big hits include his smash covers of The Tokens' "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" (1972), which became a million-seller, and Eddie Holman's "Hey There Lonely Girl" (1980).
Born Robert John Pedrick, Jr. in Brooklyn, New York, he had his first hit on the Pop/Rock charts in 1958 at age 12 with "White Bucks And Saddle Shoes" under the name, John Pedrick, Jr. In 1963, he served as lead singer with Bobby & The Consoles, a doo-wop group best known for "Mr. Jelly Bean." By 1965, he had become known as Robert John and went on to score a long string of hits through the early 1980s. He had his final hit in 1983 with his cover of The Newbeats' "Bread And Butter." Robert John continued to perform and record actively through the early 1990s.
LINKS
- Billboard remembers Robert John.
SHOP EXCLUSIVE RECORDINGS FOR ROBERT JOHN
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SONGS
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Robert John
- The Lion Sleeps Tonight 1972
(Based on a ca. 1920s South African Zulu song, "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" was previously a hit for the Weavers (1952, as "Wimoweh") and topped the charts for the Tokens in 1961. It later recharted for the Tokens in 1994.)
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