A Place in Time

Studio mainstnyfonn “].R. ” Robinson ’75.:
n rock—steady presence in an ever—changing indnstry

by

Mark L.
’73

Small

fter more than a decade and a half in

LA. Where many musical careers flash

then fade within months, John Robin—
son ’75 (alias “J.R.”) continues to be one of the
most sought—after drummers in the business.
J.R.’s soulful, razor—sharp time—keeping has
been the heartbeat for a good portion of the
soundtrack to contemporary American life
heard via radio, TV, and movies since 1978.
Some of his studio colleagues refer to him as
the “Hit Man” because he holds the record for
playing on more hit singles than any other
drummer 1n the recording world—including
20- -year studio veteran Hal Blaine.

The roster of superstars whose gold and
platinum discs feature JR.’s stickwork is ex—
tensive and includes Rufus, Eric Clapton, Ma—
donna, Steve Winwood, Diana Ross, Earth,
Wind, and Fire, Michael Jackson, Stevie Nicks,
Rod Stewart, Whitney Houston, Vince Gill,
Elton John, Michael Bolton, Quincy Jones ’51,
Peter Cetera, Natalie Cole, and dozens more.

Raised 1n Creston, Iowa, JR. was in the
garage with his first band at 10. Attending sum—
mer band camps in Missouri and Illinois dur—
ing his Junior high school years solidified his
desire to become a professional musician. Af—
ter graduating high school in 1973 ,J. R. left the

12 Berklee today

heartland for Berklee where he studied for siX
consecutive semesters. He began working with
various jazz groups around Boston, and ulti—
mately went on the road with a showband called
Shelt.er A providential gig the band played 1n
Cleveland in 1978 catapulted J R. from the
nightclub circuit to the concert stage and stu-
dios One night, Rufus and Chaka Khan
stopped 1n at Cleveland’s Rare Cherry club
and liked what they heard from the drums.
Thin gs happened fast, and Within 24 hours]. R.
was asked to join Rufus, finish their world
tour, and then record their Numbers album.

Quincy Jones produced Mnsterjam for Ru—
fus the following year, and liked J. R. s drum—
ming (Quincy also started calling him J. R ).
Quincy invited him to play on Michael Jack-
son’s blockbuster album Off the Wall When
that record soared to multiplatinum status, J.R.’s
stock as a session player rose with it. Hundreds
of sessions with the top artists, producers, and
film composers in the business followed. In
1983‘, JR. and Rufus won a Grammy with for
their hit “Ain’t Nobody.” In 1987 alone,J.R.’s
drumming was heard on eight Grammy—win—
ning songs. By now he has played on more
than 25 Grammy—winning efforts.

In the weeks before we met, JR. had spent
PHOTO BY NEIL zmzowm

Summer 1994