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| Vicki Sue Robinson |
| Born: On May 31, 1954 Died: On April 27, 2000 of cancer at the age of 45. |
| Pictured on the left two of New York City's "treasures,"... Vicki Sue and The World Trade Centers......both gone but never forgotten! |
| Born in Harlem and then raised in Philadelphia, Vicki returned home to New York when she was ten. Vicki grew up in an artistic enviroment. Her father, Bill Robinson, was an actor for whom jobs in the theatre were nearly nonexsistent in the 50’s & 60’s. Her mother, folk singer Jolly Robinson, sang with Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger and traveled with the unions in the 40's and 50's. She met Bill when she sang and he read poetry on a sound truck at a Harlem Rally to re-elect councilman Benjamin J. Davis.
Vicki Sue's first public perfromance was in 1962 at the tender age of 7, when she sang at a benefit concert for Pete Seeger's First Amendment Defense, held over the McCarthy blacklist . Later that year, when Vicki sang harmony with her mother at the first Philadelphia Folk Festival, she had to stand on a chair to reach the microphone. At 16, Vicki Sue was cast in the musical "HAIR" on Broadway. She left after only six weeks to open a new show called "Soon." "Soon" was written by an old aquaintance, Scott Fagan. The show meant a lot to Vicki, having sung with Scott in her early teens. The show featured several up and coming talents, Nell Carter, Peter Allen and a very young Richard Gere. Her next show was "Long Time Coming, Long Time Gone." It was about Richard Farina, played by Richard Gere, and Mimi Farina (nee Mimi Baez), played by VSR. It was a collaboration of his songs, poems and pieces of his books. It opened in Lennox, Massachusetts before moving to off-Broadway. Following that, she was featured in the Lincoln Center Repertory Theater program, "Voices From The Third World." In 1973 she toured Japan with Itsuro Shimoda and sang background vocals on his album. She was then invited to join the Broadway cast of "Jesus Christ Superstar" for a brief stint. |
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| In 1975 Vicki met Warren Schatz, a musician-singer-engineer-producer and was "really into his music." She signed with Warren, who had just inked a deal with RCA Records. The first single they cut was "Never Gonna Let You Go" which went virtually unnoticed. For their second attempt she created all the background parts and cut the lead vocal in one take. "Turn The Beat Around" took off in the clubs first, thanks to an early promotional-only 12" single. After creating a buzz in the underground disco world, radio soon noticed. It went to number 10 on Billboard's Pop Charts and stayed in the Top 40 for thirteen weeks. The unexpected success of the single prompted a full scale album release. "Never Gonna Let You Go" was released and sales were considerable. Her performance earned her a Grammy nomination for Best Pop Female Vocal. The sales prompted RCA Records to ask for another full album of tunes. "Vicki Sue Robinson" was released in the late fall of 1976 and immediately hit the clubs. A promotional-only 12" single of "Daylight" went straight to number one in the clubs but met with less success on the radio market. The album also featured the stunning medley of "Should I Stay/I Won't Let You Go" which was also a huge club favorite. 1977 was filled with the success of her second album, touring and public appearances Without question, 1978's "Half And Half" is Vicki Sue Robinson's strongest, most consistent album. All the songs were of the highest caliber and her voice never sounded better. The first single "Hold Tight" climbed to number one in the clubs, yet radio missed the mark once again. RCA Records wisely released a commercial 12" single to promote the album, but still unsure of the marketability of 12" singles they included "Turn The Beat Around" on it's b-side to insure sales. A second commercial 12" single of "Trust in Me" backed with "Don't Try To Win Me Back Again" followed and was also a top ten club smash. Everything on "Half And Half" was deserving of radio airplay, but unfortunately radio DJs didn't pay nearly as much attention to the record as club DJs, even though a special promotional-only 12" single, Half Of "Half And Half" was issued for them. By 1979 Michael Butler had decided to bring the musical "Hair" to the big screen, RCA Records, not one to miss a sure-fire money maker decided to cash in on this. Warren Schatz brought Vicki, The Brothers, N.Y.C.C., Evelyn "Champagne" King, and Revelation together to record the "Disco Spectacular" album featuring songs from the play/movie. This project was dear to Vicki, having performed in "Hair" on Broadway. Vicki's fourth and final album for RCA Records, 1979's "Movin' On" was released to mixed reviews. A 12" single, "Nighttime Fantasy" received considerable clubplay, which was also featured in the movie "Nocturna." Later that year she appeared in the movie "Gangsters" following an acting career that started with 1971's "Going Home" and 1972's "To Find A Man." By 1980 Vicki returned to session work as a background vocalist, having done work on Todd Rundgren's 1972 album "Something, Anything" and T. Life's 1978 "That's Life" album, and as a much sought-after jingles singer. She appeared on the "Fame" soundtrack and Jimmy Maelen's "Beats Workin'" album. She also did commercials for Doublemint, Gillette, Downey, Sprite, Maybelline, and General Motors. She released a single on Ariola America of "Nothing But Heartaches" and a 12" single of "I'm Here And I'm Hot" for Perfect Records. 1981 saw a move to the prestigous Prelude Records for the release of "Hot Summer Nights." The new, funkier sound brought her to a whole new audience of music lovers. It failed to generate enough sales to merit a second 12" single or album. The upstart Promise Records released "Summertime Fun" in 1982. The bouncy, shuffle-beat hit once again proved that Vicki was mulit-faceted. Touring, television spots, and in-demand personal appearances dominated most of 1982-1983. The release of "To Sir With Love" in 1983 shot Vicki straight to the top of the club charts again. The 12" single, and it's Profile Records follow-up, "Everlasting Love" were both remakes in the high energy fashion of the day. "To Sir With Love" was VSR's most successful release since "Turn The Beat Around." Between 1983 and 1991 Vicki worked behind the scenes, recording backgrounds for such diverse artists as Michael Bolton, Cher, Digney Fignus, Bobby White and RuPaul. Her one 12" release in 1985 of "Grab Them Cakes" was with Junkyard Dog. It was from the infamous "Wrestling Album" which also featured Cyndi Lauper among others. The album tarnished the careers of anyone associated with it. By 1991 with the clamor for anything 'retro-disco' in demand, RCA Records remixed and re-released "Turn The Beat Around" to rave reviews. The success inspired Gloria Estefan to record it, as a tribute to Vicki, for her "Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me" album. Which in turn inspired Vicki to re-record a new version for release on the back of her 1995 "For Real" single. In 1997 D.J.-Remixer-Producer Junior Vasquez sought Vicki out to record "House Of Joy." The resulting 12" single brought VSR to a whole new generation of dancers, many of whom weren't even born when she first hit the clubs in 1976. With renewed interest in Vicki Sue and her career, and her love of the theatre, she returned to the stage in 1999 with her semi-autobiographical “Vicki Sue Robinson, Behind The Beat” to rave reviews. She played her self in the 1997 film "Unauthorized Biography: Milo, Death of a Supermodel" and appeared in 2000's "Red Lipstick" as a fairy godmother. Her last and final release was 1999's "Move On" which once again proved Vicki's versatility as well as her popularity. Sadly she was diagnosed with cancer but continued to perform and delight her loyal legion of fans. Her courage helped her wage a long and painful battle, she lost the battle in April 2000 at her home in Wilton, Connecticut, She is sorely missed, she was loved and respected by millions and we are fortunate to have the wonderful legacy she has left us with her recordings and films. |
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