Rockin' Robin: A Song History

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"Rockin' Robin" came from Leon René (1902–1982), an African American songwriter and record producer in Los Angeles who is best known for "When the Swallows Come Back to Capistrano."[1] His writing credit on it appears under Jimmie Thomas (sometimes spelled Jimmy), a pen name he used from time to time.[1][2] In the 1940s he and his brother Otis had run two early independent rhythm and blues labels, Exclusive and Excelsior, and late in 1951 he started another in Los Angeles, Class Records.[2] The song was recorded by Bobby Day, born Robert James Byrd in Fort Worth, Texas, in 1930, though he usually gave a later birth year.[3][4] Day had come to Los Angeles as a teenager, sung lead with the Hollywood Flames, and in 1957 put out "Little Bitty Pretty One" with his group the Satellites.[4][5]

Small color card of a red-breasted robin perched on a flowering branch

Allen & Ginter, Robin, from the Birds of America series (N4), commercial color lithograph, 1888. A robin, shown for the title; the card has no connection to the song.

Class issued Day's record in 1958, backed with "Over and Over," a song Day wrote himself.[2][3] Its arrangement made room for a piccolo break, and Bear Family Records reckons it was probably the first rock and roll record to feature that instrument.[5][3] Listed by Billboard as "Rock-in Robin," it entered the Hot 100 at No. 35 on August 4, 1958, and climbed to No. 2 on the chart dated October 13, while "Over and Over" peaked at No. 41.[6][7] It proved to be the biggest hit of Day's solo career.[5] That October, Class followed it with an album named for the hit, Rockin' with Robin.[2] Day recorded for a long string of labels over the years and died in Los Angeles in 1990.[3][4]

Fourteen years later Michael Jackson revived the song, and his version matched the original's peak, reaching No. 2 on the Hot 100 on April 22, 1972.[8][3] AllMusic notes that many listeners now know the song chiefly through Jackson's version.[5] For mountain dulcimer, Larry and Elaine Conger set "Rockin' Robin" as a three-part arrangement in Standard And Bass Dulcimer Duets, a Fingers Of Steel book of 20 pieces for a standard dulcimer in DAD and a bass dulcimer tuned DAD an octave lower, sold as a download with an MP3 of every tune.[9]

Our book that contains the song "Rockin' Robin"

Sources

  1. UCLA Library Special Collections, via Calisphere: "Leon René, and his son, Rafael Leon René, Los Angeles, circa 1956".
  2. Both Sides Now Publications (David Edwards and Mike Callahan): "Class/Rendezvous Labels Album Discography".
  3. Bear Family Records: "Who was/is Bobby Day?".
  4. BlackPast.org: "Bobby Day/Robert James Byrd (1930-1990)".
  5. AllMusic: "Rockin' Robin" song review by John Bush.
  6. Billboard: "Hot 100, week of August 4, 1958".
  7. Billboard: "Bobby Day Chart History: Hot 100".
  8. Billboard: "Michael Jackson Chart History: Hot 100".
  9. Fingers Of Steel: "Elaine And Larry Conger, Standard And Bass Dulcimer Duets".
  10. Image: Allen & Ginter, Robin, from the Birds of America series (N4), commercial color lithograph, 1888. The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

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