Robin Zander

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Robin Zander
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Robin Zander performing with Cheap Trick in 2025
Background information
Born
Robin Wayne Zander

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Beloit, Wisconsin, U.S.
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GenresPage Template:Hlist/styles.css has no content.
OccupationTemplate:Pluralize from textPage Template:Hlist/styles.css has no content.
  • Singer
  • songwriter
  • musician
InstrumentTemplate:Pluralize from textPage Template:Hlist/styles.css has no content.
  • Vocals
  • guitar
Years active1973–present
Member ofCheap Trick
Websitewww.cheaptrick.com

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Robin Wayne Zander (born January 23, 1953) is an American musician who is the lead singer and rhythm guitarist for the rock band Cheap Trick. Zander joined Cheap Trick in 1974 and, as of 2026, remains a member of the band. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2016 as a member of Cheap Trick. Zander is also a solo artist.

Early life

Zander was born in Beloit, Wisconsin, and grew up in nearby Loves Park, Illinois.[2] He learned to play the guitar by age 12.[3] Zander graduated from Harlem High School in Machesney Park, Illinois.[4]

Music career

Zander and Kent

After playing in high school bands in the 1960s,[5] Zander formed an acoustic duo, Zander and Kent, with his former classmate and choirmate Brian Beebe (Kent). For four consecutive summers, the pair held residencies at the Lookout Lounge in Wisconsin Dells, a popular resort town.[6] During the off-season, they toured colleges across Wisconsin, in Illinois, and as far west as Colorado.[7]

Cheap Trick

Script error: No such module "Labelled list hatnote". When Cheap Trick formed in 1973, the band invited Zander to become their lead singer. He declined due to an existing contract and commitments with Zander and Kent. Cheap Trick instead recruited Randy "Xeno" Hogan, a former high school classmate.[7] Hogan left Cheap Trick shortly thereafter.[8]

In the fall of 1974, after having completed his contractual obligations with Zander and Kent, Zander joined Cheap Trick.[9] Along with Zander on lead vocals and rhythm guitar,[10] the band consisted of guitarist Rick Nielsen, bassist Tom Petersson, and drummer Bun E. Carlos.[11] Cheap Trick's 1979 live album, Cheap Trick at Budokan, catapulted the band to stardom.[12][13] The band reached the Top 10 in the U.S. charts in 1979 with "I Want You to Want Me" and topped the charts in 1988 with "The Flame".[14] Cheap Trick has performed more than 5,000 shows[15] and has sold more than 20 million albums.[5] Zander was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Cheap Trick in 2016.[16] As of 2026, he is still the lead singer of the band.[17][18]

Other work

Zander and Ann Wilson released a ballad called "Surrender to Me" in December 1988. The single peaked at #6 on the Billboard Hot 100.[19]

Zander released a self-titled solo album in 1993.[20] The lead single, "I've Always Got You", was issued to radio in June 1993,[21] peaking at #13 on the Billboard Album Rock Tracks chart and #8 on Radio & Records AOR Tracks chart.[22][23] A second single, "Show Me Heaven", followed in November 1993.[24]

On September 30, 2016, Los Angeles rock band Steel Panther released a cover version of the Cheap Trick song "She's Tight". Steel Panther's music video for "She's Tight" features Zander.[25]

Artistry and influence

Zander is a tenor.[26][27][28] His singing has been described as "jaw-dropping" and "supremely virtuosic".[29] In a 2014 piece entitled "Unsung Heroes: The 10 Most Underrated Classic Rock Singers", Dan Tucker of VH1.com described Zander as having "range, style and attitude."[30]

Zander's vocal style has influenced many other rock singers, from 1980s hard rockers such as Joe Elliott of Def Leppard, Vince Neil of Mötley Crüe, Axl Rose of Guns N' Roses, Bret Michaels of Poison, and Sebastian Bach of Skid Row to 1990s punk revivalists such as Billie Joe Armstrong of Green Day and alternative singers such as Billy Corgan of The Smashing Pumpkins, Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam, Kurt Cobain of Nirvana, and Scott Weiland of Stone Temple Pilots.[2][31]

Personal life

Zander and his first wife, Karen, had a son Ian, and a daughter, Holland.[32]

As of 2018, Zander lives in Safety Harbor, Florida[33][34] with his wife, former Playboy Playmate Pamela Stein.[35] Zander and Stein have a son, Robin Taylor Zander, and a daughter, Robin-Sailor Zander;[33] both are singer-songwriters.[34] When Cheap Trick bassist Tom Petersson was unable to tour in 2021 due to surgery, Zander's son Robin filled in for him on tour.[36]

Solo discography

Albums

Singles

References

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  1. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Rose, Mike (January 23, 2023). "Today's famous birthdays list for January 23, 2023 includes celebrities Mariska Hargitay, Chita Rivera". Cleveland.com.
  2. ^ a b Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Prato, Greg. "Robin Zander - Biography & History". AllMusic.
  3. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Nutt, Bill (September 19, 2014). "Robin Zander Band to perform in Newton". Daily Record.
  4. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Leaf, Brian; Braun, Georgette (December 17, 2015). "Rock and Roll Hall of Fame finally tells Cheap Trick it wants the Rockford band in its Class of 2016". Rockford Register Star.
  5. ^ a b Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Cheap Trick's lead singer Robin Zander set to rock The Ranch". Naples Daily News. May 2, 2016.
  6. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Zander & Kent Advertisement". Wisconsin Dells Events. June 13, 1974. p. 7.
  7. ^ a b Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Beebe, Brian (October 12, 2015). "Cheap Talk #73: Zander & Kent (Interview with Brian Beebe)". Cheap Talk with Trick Chat (Podcast). Podomatic. Retrieved October 21, 2025. Brian Beebe discusses performing with Robin Zander as the acoustic duo Zander & Kent in the early 1970s.
  8. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Vanderbilt, Mike (April 8, 2016). "From Rockford to you: An oral history of Cheap Trick's early years". Chicago Reader.
  9. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Patenaude, Joel (September 22, 2018). "Madison-area musician hopes to recover in time for show with Cheap Trick singer". Channel3000.com.
  10. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Sanders, Samantha (March 24, 2021). "Cheap Trick's Robin Zander Is Worth A Lot More Than You Think". Grunge.
  11. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Curry, Corina (April 11, 2016). "Cheap Trick: 'New guy' Daxx Nielsen has known bandmates his whole life". Rockford Register Star.
  12. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."How Cheap Trick Finally Broke Through With 'At Budokan'". Ultimate Classic Rock. February 2, 2016.
  13. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Cheap Trick – At Budokan (album)". SwissCharts.com. Retrieved November 10, 2007.
  14. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Cheap Trick". Billboard. Retrieved April 3, 2019.
  15. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Doerschuk, Bob (March 29, 2016). "Cheap Trick: 'We don't want to do wimp versions of ourselves'". USA TODAY.
  16. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Varga, George (June 1, 2016). "Cheap Trick is having a banner year". San Diego Union-Tribune.
  17. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Friedlander, Matt (January 13, 2025). "Watch Cheap Trick Frontman Robin Zander Belt Out the National Anthem at Commanders-Buccaneers NFL Playoff Game". American Songwriter.
  18. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Mendoza, Megan (March 16, 2025). "Iconic artists perform at Coopstock 2025 in Mesa". The Arizona Republic.
  19. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Ann Wilson". Billboard. Retrieved December 31, 2025.
  20. ^ SPIN. SPIN Media LLC. September 1993. p. 122. ISSN 0886-3032. Retrieved December 31, 2025.
  21. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Sprague, David (August 7, 1993). "Robin Zander pulls solo trick". Billboard. Vol. 105, no. 32. BPI Communications. pp. 10–11. ISSN 0006-2510.
  22. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Album Rock Tracks". Billboard. Vol. 105, no. 33. BPI Communications. August 14, 1993. p. 72. ISSN 0006-2510.
  23. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."AOR Tracks". Radio & Records. No. 1003. Radio & Records, Inc. July 30, 1993. p. 56. ISSN 0277-4860.
  24. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Flick, Larry (November 13, 1993). "Single Reviews". Billboard. Vol. 105, no. 46. BPI Communications. p. 77. ISSN 0006-2510.
  25. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.DiVita, Joe (September 30, 2016). "Steel Panther release She's Tight video". Loudwire. Retrieved October 6, 2016.
  26. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Torribio, Sarah (November 20, 2014). "Concert preview: Cheap Trick still carries a flame for great music". Reno Gazette Journal. Retrieved January 21, 2019.
  27. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Legge, Ed (January 12, 2016). "Rock legend delights crowd in intimate shows at Monk's". Wiscnews.com. Retrieved January 21, 2019.
  28. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Cheap Trick packs Ravinia for hits, deep cuts and Beatles' covers". chicagotribune.com. July 11, 2010. Retrieved January 21, 2019.
  29. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Miers, Jeff (June 27, 2018). "Cheap Trick steals the show, but Poison fans still leave happy". Buffalo News.
  30. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Tucker, Dan (April 26, 2014). "Unsung Heroes: The 10 Most Underrated Classic Rock Singers". VH1 News. Archived from the original on June 29, 2022.
  31. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Cormier, Ryan (January 23, 2014). "Cheap Trick singer talks longevity, lawsuits, and lipo before acoustic show". delawareonline.com.
  32. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Leaf, Brian (April 10, 2016). "Cheap Trick: Several bandmates' kids pursuing the family business". RRStar.com. Retrieved September 24, 2018.
  33. ^ a b Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Daddy's all right: Cheap Trick's Robin Zander to play concert with son and daughter this Saturday". classicrock995.com. September 6, 2018.
  34. ^ a b Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Cridlin, Jay (April 6, 2016). "Cheap Trick's Robin Zander celebrates Safety Harbor, Hall of Fame induction". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved September 24, 2018.
  35. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Greene, Andy (April 8, 2016). "Inside Cheap Trick's Unlikely Renaissance". Rolling Stone. Retrieved September 24, 2018.
  36. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Gray, Andy (November 12, 2021). "Cheap Trick (and sons) rock Packard". The Vindicator. Retrieved November 13, 2021.
  37. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Demalon, Tom (July 6, 1993). "Robin Zander". AllMusic. Retrieved February 1, 2019.
  38. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Countryside Blvd. - Robin Zander". AllMusic.
  39. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Robin Zander - In This Country". Discogs. August 23, 1991.
  40. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Rebbie Jackson with Robin Zander - You Send The Rain Away". Discogs. 1986.
  41. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Rebbie Jackson You Send The Rain Away Chart History". Billboard.
  42. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Robin Zander Surrender To Me (From "Tequila Sunrise") Chart History". Billboard.
  43. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Robin Zander Surrender To Me Chart History". Billboard.
  44. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."I've Always Got You". Discogs.
  45. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Robin Zander I've Always Got You Chart History". Billboard.

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