The Robins

This Los Angeles vocal group is best remembered today as the forerunner of the Coasters, though their own record of hits was substantial in its own right. What's more, their history is a lot more complicated than most fans of the Coasters are aware, and can be divided into two key phases. The Robins' roots go back to Alameda High School in San Francisco, in 1945. That year, tenor Terrell Leonard (aka Ty Terrell) joined with baritone siblings Billy Richards and Roy Richards to form what was known originally as the A-Sharp Trio, doing repertory that showed the distinct influence of the Golden Gate Quartet, the Nat King Cole Trio, and the Delta Rhythm Boys, among other established harmony groups of the period. They moved to Los Angeles and found lots of work in the area around Watts, but their first break came when they placed second in a competition at the Barrelhouse Club, owned by bandleader Johnny Otis, who hired them to perform on weekends. It was at the Barrelhouse Club that they crossed paths with bass/baritone Bobby Nunn, who did odd jobs around the place in between singing, waiting for his break. That moment came when Otis thought to turn the trio into a quartet, and see if they couldn't cut in on some of the audience that was coalescing around the rival group the Ravens. Terrell, the Richards brothers, and Nunn thus initially became the 4 Bluebirds (a name chosen by Otis) and cut one side under that name (backed by an Otis side), entitled "My Baby Done Told Me" for the Excelsior label early in 1949. The quartet discarded the Bluebirds name soon after and at their second recording session -- this time for Aladdin Records -- in May of 1949, they were known as the Robins. The first Robins single, "Around About Midnight" b/w "You Sure Look Good To Me", appeared in...