BIOGRAPHY

John 'JR' Robinson

John Robinson (aka John "JR" Robinson), born December 29, 1954 in Creston, Iowa, is an American drummer and session musician, best known for his work with Quincy Jones, including Michael Jackson's multiplatinum Off The Wall album and the charity single "We Are the World".

JR begain his love for music on piano at the age of 5. At the age of 8, JR was playing the drums — working professionally with his first band by the time he was 10.

Robinson attended numerous music camps throughout his junior and senior year of high school, and upon graduation, chose to attend Berklee College of Music in Boston.

In 1978, John got his break — Rufus and Chaka Khan came into the club where John was playing with his own band, and by the third set, the band ‘Rufus’ was sitting in with John! A few weeks later, John had moved to Los Angeles to finish the 1978 Rufus world tour! Later that same year, JR was introduced to Quincy Jones who hired Robinson to play on Michael Jackson's Off The Wall album.

Some of the hits JR has played on include "We Are The World," "All Night Long," "You Are" and "Say You Say Me" by Lionel Richie, "I’m So Excited" and "Slow Hand" by the Pointer Sisters, "I’m Just A Gigolo" and "California Girls" by David Lee Roth, "Higher Love," "The Finer Things" and "Back In The Highlife" by Steve Winwood, "Express Yourself" by Madonna, "Off The Wall," "Don’t Stop Til You Get Enough," "Rock With You," "The Way You Make Me Feel," "Smooth Criminal," "Workin Day" and "Night and Bad" from the late great Michael Jackson, Natalie Cole’s "Stardust" and "Change The World" by Eric Clapton, Quincy Jones’ "The Dude," "Q’s Jook Joint" and "From Q With Love", "Give Me The Night" from George Benson... just to name a few.  In the 1983, JR won a Grammy with Rufus and Chaka Khan for "Ain’t Nobody".

More recently, JR played drums for the new Quincy Jones Live at Montreux, release summer of 2009 and with David Foster and Friends, "Hitman". John Robinson is the drummer for Quincy Jones (1979-present) and for Barbra Streisand (1993-present).

JR's motion picture credits includie My Cousin Vinny, Grand Canyon, Pure Country, Phenomenon, The Body Guard, First Wives Club, Celtic Pride, Dave, Denise The Menace, Evening Star, Father’s Day, Free Willy, Hercules, How Stella Got Her Groove Back, Independence Day, Jerry McGuire, The Mirror Has Two Faces, Little Rascals, Nothing To Lose, Nutty Professor, The Preacher’s Wife, Quest For Camelot, South Park, Space Jam, Tin Cup, The Waterboy, Dinosaur, America’s Sweethearts, Rush Hour 2, That Thing That You Do, Pirates of the Caribbean (Dead Man’s Chest), Hairspray, Frasier Theme, Fever Pitch, Anchorman, Austin Powers in Goldmember, Dodgeball, Garfield, My Cousin Vinny, What Happens In Vegas, You Me & Dupree, Drillbit Taylor, Marley & Me, 27 Dresses, Tropic Thunder, Yes Man, Year One, I Love You Man and License To Wed.

JR has two solo CDs, Funkshui (2004) and Platinum (2010) on his own label, Homecourt Records, and another CD, Rivers Of Paradise, with his band, TRW, released through Frontiers Records.

In 2005, John Robinson was inducted into the Iowa Rock 'n Roll Music Association Hall of Fame — claiming that JR is "the most recorded drummer in history, even surpassing the great Hal Blaine."

Besides working with a band called Native Son which features band members Michael Thompson, Bobby Watson and Greg Mathieson, JR continues to produce a wide variety of projects and maintains a recording studio in Thousand Oaks, CA, where he continues to add his magic on numerous hits, movies and jingles.

www.johnjrrobinson.com