Formation and early years (1960s) The Robbs were centered around a band of brothers, all of whom adopted pseudonyms. The brothers were David Donaldson ("Dee Robb" – lead vocals and guitar), Robert Donaldson ("
Bruce Robb" – keyboards and vocals), and George Donaldson ("Joe Robb" – guitar and vocals). The fourth member was family friend
Craig Krampf ("Craig Robb" – drums); although some publicity material identified Craig as a "cousin" of the other three members, he was in fact wholly unrelated to the Donaldsons. The band was founded in the early 1960s without Krampf, and recorded as Dee Robb, Robby & The Robbins, and Dee Robb & the Robins before settling on The Robbs and hiring Krampf in 1965. Musically, the Robbs were noted for their use of harmony vocals, and instrumentation that was inspired by folk-rock,
bubblegum music, and
jangle pop. Spotted by
Dick Clark, the band was signed to
Mercury Records in 1966 and moved to
California to appear as regular performers on
Where the Action Is during late 1966 and early 1967, replacing
Paul Revere and the Raiders. The band recorded with some regional success between 1966 and 1970, at first for Mercury and subsequently for a variety of
record labels. Almost all of their
singles charted on radio stations in and around
Milwaukee, Wisconsin. As well, their 1966 single "Race With The Wind" was a substantial
hit in
Chicago, and several other singles were breakout successes in smaller markets such as
Honolulu,
Hawaii and
Columbus, Ohio. An early single was co-written and produced by the team of
P.F. Sloan and
Steve Barri, who had earlier written a hit single for the (then) strictly studio-concocted band
The Grass Roots. Sloan and Barri reportedly offered The Robbs a chance to step in and actually become The Grass Roots for both touring purposes and for future singles, but the group turned the offer down. The Robbs continued to release singles to regional acclaim, but unlike The Grass Roots (who went on to have over a dozen Hot 100 hits), The Robbs were never able to garner a true nationwide hit, accounting for their inability to break into the Hot 100. The Robbs' lone
album, from 1967, was compiled from the
A-sides and B-sides of their 1966 and 1967 singles, along with two new tracks. This self-titled LP made the
Billboard 200 chart for one week in January 1968, peaking at No. 200, and the band was shortly thereafter dropped by Mercury Records. (The LP was reissued in mono on CD by Collectors' Choice in 2004.) Upon signing to
Atlantic in 1968, The Robbs pursued a more
country-rock orientation. After their two Atlantic singles missed even the "bubbling under" charts, Atlantic let the band go, and they were picked up by
ABC/Dunhill in 1969. The Robbs continued to release singles for this label, with the usual regional success and some "bubbling under" appearances, but no national breakthrough.
Rebirth as Cherokee In 1971, the group changed their name to
Cherokee, and re-emphasized their country rock influenced sound. The four band members also reverted to their birth names for their work with this band. They released one self-titled studio album as Cherokee, as well as the 1971 non-LP single "Girl, I've Got News for You". Both the album and the single featured the participation of
Chris Hillman of
the Byrds. However, the album did not chart, nor did the album's lead single "Rosianna". The follow-up single ("Girl, I've Got News for You") charted in the top 40 on radio stations in at least six U.S. states as well as in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. However, as had happened with numerous singles credited to The Robbs, nationally the single only appeared on
Billboards "Bubbling Under" chart, as well as the equivalent charts in
Cash Box and
Record World.
Dissolution, and formation of Cherokee Studios Cherokee had set up their own
recording studio in a rural California barn to record their material, and they soon started recording other acts there as well. Artists such as
Del Shannon and Zane Ashton recorded there. According to Dee Robb, although his band would never record or perform again after 1971 (as either The Robbs or Cherokee), they never officially broke up. Instead, they simply started spending so much time operating their studio that the band was put on hold—as it turned out, permanently. In 1975, the three Robb Brothers (who had gone back to using their "Robbs" names) opened
Cherokee Studios in Los Angeles. This studio became one of America's premier recording facilities whose clients included
The Go-Go's (including
Jane Wiedlin, who was also born in Oconomowoc),
Jane's Addiction,
Steely Dan,
Aerosmith,
Devo,
Public Enemy,
Lenny Kravitz,
John Cougar,
Al Green,
Warren Zevon,
Sneaker and many others. Through their association with Cherokee Studios, the Robb brothers have participated in the creation of more than 250 gold or platinum records. Under his real name, Robbs' drummer Craig Krampf also found success in the
music industry, becoming a respected
session drummer,
songwriter and
record producer. His drumming can be heard on (among many other songs) the
Kim Carnes No. 1 hit "
Bette Davis Eyes"; as a writer, his biggest hit was
Steve Perry's 1984 hit "
Oh Sherrie" (a co-write with three others); and as a producer, his most notable credit is his co-production of the first album by
Melissa Etheridge. Dee Robb, The Robbs' vocalist and chief songwriter (and oldest sibling) died in 2008. ==Discography==