John Robinson

John Frederick Robinson (born December 29, 1954), known professionally as JR, is an American drummer and session musician who has been called "one of the most recorded drummers in history". He is known for his work with producer Quincy Jones, including Michael Jackson's multi-platinum Off the Wall album and the charity single "We Are the World".

Rolling Stone listed JR in 2016 at number 81 in their list of the top 100 "Greatest Drummers of All Time". He was awarded one Grammy Award for the Rufus and Chaka Khan single "Ain't Nobody", but has played drums on more than fifty Grammy winning works. His parents, Helen Sloan and Jack Robinson, made certain he had an education in music, starting him in piano lessons at age five. Robinson senior was also the arranger for the local choir Creston Chorus. Both his grandfathers were musical. His favorite record at age seven was "When the Saints Go Marching In" from the soundtrack of the 1959 film The Five Pennies. At eight he got his first drum kit – a secondhand 1940s Ludwig set with no toms, just snare, bass, hi-hat and one Zildjian cymbal. At age ten he formed a duo with Kevin Clemens who played electric guitar. Tall and athletic, JR wavered between a basketball or music career, choosing music. Soph encouraged him to enroll at Berklee College of Music in Boston. JR attended the concert, and he was moved by the Pointer Sisters' songs "Cloudburst" and "Yes We Can Can". He said he "always wanted to play with them". From this point forward, JR was a first-request drummer for Jones. He helped on a few of Karen Carpenter's solo album tracks, which were not released until 16 years later. In 1981, JR recorded Party 'Til You're Broke with Rufus, yielding the hit single "Tonight We Love". Later that year, the Rufus album Camouflage brought JR another hit single, "Sharing the Love", which reached number 8 on the R&B chart. Rufus released Seal in Red in 1983, and JR also played on the Rufus/Chaka Khan single "Ain't Nobody" which topped the R&B chart and rose to number 22 on the Hot 100. "Ain't Nobody" earned a Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance at the 26th Annual Grammy Awards in early '84, which is JR's only Grammy.

Other projects during this time included some dates with the Temptations and the Four Tops, Jones brought JR to Donna Summer's self-titled album to cut the song "State of Independence". Glenn Frey pulled JR on the road with him in September–November 1982, starting in Japan and returning to the US; all in support of his solo album No Fun Aloud.

Michael Jackson, Lionel Richie and Quincy Jones headed the project USA for Africa to provide relief for the 1983–1985 famine in Ethiopia. To cut the rhythm tracks for the charity single "We Are the World", Jones booked Lion Share Studios in Los Angeles, the old ABC/Dunhill studio where Rufus first recorded, and Jones called JR to cover drums. JR joined bassist Johnson and keyboardist Phillinganes to learn the song from Richie and Jackson with everyone gathered around the piano. JR recalls that when it was time to push the record button, the various industry executives and media people were making too much noise, ruining the vibe, and Jones asked JR to clear them out. JR shouted, "Everyone, get the fuck out, let us record first and then you all can come back in!" Which is exactly what happened. In November 1985, JR was in New York City recording songs for George Benson's While the City Sleeps... album. JR's drum fill on "Higher Love" was originally just JR playing around between songs, hitting rimshots on his vintage brass Ludwig Black Beauty snare to sound like a Latin timbale. Winwood and Titelman were very happy with the result, and the drum fill was used to open the album. After the song hit number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1986, the pattern was so famous that JR put it on his answering machine to let callers know they had reached the right man.

1990s

JR was present for a handful of jazz dates with Herbie Hancock, Jeff Lorber and George Benson in the '80s, and in the 1990s he picked up more jazz work. Quincy Jones used JR on the album Q's Jook Joint which rose to number 1 on the jazz charts. Jazz pianist David Benoit employed JR on his 1991 album Shadows. English composer Mike Oldfield picked JR for one track on his album Tubular Bells II (1993). With JR on six tracks, Lorber's album Worth Waiting For rose to number 1 on the Contemporary Jazz chart in 1993. Lorber used JR again on West Side Stories in 1994, reaching number 5 on the same chart.

Mexican singer Luis Miguel decided to record an album in Los Angeles under the Warner umbrella, and JR was chosen as drummer on the project titled 20 Años. Two singles from the album rose to number 1 on the US Hot Latin Songs chart: "Entrégate" and "Tengo Todo Excepto a Ti", both in 1990. British singer-songwriter Seal used four drummers including JR on his 1991 album Seal. The song "Crazy" with JR on drums hit number 7 on the Hot 100. English singer Rod Stewart used JR for his song "Rhythm of My Heart", rising to number 5 on the Hot 100 in 1991. Canadian guitarist Robbie Robertson used JR for two songs on his album Storyville (1991) and again on 1994's Music for The Native Americans. Titelman brought JR into the Michael McDonald album Blink of an Eye (1993). In 1995, JR toured with English guitarist Peter Frampton, recording the concerts to create the live album Frampton Comes Alive! II. JR has participated annually in Celebrity Fight Night, a charity event held in Arizona to benefit the Muhammad Ali Parkinson Center at Barrow Neurological Institute. The event has been under the musical direction of David Foster since 1999. JR backed Barbra Streisand in 1999–2000 on her Timeless tour. JR also played on his next album, Unleashed (2002). In 2006–07, JR joined television composer Mike Post in the band L.A. Blues Alliance, made up of local session musicians. The band released the blues album What a Life in May 2007. JR helped celebrate the 75th birthday of Quincy Jones in Montreux, Switzerland, in July 2008. A video album was made of the party, Quincy Jones: The 75th Birthday Celebration – Live at Montreux. JR backed a wide range of vocalists with a band consisting of himself, keyboardists Greg Phillinganes and David Delhomme, guitarist Paul Jackson Jr., bassist Nathan East, and percussionist Paulinho da Costa. Seal used JR on his cover of "Stand By Me" in 2008. Starting in 2010, JR toured with David Foster, JR said that some of the songs on that project had multiple drummers contributing separately, such as the song "Giorgio by Moroder" which used Omar Hakim in New York and JR in Los Angeles. The same year, Oldfield relied on JR for the 2012 Summer Olympics opening ceremony.

Solo work

JR formed the short-lived band Bridge 2 Far (1989) with singer Mark Williamson, and again with Williamson in the trio TRW with guitarist Michael Thompson. TRW released the album Rivers of Paradise on Frontiers Records in 2007. With the band Native Son, JR released Son Talk in 2011 on the label King Japan. Native Son is Thompson (guitar), JR (drums), Bobby Watson (sax) and Mo Pleasure (bass). JR hosts the "Vinyl Night" radio show at EnterTalk Radio.

Film and television JR has played drums for many film scores, always following a pre-written chart. He said that film work is the most challenging, as it requires a higher degree of concentration and focus.

Drum equipment

Around 1979 through the efforts of Chicago drummer Danny Seraphine, Slingerland Drum Company picked up JR as an endorser. He said he preferred double-headed tom drums for their responsiveness, but played with single heads when a recording project required it. In 1990–91, JR helped test the first Axis Percussion kick drum pedals.

Zildjian's longtime artist relations man, Lenny DiMuzio, signed JR around 1980. of Paiste cymbals signed JR to an endorsement deal in March 2006, collaborating with JR to develop the 24-inch Masters Deep Ride cymbal, and the 24-inch "Signature Groove" Swish Ride cymbal, made from Paiste's 2002-series CuSn8 bronze copper alloy containing 8% tin, unfinished underneath for complexity. In October of 2024 JR started endorsing Istanbul Mehmet cymbals.

In 2007, Yamaha produced another JR Signature snare, this one made of birch with bird's eye maple on the outer surface. It was 6.5×14 in size, again with copper nails around the bearing edge, to thicken the sound. The video was named DVD of the Year by Modern Drummer.

Billboard Hot 100 singles JR played drums on these songs that appeared on the Billboard Hot 100 chart:

Partial discography With Rufus Numbers Masterjam Party 'Til You're Broke Camouflage Seal in Red Stompin' at the Savoy – Live – (1983 Grammy win for "Ain't Nobody")

As sideman Patti Austin (Every Home Should Have One – "Baby, Come to Me", Patti Austin, The Real Me) Anita Baker (Rapture – "No One in the World") David Benoit (Shadows, Inner Motion) George Benson (Give Me the Night, While the City Sleeps...) Rubén Blades (Nothing But the Truth) Laura Branigan (Self Control) The Brothers Johnson (Light Up the Night – “Stomp!”, Winners, – “The Real Thing”) Peabo Bryson ("I Get Nervous" on Straight from the Heart) Larry Carlton (On Solid Ground, Last Nite) Karen Carpenter (Karen Carpenter) Peter Cetera ("One Good Woman") Steven Curtis Chapman (Heaven in the Real World) Christopher Cross ("Every Turn of the World") Eric Clapton ("Change the World") Julien Clerc (Si j'étais elle) Natalie Cole (Stardust) Daft Punk (Random Access Memories) DeBarge (Rhythm of the Night) Ned Doheny (Life After Romance) El DeBarge (El DeBarge) Dennis Edwards (Coolin' Out) Agnetha Fältskog (I Stand Alone) John Fogerty (Eye of the Zombie, Centerfield) David Foster (Hit Man: David Foster & Friends) Kenny G ("Silver Bells" on Miracles: The Holiday Album) Siedah Garrett (Kiss of Life) Herbie Hancock (Magic Windows, Lite Me Up) Jennifer Love Hewitt (Let's Go Bang) Jennifer Holliday (Get Close to My Love) Julio Iglesias (Libra) James Ingram ("Right Back" on Never Felt So Good, It's Your Night) Michael Jackson (Off the Wall, Bad) Paul Jackson Jr. (Out of the Shadows) Al Jarreau (My Old Friend: Celebrating George Duke) Quincy Jones (The Dude, Back on the Block, Q's Jook Joint, From Q With Love) Rickie Lee Jones (Flying Cowboys) Chaka Khan (I Feel for You) Kahoru Kohiruimaki (Call My Name) Bill LaBounty (The Right Direction) Josh Leo (Rockin' on 6th) Jeff Lorber (It's a Fact, Worth Waiting For, West Side Stories) Michael McDonald (Blink of an Eye) Madonna (Like a Prayer – "Express Yourself") The Manhattan Transfer (Bodies and Souls) Sergio Mendes (Confetti) Luis Miguel (Busca una Mujer, 20 Años, Aries, Segundo Romance, Mis Romances, 33, Navidades) Robbie Nevil (A Place Like This) Mike Oldfield (Tubular Bells II, "Man on the Rocks") David Pack (The Songs of West Side Story) Greg Phillinganes (Pulse) Pointer Sisters (Black & White – "Slow Hand", So Excited! – "I'm So Excited", Break Out) Art Porter, Jr. (Straight to the Point, Undercover) Barbra Streisand ("Timeless" tour) Donna Summer (Donna Summer) Bonnie Raitt (Nine Lives) Helen Reddy (Imagination) Lionel Richie (Lionel Richie, Can't Slow Down – "All Night Long (All Night)”, Dancing on the Ceiling – "Dancing on the Ceiling", "Say You, Say Me") David Lee Roth ("Just a Gigolo", "California Girls") Patrice Rushen (Watch Out) Buffy Sainte-Marie (Coincidence and Likely Stories) Boz Scaggs (Other Roads) Seal (Seal) Vonda Shepard (Vonda Shepard) Lisa Stansfield (Seven) Rod Stewart (Vagabond Heart – "Rhythm of My Heart") Curtis Stigers (Curtis Stigers, Time Was) George Strait (Pure Country) Kathy Troccoli (Kathy Troccoli) USA for Africa (We Are the World – "We Are the World") Sadao Watanabe (Maisha, Birds of Passage, Front Seat) Wilson Phillips (Wilson Phillips – "Hold On", "Release Me", "You're in Love") Steve Winwood (Back in the High Life – "Back in the High Life Again", "The Finer Things", "Higher Love", Roll with It) Eikichi Yazawa (the Name is ...) Yutaka Yokokura (Yutaka) Yumi Matsutoya (1987"Before The Diamond Dust Fades"～2013"POP CLASSICO") Mari Hamada (1996"Persona")