Robbin Crosby

Robbinson Lantz Crosby (August 4, 1959 – June 6, 2002) was an American guitarist who was a member of glam metal band Ratt, earning several platinum albums in the US in the 1980s. Crosby died in 2002 from complications from AIDS subsequent to a heroin overdose.

Early life Crosby was born in La Jolla, California, and had two sisters, Ristin and Bronle. His father, Harry W. Crosby, was a high school science teacher who later became a professional photographer. Robbin attended Bird Rock Elementary, Muirlands Junior High and La Jolla High School, graduating in June 1976. He previously played baseball prior to shifting his focus to the guitar.

Career

Before Ratt In the late 1970s, Crosby played in several San Diego bands. From 1977–78 he played in Phenomenon, recording a single "The Final Word," which was written by Crosby. It was released in 1980. Phenomenon also featured future Warrior member Parramore McCarty. While playing with Phenomenon, he took lessons from Thom Beebe, described as "a monster player in the Blackmore vein." After Phenomenon folded, Crosby and the drummer from Phenomenon began playing with Metropolis from 1978–1979, playing popular Judas Priest and Robin Trower songs on the La Jolla Beach Circuit. Metropolis didn't last long, and, in 1979, Crosby teamed up with former members of Phenomenon and Metropolis to create a new band, Secret Service. Crosby moved to Manhattan Beach, California, in 1979, living with his girlfriend Tawny Kitaen. The band was short lived and, in 1980, Crosby was in a band Aircraft. The same year he also recorded a live demo with the band Aircraft, which also featured Rob Lamothe, later in Riverdogs with Dio/Whitesnake/Def Leppard guitarist Vivian Campbell. In 1981, Aircraft changed its name to Mac Meda, which Crosby's brother-in-law managed. They recorded six songs on Vulture record label sometime in 1981, but the songs didn't help them launch a career. However, the move to the Los Angeles area provided Mac Meda with access to a vibrant club scene, which they soon became a part of, even playing the famed Troubadour (West Hollywood, California) on May 7, 1981.

With Ratt Crosby was one of the original members of the San Diego rock band Mickey Ratt, later to be rechristened simply Ratt. He would end up co-writing many of Ratt's songs, including "Round and Round", "Wanted Man" and "Lay It Down". The album Out of the Cellar went to triple platinum based on "Round and Round".

Crosby was dating actress Tawny Kitaen at the time he joined Ratt, and she appears on the album covers of both the Ratt EP (1983) and Out of the Cellar (1984). Crosby and Kitaen broke up in 1984 after a six-year relationship.

In the coming years, Crosby would buy a home in the Hollywood Hills of Los Angeles. In 1986, he started dating Playboy Playmate Laurie Carr, with the two later marrying in 1987. His style was at odds with shredding style of fellow Ratt guitarist Warren DeMartini, but their two styles also complemented each other, differentiating Ratt from other west coast glam metal bands. Feeling "overshadowed" by DeMartini, Crosby began "self-medicating with drugs and alcohol," which led to a crippling heroin addiction. Pearcy remembered that they later started finding guns and heroin needles after doing music videos, while Blotzer said "we were scared, and sad". Crosby still appeared on Detonator despite his time in rehab. During his Detonator rehab stint, Crosby was upset that his Ratt bandmates didn't bother to visit him, despite living near the clinic in Los Angeles. The Behind the Music episode didn't air until 2006, due to undisclosed legal issues, and Crosby remained out of the media spotlight throughout the 1990s. In 2020, Tawny Kitaen described this facility as a "retirement home" and said Crosby was put there since the beds at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center could not accommodate his large size. On June 18, 2001, Crosby had an MRI scan at the facility, which helped determine roughly how long he had to live. In 2001, Crosby said he hadn't heard Collage, or Ratt's 1999 self-titled album, which was their first entirely new studio album since Detonator. By the beginning of 2002, Crosby had been clean for nearly two years,

According to an autopsy report after his death, Crosby was and weighed .

Discography

With Ratt Ratt EP (1983) Out of the Cellar (1984) Invasion of Your Privacy (1985) Dancing Undercover (1986) Reach for the Sky (1988) Detonator (1990) Collage (1997)

Greatest hits albums Ratt & Roll 81-91 (1991) Metal Hits (2003) Tell the World: The Very Best of Ratt (2007)

With Jon Bon Jovi Blaze of Glory (1990)

With Rumbledog Rumbledog (1993)