Cock Robin (band)
| Company type | Band |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 1982 in San Francisco, United States |
| Founder | Peter Kingsbery |
| Defunct | 1990 |
| Fate | Reunited in 2006 |
| Headquarters | San Francisco , United States |
Area served | Europe, United States, South Africa |
Key people | Peter Kingsbery, Anna LaCazio, Coralie Vuillemin |
| Products | Music albums, singles |
| Website | https://www.muzivox.com/cock-robin |
Cock Robin is a pop rock group from the United States that gained notable recognition during the 1980s, particularly throughout mainland Europe, with chart-topping tracks such as "The Promise You Made". Established in 1982 by vocalist and songwriter Peter Kingsbery, the band dissolved in 1990 before reuniting in 2006. Their prominent singles include "When Your Heart Is Weak", "Just Around the Corner", "Thought You Were on My Side", "Every Moment", and "El Norte".
1985–1990: Rise to prominence in Europe
Drawing its name from a tale dating back to the 17th century, this San Francisco-originated ensemble secured a contract with CBS Records. Their first album, produced by Steve Hillage, was released in 1985. Although it saw modest success in the United States, it resonated strongly with audiences across Europe—especially in countries like Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, and the Netherlands. Singles such as "When Your Heart Is Weak," "The Promise You Made", and "Thought You Were on My Side" achieved significant chart positions, with the latter two reaching number one and number four respectively in Flanders, Belgium. Additionally, "When Your Heart Is Weak" peaked at number 35 on U.S. charts and found a following in South Africa.
By 1987, the band had streamlined into a duo consisting of Kingsbery and Anna LaCazio. Their sophomore album, After Here Through Midland, produced by Don Gehman, attained top-five chart placements throughout continental Europe. Tracks like "Just Around the Corner", "The Biggest Fool of All", and "El Norte" enjoyed widespread airplay from Scandinavia down to Italy.
The group's third album, First Love/Last Rites, came out in 1989 under the production of Roxy Music's Rhett Davies. It maintained solid sales figures across Europe—particularly in France—but failed to penetrate the American market.
On April 30, 1990, during their European tour, Cock Robin captured a live performance on VHS at Paris’s Grand Rex theatre titled 'Cock Robin Live in Concert'. Soon after this event, Kingsbery and LaCazio separated professionally. Kingsbery embarked on a solo career based in France, releasing three albums in English and one in French—including a Top 10 single titled "Only the Very Best," an English adaptation of a song by Daniel Balavoine linked to the musical Starmania with lyrics by Tim Rice. Meanwhile, LaCazio recorded her solo album Eat Life around 1992–93; it was officially made available as a digital download only in 2009.
Recent developments
On June 20, 2012, Peter Kingsbery announced through Cock Robin’s official website that plans were underway for a new tour and album scheduled for summer 2013.
In October of that year, a remix of Cock Robin’s track "Extraordinary Thing" by Umpff was featured on Mabel the Label's Mixtape.
According to the November 2015 edition of French magazine Topo, Anna LaCazio departed from Cock Robin in May 2015 following Kingsbery’s move to France; LaCazio opted to stay in the United States. Subsequently, Kingsbery introduced Coralie Vuillemin as the band's new female vocalist. The group released their sixth studio album, Chinese Driver, on March 11, 2016.
In April 2017, Cock Robin issued a five-track digital EP consisting of original songs alongside reimagined versions of Kingsbery’s solo material and Cock Robin classics, featuring fresh arrangements and vocals by both Kingsbery and Vuillemin.
With this lineup, Cock Robin has toured extensively across France, Portugal, Iceland, Belgium, The Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Luxembourg, and Denmark.
Their seventh studio album, Homo Alien, was released on September 17, 2021.
In September 2022, through Facebook announcements, the band revealed their withdrawal from the planned 2023 tour but expressed intentions to launch a new album of original songs titled Part of Your Tribe, accompanied by an autobiographical lyric book within that year.
Band members
- Peter Kingsbery: lead singer, keyboardist, bassist, guitarist
- Coralie Vuillemin: lead singer, keyboard player, percussionist
- Didier Strub: drummer, backing vocalist
Former members
- Anna LaCazio: lead singer, keyboardist, percussionist (1982–1990, 2006–2015)
- Clive Wright: guitarist (1982–1988)
- Lou Molino III: drummer, percussionist, backing vocalist (1982–1987)
Additional contributors
- Stéphane Bonacci: guitarist
- Pat Mastelotto: drummer, percussionist
- Tris Imboden: drummer
- Hervé Koster: drummer
- Corky James: guitarist
- John Pierce: bassist
- Lise Anderson: keyboardist, backing vocalist
Discography
- Cock Robin (1985)
- After Here Through Midland (1987)
- First Love/Last Rites (1989)
- I Don't Want to Save the World (2006)
- Songs from a Bell Tower (2010)
- Chinese Driver (2016)
- Homo Alien (2021)
External links
- https://www.muzivox.com/cock-robin
- Official Facebook page [1]
- Archived international forum dedicated to Cock Robin