Alvin Robinson

Rhythm & Blues vocalist and guitarist Alvin Robinson – nicknamed Shine - was born on December 22, 1937 in New Orleans, Louisiana. Growing up in New Orleans, Robinson established himself as a supreme session musician, eventually playing guitar with many of the city’s most iconic musicians including Professor Longhair, Dr. John, Allen Toussaint, Big Joe Turner, Harold Battiste and many others. Robinson released his solo single, “I’m Leaving You Today”, in 1961 on the Imperial Records label. After a series of singles on Imperial and Post, he then signed with Tiger Records, a label started by legendary songwriters Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. He released the 1964 single “Something You Got”, which became a hit and climbed to Number 52 on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles chart. When Leiber and Stoller moved their attention to Red Bird Records, Robinson followed suit and released the single “Down Home Girl”. He continued to issue singles throughout the rest of the decade, juggling his solo career with his in-demand session work. Some of his studio work in the 1970s included albums with his New Orleans contemporaries as well as Carly Simon and Ringo Starr. While he never released a full length album, some of his recordings were collected in 2009 on a 10” mini album entitled An Introduction to Alvin ‘Shine’ Robinson. Alvin Robinson died on January 24, 1989 at the age of 51.

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