Robin McNamara Wiki – Robin McNamara Biography
Robin McNamara, a struggling New York singer-songwriter in the late 1960s who answered a casting call for a new show called Hair and landed a starring role with the replacement cast in Broadway, died on October 21. He was 74 years old.
In addition to his career as HairClaude From 1969 to 1971 (he replaced the original James Rado, who also wrote the book and the lyrics for the musical), McNamara had a huge radio hit during the summer of 1970 titled “Lay a Little Lovin ‘on Me”, an animated, flashy pop tune with instantly memorable chorus “Put a little love on me / Put a little love on me / A-darling, damn, I depend on him / So put a little love on me!”
McNamara’s only hit was co-written with his songwriting partner Jim Cretecos and record producer Jeff Barry, who had signed the Hair star of his record label Steed. The upbeat tune had reached number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the late summer of 1970, and also charted in Canada and Australia.
Born and raised in Newton, Massachusetts, McNamara would later recall being inspired by the first wave of rock & roll pioneers he heard on the radio. “In tenth grade, a couple of friends of mine were playing guitar and they asked me if I wanted to sing in a band,” he said in an interview on his website. “It was 1963 and I loved Roy Orbison, so [we did] some of [his] material; we also did a lot of Buddy Holly stuff. ”
“I was one of the first to grow my hair long in those days,” he continued, “and I got kicked out of high school a couple of times because my hair grew too long. I never cut it on my own; I’d wait for them to tell me to cut it off, or they’d kick me out again, which they would do periodically! Every time they did [the band] got free publicity from all Boston newspapers, radio, and television. My parents were so cool about the whole thing while I graduated, so every time after a few days I would get a little haircut, [just] acceptable enough to re-enter. I remember we had a protest with more than 500 children at school one day, all chanting in unison: ‘Leave it long! Let it grow!'”
Her long hair would come in handy after her move to New York. Initially hired as a member of the Hair Chorus, McNamara then went on to briefly play the role of Woof before taking on the role of Claude’s co-star.
In the same interview, McNamara recalled simultaneously working on Broadway and touring to support his hit pop song.
“It was a lot of fun,” he said. “I got to work with some really nice people along the way. One night I shared the bill with John Denver and Albert King in El Paso, Texas, what a unique combination that was. After the show, we were all invited to cross the border into Juárez. I will never forget the three of us sitting there drinking XXX beer and listening to a Spanish band play ‘Spinning Wheel’. What a fun time we had. Lots of laughter. ”
McNamara continued to record and perform in later years, often with other old acts and on profits.
Robin McNamara Cause of Death
McNamara died on October 21, 2021, at the age of 74. His death was announced today in his official website, although additional details were scarce.
“On October 21, 2021, Robin McNamara earned his angel wings,” reads a statement on the page. “This Gentile of Gentile souls died before his beloved wife, Suzie, who departed from the earthly plane on May 16, 2018. Robin and Suzie are now reunited for all eternity. We will miss Robin very much, for his talents but especially for his kind and loving spirit. ”
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