Frank Robinson (1932 – 4 July 2004) was an eccentric street entertainer in

Nottingham Nottingham ( , East Midlands English, locally ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located north-west of London, south-east ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. He was by far Nottingham's best known busker and was regularly seen around

Nottingham City Centre Nottingham city centre is the cultural, commercial, financial and historical heart of Nottingham, England. Nottingham's city centre represents the central area of the Greater Nottingham conurbation. The centre of the city is usually defin ...

for over fifteen years. His favourite busking place was outside of the C&A store in the Lister Gate area of the city. Little is known about Robinson's personal life or background. Robinson lived in

Cotgrave Cotgrave is a town and civil parish in the borough of Rushcliffe in Nottinghamshire, England, some 5 miles (8 km) south-east of central Nottingham. It perches on the South Nottinghamshire Wolds about 131 feet (40 metres) above sea level. ...

, south of Nottingham, travelling to the city each day. His real name only became widely known following his death; to the people of Nottingham and beyond, he was simply and affectionately known as the 'Xylophone Man'. Robinson played a small child's

metallophone A metallophone is any musical instrument in which the sound-producing body is a piece of metal (other than a metal string), consisting of tuned metal bars, tubes, rods, bowls, or plates. Most frequently the metal body is struck to produce sound, ...

(despite his nickname) with a limited repertoire. His seemingly random hitting of bars was a familiar noise in the city centre and, despite his lack of musical ability, his excitable and enthusiastic approach to his instrument endeared him to the Nottingham public and also earned him something of a cult following. The only interview he granted in his lifetime was with Nottingham media organisation

LeftLion ''LeftLion'' is a printed and online culture and listings magazine which covers Nottingham. It was originally set up by three childhood friends, Jared Wilson, Alan Gilby and Tim Bates, and launched as a website on 1 September 2003. The first ...

. His death in July 2004 sparked genuine mourning from many of the city's people.

BBC Radio Nottingham BBC Radio Nottingham is the Local BBC Radio, BBC's local radio station serving the county of Nottinghamshire. It broadcasts on frequency modulation, FM, Digital Audio Broadcasting, DAB, digital TV and via BBC Sounds from studios on London Road ...

placed a tributes page on its website which within hours had hundreds of messages from city's residents as well as people much further afield. On 10 November 2005, a simple memorial was unveiled outside of the store where he had been seen regularly for the past fifteen years. Paying tribute to the Xylophone Man, the plaque reads "''He played his Xylophone here for fifteen years, bringing a smile to the faces of the people of Nottingham''".

References

External links

City Council unveil Xylophone Man memorialInterview with RobinsonPoem about Robinson''Listed status bid for England's lost memorials''
BBC article with image of plaque {{DEFAULTSORT:Robinson, Frank 2004 deaths English buskers People from Nottingham 1932 births People from Cotgrave