Roland Kent LaVoie (born July 31, 1943), better known by his stage name Lobo (which is a Spanish word for
wolf
The wolf (''Canis lupus''; : wolves), also known as the gray wolf or grey wolf, is a large canine native to Eurasia and North America. More than thirty subspecies of ''Canis lupus'' have been recognized, and gray wolves, as popularly u ...
), is an American singer-songwriter who was successful in the 1970s, scoring several U.S. Top 10 hits including "
Me and You and a Dog Named Boo", "
I'd Love You to Want Me
"I'd Love You to Want Me" is a song by American singer-songwriter Lobo. It was released in September 1972 as the second single from his second album '' Of a Simple Man''.
The song was Lobo's highest charting hit on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 c ...
", and "
Don't Expect Me to Be Your Friend".
These three songs, along with "
Where Were You When I Was Falling in Love", gave Lobo four chart toppers on the
Easy Listening/Hot Adult Contemporary chart.
Career
1961–1970: Early years
Born in
Tallahassee, Florida
Tallahassee ( ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat and only incorporated municipality in Leon County, Florida, Leon County. Tallahassee became the capital of Florida, then the Florida Territory, in 1824. In ...
, LaVoie was raised by his mother in
Winter Haven, Florida
Winter Haven is a city in Polk County, Florida, United States. It is fifty-one miles east of Tampa. The population was 49,219 at the 2020 census. According to the U.S. Census Bureau's 2019 estimates, this city had a population of 44,955, making ...
, with his six siblings. He began his musical career in 1961 as a member of a local band, The Rumours. The band included
Gram Parsons
Ingram Cecil Connor III (November 5, 1946 – September 19, 1973) who was known professionally as Gram Parsons, was an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, and pianist who recorded as a solo artist and with the International Submarine Band, ...
and
Jim Stafford
James Wayne Stafford (born January 16, 1944) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and comedian. While prominent in the 1970s for his recordings " Spiders & Snakes", "Swamp Witch", "Under the Scotsman's Kilt", " My Girl Bill", and " Wildw ...
, as well as drummer Jon Corneal, who later joined Parsons's
International Submarine Band
The International Submarine Band (ISB) was a country-rock band formed by Gram Parsons in 1965, while a theology student at Harvard University and John Nuese, a guitar player for local rock group, The Trolls. Nuese is credited with having persuad ...
.
In 1964, while attending the
University of South Florida
The University of South Florida (USF) is a public research university with its main campus located in Tampa, Florida, and other campuses in St. Petersburg and Sarasota. It is one of 12 members of the State University System of Florida. USF is ...
, LaVoie joined a band called the Sugar Beats and met producer
Phil Gernhard
Phillip Arnold Gernhard (February 5, 1940 – February 22, 2008) was an American record producer, record label executive, and songwriter. He is best known for his successful collaborations in the 1960s and 1970s with Maurice Williams and the Zod ...
. He recorded a regional hit for the band, a cover of
Johnny Rivers
Johnny Rivers (born John Henry Ramistella; November 7, 1942) is an American musician. His repertoire includes pop, folk, blues, and old-time rock 'n' roll. Rivers charted during the 1960s and 1970s but remains best known for a string of hit sing ...
's song, "What Am I Doing Here?"
During the 1960s, LaVoie performed with many other bands, including US Male, The Uglies, and Me and the Other Guys. It was in the latter band that he met musician Billy Aerts, who became a member of Lobo's touring band in the early 1970s and produced Lobo's comeback album in 1989.
Again working with Gernhard, his first solo record was released in 1969 on
Laurie Records
Laurie Records was a record label established in New York City in 1958 by brothers Robert and Gene Schwartz, and Allan I. Sussel. Among the recording artists on Laurie's roster were Dion and the Belmonts (both together and as separate acts), ...
. It included the original tracks "Happy Days in New York City" backed with "My Friend Is Here".
1971–1975: Success with Big Tree
By 1971, LaVoie had started calling himself Lobo (Spanish for
wolf
The wolf (''Canis lupus''; : wolves), also known as the gray wolf or grey wolf, is a large canine native to Eurasia and North America. More than thirty subspecies of ''Canis lupus'' have been recognized, and gray wolves, as popularly u ...
). Gernhard was an executive for
Big Tree Records
Big Tree Records was a record label founded by Doug Morris in 1970. It was best known for releases by Lobo, England Dan & John Ford Coley, Brownsville Station, Johnny Rivers, Dave and Ansel Collins, Canadian band April Wine, and British R&B ...
, and the company released his first single, "
Me and You and a Dog Named Boo", in March 1971. The first major hit for the label, it reached No. 5 in the US and No. 4 in the UK by May, launching a successful series of singles. It sold over one million copies and was awarded a
gold disc
Music recording certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped, sold, or streamed a certain number of units. The threshold quantity varies by type (such as album, single, music video) and by nation or territory (see ...
in September 1971.
His debut album, ''Introducing Lobo'', came in May 1971. In June his second single, "She Didn't Do Magic", was released. In September, "California Kid and Reemo" was released, followed by ''The Albatross''. When Big Tree Records merged with
Bell Records
Bell Records was an American record label founded in 1952 in New York City by Arthur Shimkin, the owner of the children's record label Golden Records, and initially a unit of Pocket Books, after the rights to the name were acquired from Benny ...
, Lobo's second project album ''Close Up'' was never released.
Under the Lobo alias, he then released ''Of a Simple Man'' in 1972, which included back-to-back U.S. Top 10 hits, including "
I'd Love You to Want Me
"I'd Love You to Want Me" is a song by American singer-songwriter Lobo. It was released in September 1972 as the second single from his second album '' Of a Simple Man''.
The song was Lobo's highest charting hit on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 c ...
" (No. 2, November 18–25, 1972) and "
Don't Expect Me to Be Your Friend" (No. 8, February 17–24, 1973). The former became Lobo's biggest hit, a million-seller gaining gold disc status in November 1972
and internationally reaching No. 1 in Germany in December 1973 and No. 5 in the United Kingdom in July 1974.
With the release of ''Calumet'' in 1973, Lobo had three more
Top 40
In the music industry, the Top 40 is the current, 40 most-popular songs in a particular genre. It is the best-selling or most frequently broadcast popular music. Record charts have traditionally consisted of a total of 40 songs. "Top 40" or " con ...
hits: "It Sure Took a Long, Long Time", "
How Can I Tell Her
"How Can I Tell Her" is a song by American singer-songwriter Lobo, from his third studio album ''Calumet''. The song reached No. 22 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and No. 4 on the Adult Contemporary chart
The Adult Contemporary chart is pub ...
", and "Standing at the End of the Line". He made an appearance on ''
American Bandstand
''American Bandstand'', abbreviated ''AB'', is an American music-performance and dance television program that aired in various versions from 1952 to 1989, and was hosted from 1956 until its final season by Dick Clark, who also served as the pro ...
'' that year. There were two further minor hit singles from the album: "There Ain't No Way" and "Love Me for What I Am".
In June 1974 Lobo's fourth album, ''Just a Singer'', was released. It was the first album by Lobo to contain tracks not written by him. The only single from the album was "Rings". "Don't Tell Me Goodnight" in 1975 became his last Top 30 single for Big Tree. Lobo also released the album, ''A Cowboy Afraid of Horses'', with "Would I Still Have You" released as a single. The label followed it up with a compilation album that year entitled ''The Best of Lobo''.
1976–1985: Curb Records, and move to Nashville
In 1976 Lobo broke away from Big Tree, releasing the album ''Come with Me'' in Europe on the
Philips
Koninklijke Philips N.V. (), commonly shortened to Philips, is a Dutch multinational conglomerate corporation that was founded in Eindhoven in 1891. Since 1997, it has been mostly headquartered in Amsterdam, though the Benelux headquarters i ...
label. "At First Sight" and "It's Everywhere" were the singles. Neither was released in the US.
Lobo signed with
Curb Records
Curb Records (also known as Asylum-Curb and formerly known as MCG Curb) is an American record label started by Mike Curb, originally as Sidewalk Records in 1963. From 1969 to 1973, Curb merged with MGM Records where Curb served as President of ...
in 1977, releasing the single "Afterglow", co-produced by Lobo and Gernhard, and in 1978 "You Are All I'll Ever Need". No full-length album materialized from these sessions.
In 1979 Lobo was signed to Curb/
MCA Records
MCA Records was an American record label owned by MCA Inc., which later became part of Universal Music Group.
Pre-history
MCA Inc., a powerful talent agency and a television production company, entered the recorded music business in 1962 wit ...
, where he worked with producer
Bob Montgomery, releasing the single "Where Were You When I Was Falling in Love", which reached No. 23. The song also reached No. 1 on the Adult Contemporary chart. He also released his first US album in four years, ''Lobo''. Other singles for Curb were "Holding On for Dear Love", "With a Love Like Ours", and "Fight Fire with Fire".
Reportedly dissatisfied with the production of his records, Lobo sought a release from his Curb contract. He moved to
Nashville
Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and the ...
and, in 1981, started his
own label
A private label, also called a private brand or private-label brand, is a brand owned by a company, offered by that company alongside and competing with brands from other businesses. A private-label brand is almost always offered exclusively by th ...
, Lobo Records, releasing several singles including "I Don't Want to Want You" (written by his brother, Roger LaVoie), "Come Looking for Me", and "Living My Life Without You", all of which charted in the country charts. He also released "Bull Smith Can't Dance the Cotton Eye Joe" with the group Wolfpack, which included Narvel Felts and Kenny Earl.
Lobo Records was renamed Evergreen Records in 1985. The label released two of his singles: "Am I Going Crazy" and "Paint the Town Blue", the latter a duet with Robin Lee.
1987–present: Asian popularity and recent years
Although he is far less followed now in the United States, Lobo's popularity grew in Asia, fanned by the release of his
greatest hits
A greatest hits album or best-of album is a type of compilation album that collects popular and commercially successful songs by a particular artist or band. While greatest hits albums are typically supported by the artist, they can also be crea ...
compilations in 1987 and 1988. This encouraged him to release in 1989 his first new album in 10 years, entitled ''Am I Going Crazy''. It was recorded in
Taiwan
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...
on UFO/WEA Records and was produced by Billy Aerts. He signed a multi-album deal with PonyCanyon Records in Singapore, and in 1994 released ''Asian Moon'', repackaging some of the tracks from ''Am I Going Crazy'' along with newly recorded material. His follow-up album ''Classic Hits'' in 1995 were re-recordings of Lobo hits and some
cover version
In popular music, a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. Originally, it referred to a version of a song release ...
s. In 1996 he released the album ''Sometimes'', containing all new original songs.
On another Asian label, Springroll Entertainment, he released ''You Must Remember This'' in 1997, an album of
pop standards
Traditional pop (also known as classic pop and pre-rock and roll pop) is Western pop music that generally pre-dates the advent of rock and roll in the mid-1950s. The most popular and enduring songs from this era of music are known as pop standards ...
that was released in two formats, one with vocals and the other with instrumental tracks.
In 2000, Lobo signed with a German record company, Gmbh Entertainment, and recorded a few tracks for various hits CDs. He also co-wrote two
Christmas songs
Christmas music comprises a variety of genres of music regularly performed or heard around the Christmas season. Music associated with Christmas may be purely instrumental, or, in the case of carols or songs, may employ lyrics whose subject m ...
with Billy Aerts, "A Big Kid's Christmas" and "Late Christmas Eve", which have been released on various Christmas compilations from 2000 to present. Singles recorded during this period include "
Let It Be Me", "Who'll Stop the Rain", and "Different Drum".
In 2006, based on his Asian popularity, he toured in Southeast Asia. In 2008, Lobo released ''Out of Time'' with old favorites and some new songs. A tribute album to the original era of the early Lobo recordings was made available from the website.
Discography
Albums
Compilations
* 1975 ''The Best of Lobo'' (
Big Tree)
* 1990 ''Greatest Hits'' (
Curb
A curb (North American English), or kerb (Commonwealth English except Canada; see spelling differences), is the edge where a raised sidewalk or road median/central reservation meets a street or other roadway.
History
Although curbs have ...
)
* 1993 ''The Best of Lobo'' (
Rhino
A rhinoceros (; ; ), commonly abbreviated to rhino, is a member of any of the five extant species (or numerous extinct species) of odd-toed ungulates in the family Rhinocerotidae. (It can also refer to a member of any of the extinct species o ...
)
* 1996 ''The Best of Lobo'' (Curb)
* 1996 ''I'd Love You to Want Me'' (
Rhino
A rhinoceros (; ; ), commonly abbreviated to rhino, is a member of any of the five extant species (or numerous extinct species) of odd-toed ungulates in the family Rhinocerotidae. (It can also refer to a member of any of the extinct species o ...
)
* 1997 ''Me & You & a Dog Named Boo & Other Hits'' (Rhino)
* 2004 ''The Very Best of Lobo'' (
WEA International
Warner Music Group Corp. ( d.b.a. Warner Music Group, commonly abbreviated as WMG) is an American multinational entertainment and record label conglomerate headquartered in New York City. It is one of the " big three" recording companies and t ...
)
* 2005 ''Introducing Lobo/Of a Simple Man'' (Wounded Bird)
* 2005 ''Platinum Collection''
* 2006 ''Ultimate Collection'' (EMI) Malaysia
* 2006 ''Me & You & a Dog Named Boo & Other Hits'' (Collectables)
* 2007 ''Greatest Hits'' (Lobo Records)
Singles
US chart is Billboard unless otherwise noted. * Cash Box singles chart.
References
External links
*
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Lobo
1943 births
American male singer-songwriters
American male pop singers
American rock singers
American rock songwriters
American soft rock musicians
Bell Records artists
Big Tree Records artists
Living people
MCA Records artists
Musicians from Tallahassee, Florida
Singer-songwriters from Florida
University of South Florida alumni
20th-century American singers
21st-century American singers
20th-century American male singers
21st-century American male singers