Robert Crenshaw is an American drummer, recording artist, author, and robotics instructor/trainer. He is known primarily for his solo recordings and his years in his brother

Marshall Crenshaw Marshall Howard Crenshaw (born November 11, 1953) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and guitarist best known for hit songs such as " Someday, Someway," a US top 40 hit in 1982, " Cynical Girl," and " Whenever You're on My Mind." He ...

's band.

Biography

Early years

Crenshaw grew up outside of Detroit in

Berkley, Michigan Berkley is a city in Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is a northern suburb of Detroit located along the Woodward Corridor ( M-1) in southeastern Oakland County. The population was 15,194 as of the 2020 Census. History Prior ...

. His parents and three brothers (

Marshall Marshall may refer to: Places Australia * Marshall, Victoria, a suburb of Geelong, Victoria Canada * Marshall, Saskatchewan * The Marshall, a mountain in British Columbia Liberia * Marshall, Liberia Marshall Islands * Marshall Islands, an i ...

, Mitchell, and John) were musically inclined. He was gifted his first drums at age 9, a red Trixon set. Crenshaw's first band Rasputin included younger brothers of members of Marshall's band Astigafa. In his teens he was drummer for Denny and the Robots, an oldies band. In 1976, Crenshaw and his lifelong friend Stewart Simon studied recording engineering at the

Institute of Audio Research The Institute of Audio Research (IAR) was an educational institution in New York City. Students of IAR were offered a wide variety of academic programs in the field of music production and audio engineering. Students could choose from courses in a ...

in New York City.

Marshall Crenshaw Band

After Marshall Crenshaw finished his involvement in '' Beatlemania'', he recruited Robert as drummer for his new band, along with bassist Chris Donato. Marshall signed with Warner Brothers in 1981, and the trio recorded the album ''

''. Robert also drummed on Marshall's follow-up album '' Field Day'' in 1983, but only appeared on two tracks on '' Downtown''. He was back on drums for 1987's '' Mary Jean & 9 Others'', along with

Graham Maby Graham Maby (born 1 September 1952), is an English bass guitar player. He has recorded and toured with Joe Jackson since his first album, appearing on most of Jackson's albums and tours. He has continued to record and tour with Jackson even w ...

on bass.

Recordings

On Crenshaw's first three albums: ''Full-Length Stereo Recordings'', ''Victory Songs'' and ''Dog Days'', Crenshaw recruited Dixon,

Marti Jones Marti Jones is an American singer and visual artist known for her albums (solo and with husband Don Dixon) and her paintings. She sings, records, and performs as "Marti Jones" and exhibits visual art as "Marti Jones Dixon." Early life Marti ...

, and Jamie Hoover, among others. For 2014's ''Friends, Family, and Neighbors'', Crenshaw was assisted by his brother John, a sound mixer, producer Don Dixon, bassist Maby, and engineer Stewart Simon.

Cinema

In 1986, Robert and Marshall Crenshaw played members of the reunion band at the beginning of the film ''

Peggy Sue Got Married ''Peggy Sue Got Married'' is a 1986 American fantasy comedy-drama film directed by Francis Ford Coppola starring Kathleen Turner as a woman on the verge of a divorce, who finds herself transported back to the days of her senior year in high sch ...

''.

Memoir

In June 2019, Crenshaw published his memoir, "My Mythological Narrative A Rock Odyssey." The book chronicles Crenshaw's life and experiences including growing up in Berkley, Michigan, playing drums for brother, Marshall's band, and interactions with musicians such as Tina Turner, Joe Jackson, and Hall and Oates.

Personal life

Besides performing music whenever possible, Crenshaw is a curriculum writer and robotics instructor in the automation industry. He also wrote a

mechatronics Mechatronics engineering also called mechatronics, is an interdisciplinary branch of engineering that focuses on the integration of mechanical, electrical and electronic engineering systems, and also includes a combination of robotics, electronics, ...

curriculum.

Discography

Solo recordings

* 1999: ''Full-Length Stereo Recordings'' (Gadfly) * 2000: ''Victory Songs'' (Gadfly) * 2003: ''Dog Dreams'' (Gadfly) * 2014: ''Friends, Family, and Neighbors'' (self-released)

EPs

* 2012: ''Atheist Christmas'' (self-released)

With Marshall Crenshaw

* 1982: ''

'' (

Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. D ...

) * 1983: '' Field Day'' (Warner Bros.) * 1987: '' Downtown'' (Warner Bros.) * 1987: '' Mary Jean & 9 Others'' (Warner Bros.) * 1989: '' Good Evening'' (Warner Bros.) * 1994: '' Live …My Truck Is My Home'' (

Razor & Tie Razor & Tie was an American entertainment company that consisted of a record label and a music publishing company. It was established in 1990 by Craig Balsam and Cliff Chenfeld. Based in New York City (with additional offices in Los Angeles an ...

)

Also appears on

* 1986:

– ''Match Game'' ( A&M) * 2003:

Ronnie Spector Veronica Yvette Greenfield (; August 10, 1943 – January 12, 2022) was an American singer who co-founded and fronted the girl group The Ronettes. She is sometimes referred to as the original "bad girl of rock and roll". Ronnie formed the ...

– ''Something's Gonna Happen'' (Bad Girl Sounds)

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Crenshaw, Robert Living people American rock drummers 20th-century American drummers American male drummers 21st-century American drummers 20th-century American male musicians 21st-century American male musicians Year of birth missing (living people)