Robin Wilson (born July 12, 1965) is an American musician most notable for his work as the lead vocalist of the

alternative rock Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from Popular culture, mainstre ...

band

Gin Blossoms Gin Blossoms is an American alternative rock band formed in 1987 in Tempe, Arizona, Tempe, Arizona. They rose to prominence following the 1992 release of their first major label album, ''New Miserable Experience'', and the first single released ...

Career

Wilson replaced Richard Taylor as guitarist of Gin Blossoms in 1988, but switched places early on with vocalist

Jesse Valenzuela Jesse Valenzuela (born May 22, 1962) is an American rock musician and singer who is perhaps best known as a member of the alternative rock band Gin Blossoms. Valenzuela was originally the vocalist in Gin Blossoms when the band first formed in ...

. He remained a member of the band until its breakup in 1997; prior to the breakup, the band came out with two albums. The band's hit debut album ''

New Miserable Experience ''New Miserable Experience'' is the second studio album by alternative rock band Gin Blossoms, released on August 4, 1992. The album was released to little fanfare and relatively lackluster reviews. However, nearly a year after its release the l ...

'' went quadruple platinum and featured singles "

Hey Jealousy "Hey Jealousy" is a song by American rock band Gin Blossoms. The song was included on the group's debut album, '' Dusted'' (1989), and was re-recorded on their breakthrough 1992 album, ''New Miserable Experience''. It was written by lead guitar ...

", "

Found Out About You "Found Out About You" is the fourth single from American rock band Gin Blossoms' second studio album, ''New Miserable Experience'' (1992). Written by lead guitarist Doug Hopkins, who was fired from the band after the album, it first appeared on ...

", "Mrs. Rita", " Until I Fall Away", and Wilson's "

Allison Road "Allison Road" is a song by the American alternative rock band Gin Blossoms. Background In 1989, Robin Wilson passed by a sign on his way to El Paso that read "Next Exit Allison Road." The friend with whom he was riding had a sister named Alli ...

". The band's next album, ''

Congratulations I'm Sorry ''Congratulations I'm Sorry'' (typeset as ''Congratulations...I'm Sorry'') is the third studio album by the American alternative rock band Gin Blossoms, and the follow-up album to the successful 1992 release ''New Miserable Experience'', released ...

'', which went platinum, featured singles " Follow You Down", "As Long as It Matters", "Not Only Numb", and "Day Job", as well as Wilson's "Highwire". After the breakup of Gin Blossoms, Wilson was the lead vocalist and songwriter for the band

Gas Giants A gas giant is a giant planet composed mainly of hydrogen and helium. Gas giants are also called failed stars because they contain the same basic elements as a star. Jupiter and Saturn are the gas giants of the Solar System. The term "gas giant ...

, which also included guitarist Dan Henzerling and former Gin Blossoms drummer Phil Rhodes. He also contributed vocals for

The Longshadows The Longshadows were a musical collaboration between Gin Blossoms Gin Blossoms is an American alternative rock band formed in 1987 in Tempe, Arizona, Tempe, Arizona. They rose to prominence following the 1992 release of their first major label ...

album ''Simple Minded Way''. In 1995, Robin Wilson had an idea for an animated TV series called The Poppin' Wheelies: a teenage rock & roll band with a magical guitar travels through outer space while being chased by an evil witch's minion new wave band, the Techno-pops, who try to retrieve the enchanted instrument. While the animated series was worked on, it was never released, however, the supporting music was released in November 2000 in an album of the same name
"The Poppin' Wheelies"
When the Gin Blossoms reunited in 2002, Wilson began touring with the band as well as recording the album ''Major Lodge Victory''. Released on August 8, 2006, the album featured the singles "

Learning the Hard Way "Learning the Hard Way" is a song by American power pop band Gin Blossoms, and was the lead-off single from their fourth album ''Major Lodge Victory''. It was promoted late summer and fall of 2006, and received heavy AAA airplay. Gin Blossoms al ...

" and "Long Time Gone". Wilson ran his own studio, Uranus Recording in

Tempe, Arizona , settlement_type = City , named_for = Vale of Tempe , image_skyline = Tempeskyline3.jpg , imagesize = 260px , image_caption = Tempe skyline as se ...

, which he opened in 1994 until its closing in 2015. Wilson has served as an occasional lead singer for

The Smithereens The Smithereens are an American rock band from Carteret, New Jersey, United States. The group formed in 1980 with members Pat DiNizio (vocals & guitar), Jim Babjak (guitar & vocals), Mike Mesaros (bass guitar & vocals), and Dennis Diken (drums & ...

since the 2017 death of lead singer

Pat DiNizio Patrick Michael DiNizio (October 12, 1955 – December 12, 2017) was the lead singer, songwriter, and founding member of the band The Smithereens, which he formed in 1980 with Jim Babjak, Dennis Diken, and Mike Mesaros, from Carteret, New Jersey ...

Personal life

Wilson grew up in

Tempe, Arizona , settlement_type = City , named_for = Vale of Tempe , image_skyline = Tempeskyline3.jpg , imagesize = 260px , image_caption = Tempe skyline as se ...

. Wilson graduated from

McClintock High School McClintock High School is a high school located in Tempe, Arizona, approximately two miles southeast of the campus of Arizona State University. McClintock High School was established in 1964. The school was named after James H. McClintock. McCli ...

Tempe, Arizona , settlement_type = City , named_for = Vale of Tempe , image_skyline = Tempeskyline3.jpg , imagesize = 260px , image_caption = Tempe skyline as se ...

. He attended

Mesa Community College Mesa Community College (MCC) is a public community college in Mesa, Arizona. It is the largest of the 10 community colleges in the Maricopa County Community College District, the largest community college district in the United States in ter ...

, where his father was a professor, from 1983 to 1988, majoring in planetary science, although he did not graduate.He currently lives on

Long Island Long Island is a densely populated island in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, part of the New York metropolitan area. With over 8 million people, Long Island is the most populous island in the United Sta ...

, New York.

References

External links

AllMusic profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wilson, Robin Living people 1965 births 20th-century American guitarists Alternative rock singers Alternative rock guitarists American male guitarists American male singer-songwriters American alternative rock musicians Gin Blossoms members Guitarists from Arizona Guitarists from Michigan Singer-songwriters from Michigan Singer-songwriters from Arizona