"Rockin' Robin" (originally released as "Rock-In Robin" on the

Class Records Class Records was an American record label established in Los Angeles, California in 1951 by songwriter and record producer Leon René. Leon René and his brother Otis had previously established and run the independent rhythm and blues labels E ...

45 single) is a song written by

Leon René Leon René (February 6, 1902 – May 30, 1982) was an American music composer of pop, R&B and rock and roll songs and a record producer in the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s. He sometimes used the songwriting pseudonym Jimmy Thomas or Jimmie Thoma ...

under the pseudonym Jimmie Thomas, and recorded by

Bobby Day Robert James Byrd (July 1, 1930 – July 27, 1990), known by the stage name Bobby Day, was an American singer, multi-instrumentalist, music producer, and songwriter. He is best known for his hit record " Rockin' Robin", written by Leon René und ...

in 1958. It was Day's biggest hit single, becoming a number two hit on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, and spent one week at the top of the R&B sales chart.

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over a ...

recorded his own version of the song in 1972, which also achieved success.

Personnel

*Bobby Day – vocals *

Plas Johnson Plas John Johnson Jr. (born July 21, 1931) is an American soul-jazz and hard bop tenor saxophonist, probably most widely known as the tenor saxophone soloist on Henry Mancini’s "The Pink Panther Theme". He also performs on alto and baritone sax ...

–

piccolo The piccolo ( ; Italian for 'small') is a half-size flute and a member of the woodwind family of musical instruments. Sometimes referred to as a "baby flute" the modern piccolo has similar fingerings as the standard transverse flute, but the so ...

Earl Palmer Earl Cyril Palmer (October 25, 1924 – September 19, 2008) was an American drummer. Considered one of the inventors of rock and roll, he is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Palmer was one of the most prolific studio musicians of al ...

– drums *

Barney Kessel Barney Kessel (October 17, 1923 – May 6, 2004) was an American jazz guitarist born in Muskogee, Oklahoma. Known in particular for his knowledge of chords and inversions and chord-based melodies, he was a member of many prominent jazz groups a ...

– guitar

Copyright status

"Rockin' Robin" is in the

public domain The public domain (PD) consists of all the creative work A creative work is a manifestation of creative effort including fine artwork (sculpture, paintings, drawing, sketching, performance art), dance, writing (literature), filmmaking, ...

, as the owners never renewed the copyright.

Charts

Michael Jackson version

In 1972,

released his own version of "Rockin' Robin", which was released as a single from his gold-certified solo album titled ''

Got to Be There ''Got to Be There'' is the debut solo studio album by American singer Michael Jackson, released by Motown on January 24, 1972, four weeks after the Jackson 5's ''Greatest Hits (The Jackson 5 album), Greatest Hits'' (1971). It includes the Got to ...

'' as a follow-up single to the song of the same name. It was the biggest hit from the album, hitting number 1 on the ''

Cash Box ''Cashbox'', also known as ''Cash Box'', was an American music industry trade magazine, originally published weekly from July 1942 to November 1996. Ten years after its dissolution, it was revived and continues as ''Cashbox Magazine'', an online ...

'' singles chart and peaking at number two on both the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, behind "

The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" is a 1957 folk song written by British political singer-songwriter Ewan MacColl for Peggy Seeger, who later became his wife. At the time, the couple were lovers, although MacColl was still married to his ...

" by

Roberta Flack Roberta Cleopatra Flack (born February 10, 1937) is a retired American singer. She topped the Billboard Magazine, ''Billboard'' charts with the No. 1 singles "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face", "Killing Me Softly with His Song", "Feel Like M ...

, and the ''Billboard'' soul singles chart, behind " In the Rain" by

the Dramatics The Dramatics are an American soul music vocal group, formed in Detroit, Michigan, in 1964. They are best known for their 1970s hit songs " In the Rain" and "Whatcha See Is Whatcha Get", both of which were Top 10 Pop hits, as well as their late ...

Track listing

*A. "Rockin' Robin" – 2:30 *B. " Love Is Here and Now You're Gone" – 2:51

Chart performance

Certifications

References

{{Authority control 1958 songs 1958 singles 1972 singles Songs written by Leon René Motown singles Michael Jackson songs Cashbox number-one singles Songs about birds Songs about fictional male characters Public domain music