Thomas Giles Robinson (born 1 June 1950) is a British singer, bassist, radio presenter and long-time LGBT rights activist, best known for the hits "Glad to Be Gay", "2-4-6-8 Motorway", and "Don't Take No for an Answer", with his Tom Robinson Band. He later peaked at No. 6 in the UK singles chart with his solo single "War Baby".

Early life

Tom Robinson was born into a middle-class family in Cambridge on 1 June 1950. He attended Friends' School, Saffron Walden, a co-ed privately funded Quaker school, between 1961 and 1967. He played guitar in a trio at school called The Inquisition. Robinson has two brothers, including Matthew, and a sister.

At the age of 13, Robinson realised that he was gay when he fell in love with another boy at school. Until 1967, male homosexual activity was a crime in England, punishable by prison. The song was banned by the BBC. It did receive extensive daytime play on Capital Radio. It was recorded, but not released until 1981 on the album The Fox. He played two songs live— "Glad to Be Gay" and "1967 (So Long Ago)" — during June of that year at The Secret Policeman's Ball (1979).

In 1980, Robinson organised Sector 27, a less political rock band that released a critically acclaimed but unsuccessful album, Sector 27, produced by Steve Lillywhite.

In 1982, Robinson penned the song "War Baby" about divisions between East and West Germany, reviving his career.

In 1986, a BBC producer offered him his own radio show on the BBC World Service. a showcase website for upcoming bands and artists whose aim is "to help independent musicians find new listeners, and independent listeners find new music".

Robinson played "2-4-6-8 Motorway" and "Glad to Be Gay" at the BBC introducing stage on the Friday afternoon of the 2011 Glastonbury Festival, after announcing that The Coral would not be showing as they were 'stuck in the mud'. In July 2013, at the Tabernacle on Powis Square in Notting Hill, a new line-up of TRB performed the entire Power in the Darkness album to launch its release on CD. The title track featured a guest appearance by T. V. Smith. In 2014, he was one of the performers at the opening ceremonies of WorldPride in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, alongside Melissa Etheridge, Deborah Cox and Steve Grand.

In October 2015 he released his first new album in 20 years, Only the Now. It included contributions from Billy Bragg, Ian McKellen and Lee Forsyth Griffiths. It was made with award-winning producer and multi-instrumentalist Gerry Diver and released on his own Castaway Northwest Recordings. Tom supported the album by playing many festivals that summer including Glastonbury, Latitude, Wickham and Green Man. He also played a showcase at London's Queen Elizabeth Hall in September and a 15-date tour throughout October and November. Robinson also received a BASCA Gold Badge award in the same month. This was for his exceptional contribution to British music.

In late 2018 and early 2019 Robinson deputised for Radio 2 DJ Johnnie Walker on his Sunday show Sounds of the 70s. In 2020, Robinson embarked on a four-night solo acoustic tour prior to beginning a 22-date UK "70th Birthday Tour" featuring a 5-piece band.

Personal life

Robinson does not identify exclusively as gay. He has had past experiences with women and has said that he has always made it clear that he liked both men and women. He now identifies as bisexual, but in the past he used the phrase 'gay', synonymous with 'queer', to encompass the entire LGBT community. In an interview, he stated that he used the term "gay" because, "as far as Joe Public is concerned, if you’re interested in other guys you’re a queer… to call ourselves bi-sexual is a cop-out."

A longtime supporter and former volunteer of London's Gay Switchboard help-line, it was at a 1982 benefit party for the organisation that Robinson met Sue Brearley, the woman with whom he would eventually live and have two children, and later marry. In 1998, his epic album about bisexuality, Blood Brother, won three awards at the Gay & Lesbian American Music Awards in New York. as leader at a Gay Liberation Front protest in London. The character is later incarcerated with other protestors by the time-travelling protagonist, Detective Inspector Alex Drake (played by Keeley Hawes) and dismisses her claims that he will one day marry a woman. The scene supposedly takes place on 9 October 1981, precisely fourteen months before the real Tom Robinson met his future bride.

The character then leads other protestors in singing a round of "Glad to Be Gay" in the confinement facility, much to Sergeant Viv James' annoyance. "2-4-6-8 Motorway" is also used in the soundtrack during the protest after Detective Sergeant Ray Carling sings a few bars to Alex, who then proceeds to drive a pink tank over a parked Ford Escort, which she believes would otherwise have later been used in a car bombing. Robinson's song "War Baby" (which he premiered the night he met his wife) is used in the soundtrack of the third series.

Finnish rock-group Popeda released their debut album by the same name in 1978. On the album there's a song called "Oodi Tom Robinsonille" (Ode to Tom Robinson). The song was written by bass player Ilari "Ilpo" Ainiala. Band's vocalist Pate Mustajärvi sings: "Hän laulaa meille niistä, jotka ketään eivät riistä, mutta silti saavat muiden tuomion." The refrain follows: "Tom-Tom-Tom-Tom. Tom Robinson, sä tuot voimaa tähän pimeyteen! Tom-Tom-Tom-Tom. Tom Robinson, siksi sulle oman laulun teen!" In English this goes along the lines, freely translated: "He sings us about those who deprive none, but still gets damned by everyone. Tom... Tom Robison, through the darkness you help us go on. Tom... Tom Robinson, that's why I made you this song". The melody and song structure actually resembles a lot of TRB's song "2-4-6-8 Motorway", which was released in 1977. By coincidence or not, this bit in the Finnish lyrics, "voimaa pimeyteen" (power into the darkness), almost literally means the same as Power in the Darkness, the name of the debut album of the Tom Robinson Band released in early 1978.

Discography

Over his career, Robinson has released more than twenty albums either as a solo performer or as a member of a group.

|-

| 1980

| "Can't Keep Away"

| – || –

|-

| 1980

| "Not Ready"

| – || –

|-

| 1980

| "Invitation"

| – || –

|-

| 1981

| "Total Recall"

| – || –

|-

| 1982

| "Now Martin's Gone"

| – || –

|-

| 1983

| "War Baby"

| 6 || 73

|-

| 1983

| "Listen to the Radio: Atmospherics"

| 39 || –

|-

| 1984

| "Back in the Old Country"

| 79 || –

|-

| 1984

| "Rikki Don't Lose That Number"

| 58 || –

|-

| 1985

| "Prison"

| – || –

|-

| 1986

| "Nothing Like the Real Thing"

| – || –

|-

| 1986

| "Still Loving You"

| 88 || –

|-

| 1987

| "Feel So Good"

| 93 || –

|-

| 1987

| "Spain"

| – || –

|-

| 1988

| "Hard Cases"

| – || –

|-

| 1990

| "Blood Brother"

| – || –

|-

| 1992

| "Living in a Boom Time"

| – || –

|-

| 1994

| "Hard"

| – || –

|-

| 1994

| "Days (That Changed The World)"

| – || –

|-

| 1996

| "Connecticut"

| – || –

|}

;Song compositions

  • "Elton's Song" (lyrics by Tom Robinson, with music by Elton John)
  • "Talk About It In The Morning" (Martyn Joseph/Tom Robinson)
  • "He Never Said" (Martyn Joseph/Tom Robinson)

References

  • Official website
  • Tom Robinson's Having It Both Ways website
  • Robinson's blog on the Guardian