By C. Bell - Eric (63.155.222.121 - 63.155.222.121) on Monday, February 18, 2002 - 09:57 pm:

(Rudy Robinson)- I just wanted to say that I heard on the radio news today that Rudy Robinson died today. I know that Graham Finch got a chance to talk with him in the last couple of years. I'm pretty sure that is his signature organ opening riff on Lee Rogers "I Want You To Have Everything" on D-Town. He was a true Detroit R&B/Soul pioneer who played on a lot of releases especially my favorite label D-Town/Wheelsville.
(Big Mack) - Thank you for posting the picture for the site. Ron Murphy has a great "Big Mack" story that he has been known to tell. I guess he even went down there to buy a copy of the Bob & Fred record for his neighbor and himself after hearing it played on WCHB (Detroit/Inkster Soul Radio).
(Graham) - Hey! I've been busy! I'll get some stuff out to ya' soon. Congrats on the marriage!

By david, glasgow, scotland (62.252.128.5 - 62.252.128.5) on Monday, February 18, 2002 - 10:33 pm:

thanks for that sad news eric.

last week, i was photocopying some cd liner notes for him.

rudy had a long career in the music industry and was once part of the solid hitbound rhythm section in which he played keyboards.

as well as writing and arranging for d town he also produced one of the best records ever played on the northern soul scene 'find a quiet place' by melvin davis (co-producer).

i'm also pretty sure that he arranged most of darrell banks' album on volt.

he also worked with the fabulous peps/don hart/dee edwards and many more detroit starlets.

latterly he worked with ms bettye lavette and i know she will be devastated. check her comments about rudy on her website.

he was also the compere extraordinaire at bomacs lounge on gratiot...it's hard to imagine what it will be like now without his ever-smiling face.

here he is looking at one of my cd booklets. he lapped up every word.

RUDY R.I.P.

By Rich (64.12.97.13 - 64.12.97.13) on Tuesday, February 19, 2002 - 02:28 am:

Sad news indeed, another unsung player. thanks for the photo Dave. Again Apologies for my narrow scope, but Rudy is credited with playing on every track on Jeannie Reynolds Cherries Banas & Other Fine Fruit (Casablanca '76). The album featured one of Rudy's own songs "The Feelin' Ain't There". The album was recorded at United Sounds and featured P-Funks Bernie Worrell, Bootsy Collins, Tiki Fulwood, Boogie Mosson, Glen Goins & Garry Shider on maybe half the tracks. Jeannie was sister to the Dramatics LJ Reynolds and earlier in her career, Jeannie recorded a single for James Brown People label as Shirley Jean & the Relations around '72 ("People Make the World a Better Place b/w If I Had a Man Like You). The sleeper B-side (If I had a ... ) is some great great Northern Soul rat there. Peace & comfort to Rudy's friends & family as they weather some of life's occasional rain.

By acooolcat (211.72.121.66 - 211.72.121.66) on Tuesday, February 19, 2002 - 04:00 am:

This is very sad news indeed. Rudy was such a life force - you were guaranteed a laugh and a smile from Rudy, whenever you met him. An absolutely fantastic person and a great musician. Cody Black told me he thought Rudy was a genius and credited him with making D-Town happen. Detroit won't be the same without Rudy.
If anyone wishes to send condolences to his family I can let you have his home address - please contact me offlist.
acooolcat@yahoo.com
Graham

By Ralph Terrana (209.240.222.130 - 209.240.222.130) on Tuesday, February 19, 2002 - 04:04 am:

I never met Rudy. But just looking at his picture tells me I wish I had.

By jack ashford (216.78.128.187 - 216.78.128.187) on Tuesday, February 19, 2002 - 07:25 am:

This is awful news. I can't tell how much this hurts. Wejust finished the funk bro. movie together .may God bless you Rudy. Jack Ashford and the Funk Brothers

By Davie G (213.251.162.249 - 213.251.162.249) on Tuesday, February 19, 2002 - 07:23 pm:

Another legendary figure gone - sad indeed.

I hear that he died in his sleep after, as usual,
playing a gig earlier that night. If it's any
consolation it was a better way to go than many,
having a rest after doing the thing he loved -
playing music.

A terrible loss for Betty Lavette as well as Rudy's family - he was her right hand man for
what, thirty years ?

By david, glasgow, scotland (62.252.128.5 - 62.252.128.5) on Tuesday, February 19, 2002 - 11:04 pm:

yes, he played at the mgm in detroit that night.

thanks to sis in detroit for that information.

By SPIDER WEBB (64.12.97.13 - 64.12.97.13) on Wednesday, February 20, 2002 - 02:38 am:

THIS IS A SAD TIME INDEED,I RESENTLY WORKED WITH RUDY ALONG WITH MARCUS BELGRAVE,VON KLUGH AND CHARLIE GABRIEL, WE WORKED WITHIN THE DETROIT PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM,DOING WORKSHOPS AND TUTORING MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS ABOUT THE HISTORY OF JAZZ.I MET RUDY OVER 40YRS AGO I TRULY LOVED HIM AND HE WILL BE MISSED.

By detroit gal (64.12.102.37 - 64.12.102.37) on Wednesday, February 20, 2002 - 04:15 am:

Actually Rudy played at the Scarab Club Saturday night, with guitarist Bobby Murray.

By acooolcat (211.72.121.66 - 211.72.121.66) on Wednesday, February 20, 2002 - 10:57 am:

Spider Webb? Is this Spyder Turner?
Best wishes, Graham

By Clay McMurray (66.73.187.179 - 66.73.187.179) on Wednesday, February 20, 2002 - 11:02 am:

There are'nt any words I can really put together to explain what and who RUDY was to so many people hear in the Motor City. Rudy, was one of a kind,a brilliant arranger,pianist who could play anything with keys and he knew more songs than any
one musician I've ever known. He always had a new joke for me everytime I saw him and we shared many
times together talking about the road trips and experiences he had in the business. I met Rudy in 1963 at Mike Hanks D-Town records studio better known as The Pig Pen(Smile) and I'll never forget
how Rudy and Mike took a liking to me and taught me some of my first lessons about the music business. We were friends for 39yrs and he played keys on my wife Pree's last CD which I was proud to give him credit for. My wife recalls when she and Rudy went to Hawaii with Martha Reeves and how Rudy had her in stitches all the way from Hawaii without telling the same joke twice. I loved this cat and I can't say enough about him here in the forum. This is a terrible lost to the Robinson family and such a great loss to the Detroit Music scene including myself. I just hope that he's able to hook up with all the other Detroit legends in GODSWORLD and is allowed to tell his jokes every now and then. Rudy,After a
well deserved rest my Brother get back to what to do best, playing music and making people laugh.

Your Man Always,
Clay McMurray

By david, glasgow, scotland (213.122.86.109 - 213.122.86.109) on Wednesday, February 20, 2002 - 12:27 pm:

i only met rudy once but he struck me as a guy who would always be the life and soul of the party.

that whole evening, he just looked so happy.

he also made sure that everyone in bomac's knew we were from the u.k., and made us so welcome.

i'll never forget that.

By david, glasgow, scotland (62.252.128.5 - 62.252.128.5) on Wednesday, February 20, 2002 - 06:24 pm:

detail of tributes for rudy have arrived by e-mail today :-

Hello Friends,
We have Lost another one of Detroit's MASTER MUSICIANS..... RUDY ROBINSON, has passed away 2/18/02, a morning after doing what he loved
and was so good at playing music. Friends found him that morning still in bed.....The arrangements are as follows:
Jam sessions will be held at his gigs that he had booked for the week (Wednesday at Gracies, Thursday at Bomac's and Friday at the Greektown Casino,all from 9:00PM to 2:00AM and he will be laid to rest Saturday February 23rd at Swansons located on East Grand Blvd. and Mack at 2:00 PM..........We will all be there...Please join us.............

By Davie G (213.251.162.249 - 213.251.162.249) on Wednesday, February 20, 2002 - 09:22 pm:

Hi Spider,

Spider Webb the drummer ?

Welcome to the forum

By SPIDER WEBB (205.188.199.161 - 205.188.199.161) on Thursday, February 21, 2002 - 04:13 am:

Hello all, yes it's Spider Webb the Drummer and i'm so gald to be back in detroit. I moved to new york in 1967 worked with the late great King Curtis,yes i was a kingpin for a while, i also worked with Harry Belafonte for some years,did a lot of recording dates in the late 60's and all throuht the 70's, from NY to LA.This forum is a wonderful way to bring everyone up to date.I'm playing at Bert's Marketplace every thursday with Dee Dee McNeil.Take Care Peace

By david, glasgow, scotland (62.252.128.5 - 62.252.128.5) on Thursday, February 21, 2002 - 07:23 pm:

hi spider

what can you tell us about king curtis?

one of my first 45's was 'memphis soul stew'

fantastic.

By Ralph Terrana (209.240.222.130 - 209.240.222.130) on Thursday, February 21, 2002 - 08:57 pm:

Hey Spider. Did you play on Soul Twist? One of my all time favorite King Curtis records. If you did, can you tell me the name of the guitar player. I always thought his licks in that song were SO TASTY!!

By Ritchie Hardin (62.254.0.6 - 62.254.0.6) on Thursday, February 21, 2002 - 09:46 pm:

Spider - Ralph

Ditto from me too. I LOVE that record! Who'd have thought a simple 12-bar workout could be so damn FUNKY?!

By ErikT.O. (64.228.108.144 - 64.228.108.144) on Saturday, February 23, 2002 - 08:32 am:

That 'Live At The Fillmore' lp Smokes!! Same night as Aretha's live lp, I heard? Must have been one hot night.../Erik

By Cat Lady (198.234.49.147 - 198.234.49.147) on Friday, March 01, 2002 - 05:10 pm:

Rudy Robinson was a sweet and wonderful man. None of us singers who had the pleasure of working with him will ever forget him. We were working on a project that involved jazz standards, that unfortunately, will now never be completed. Since I am known primarily as a jazz vocalist, Rudy never got to hear my 70's recording of "You've Been Cheatin'. He would have loved it because I was only 21 years old.
After his funeral a group of us who worked with him regularly gathered at Bomac's to listen to music he had recorded over the years. It was the saddest and happiest of times because we could still feel his presence in the club. His pictures are on the wall. Probably the most symbolic thing of all was the bare stage. There was no piano. And, because there was no piano, there were no other instruments onstage. James Carter stopped in to play, but there was no live music. We miss Rudy and will never forget him. They don't make musicians and good guys like him anymore. Rudy - there will never, never, be another you.

By david, glasgow, scotland (62.252.128.5 - 62.252.128.5) on Sunday, March 03, 2002 - 04:35 pm:

what a nice tribute cat lady.

which name did you record under?

By acooolcat (211.72.121.66 - 211.72.121.66) on Monday, March 04, 2002 - 03:56 am:

I recieved an email from Rudy's widow (Margret) last week; she told me she's donated his gold discs (The Dramatics Stax LPs) to the Motown museum. I thought it was a wonderful gesture and told her about the forum and the numerous tributes. Hopefully the pain of this personal loss will be eased by knowing that Rudy will be missed by many people around the world.
Graham