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Robin McNamara (May 5, 1947 – October 21, 2021) was an American musician, singer and songwriter.[1][2]
McNamara was born in May 1947 in Newton, Massachusetts. In 1963, while in tenth grade, he formed a rock and roll group with a few school friends; they christened their band Robin and the Hoods, performing locally in the New England area with McNamara as the lead vocalist.
In the late 1960s, McNamara relocated to New York City, where he became a cast member of the Broadway musical Hair, playing the lead role of Claude from 1969 to 71.[3] In 1969, he was introduced to composer/record producer Jeff Barry, who signed him to his Steed record label.[3]
Together with McNamara's then songwriting partner Jim Cretecos, they wrote a song called "Lay a Little Lovin' on Me", which McNamara took to number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the summer of 1970[3] and number 6 in Canada.[4] The song peaked at number 49 in Australia in June 1970.[5] A lack of further chart success resulted in McNamara being dubbed a one-hit wonder.[6]
McNamara died on October 21, 2021, at the age of 74.[7][8]
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Steven Wightman
I am saddened to hear the news of this talented friend's death. I grew up with Robin and shared many loving days with him and his family on Derby St, the McNamara home in West Newton.
Then and now: As teenagers, we loved cars, friends, outdoor activities and especially parties. The McNamara family threw a surprise 16th birthday party for me in February of 1963. It brought me to tears of joy. The love of this family was amazing. Robin always liked being in the limelight. In our junoir and senoir years, I saw less of him, but not of his family, including his younger brother and friend Kevin. We had lots of fun together - all of us.
After high school graduation, Robin's career on one hand, and the war with Vietnam on the other, pulled Kevin and I to military service and far away from the family we both loved. That love was palpable on Christmas reunions decades later when I saw Robin over the years. He cared about people, but most of all, his family. Love, his and theirs, is the greatest I've ever known - fueling my will to live, and that love will never die. I will miss him as a brother. Robin flew on a wild horse, touched the sky and all the people he knew.
RIDE A WILD HORSE, by Hannah Kahn
Ride a wild horse with purple wings striped yellow and black except his head which must be red. Ride a wild horse against the sky — hold tight to his wings before you die whatever else you leave undone once ride a wild horse into the sun.
Joseph Scalise
Robin started singing acapella at the Community Center on Cherry St? We used to dance to him and his band at St Bernhard's CYO dances. He and Ronnie Campisi (Ramrods) came back to school in '64 with long hair and got booted, so we had a big walk out demonstration at the school.