Monday, September 30, 2013
Robert Dupuis better known by his stage name Robbie Dupree, is an American singer-songwriter best known for his 1980 top ten pop hit, "Steal Away".
Dupree originally became popular with his breakout hit, "Steal Away", which hit #6 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in July 1980. The song is built around a keyboard riff and background vocals notably similar to the 1979 hit version of "What a Fool Believes" by The Doobie Brothers.
Thereafter, he scored another hit with "Hot Rod Hearts", which rose to #15 in October 1980. Dupree's final single to make the Billboard charts, "Brooklyn Girls", peaked at #54 in June 1981.
In 1987, Dupree contributed the song "Girls in Cars" to Piledriver: The Wrestling Album II, a collection of theme songs for World Wrestling Entertainment (then known as the World Wrestling Federation). The tag team Strike Force (Tito Santana and Rick Martel) used "Girls in Cars" as their entrance music.
In 2010, Dupree signed with Spectra Records and released the album "Time and Tide" featuring former E Street Band keyboards player David Sancious. On May 21, 2010 Dupree performed on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon as part of Jimmy's ongoing tribute to Yacht Rock: the smooth West Coast sound of the late 1970s and early 1980s
Robbie Dupree was born Robert Dupuis in 1947. The Brooklyn-native has been along way around in his musical career. It began in the street corners of Brooklyn were he was singing in different a cappella groups.
After a stay in New York were Robbie Dupree tried to be settled as a musicians, but it was more the musical writing that became the strong side of his career at that time. After the stay in New York, Robbie moved to Woodstock in 1973. Over a long period Robbie Dupree played in a lot of band, did all the touring, and became an important part of the musical enviroment in that area.
Robbie Dupree were focused on a solo career, and in 1978 this brought him to the city of music Los Angeles. Here he teamed up with his old friends Rick Chudacoff and Peter Bunetta. Robbie Dupree signed with Elektra Records, and with Rick and Peter as producers the first album "Robbie Dupree" in 1980. It was a great debut for Robbie Dupree and the album gave him two Top 10 singles, 'Steal Away' and 'Hot Rod Hearts', a Grammy nomination for Best New Artist. One of the highlights from the album, the song "Steal Away" has to date been played on American radio almost three million times, so you can say that is is a true pop classic.
The first album was followed up the year after with the release "Street Corner Heroes", a title that reminds of Robbie´s beginning back in Brooklyn, and you can really hear that on the song "All Night Long", another classic from this period. Robbie did establish himself as a big star these years.
Then suddenly a lot of thing changes. Robbie Dupree stopped his contract with Elektra Records, he didn´t like the direction that the record label wanted him to, so he decides to "sit the contract out". After that he took a long break from recording, and first after 8 years he recorded the 3rd album "Carried Away". It was a beatiful comeback, and you could hear that he still is a great songwriter. This album had a lot of highlights and the opening tune "This Is Life" is saying everything.
After "Carried Away" Robbie Dupree has been very active, he has released 4 albums (Walking On Water - 1993, Smoke & Mirrors - 1995, Vintage Vol 1. - 1997, All Night Long Live - 1998), and the next "Vintage Vol. 2" is being released in June 2001.
Beside working with his on own material, he has also produced albums for his longtime friends John Hall and Bill LaBounty, and co-writing materials with others etc.
Robbie Dupree is also still active "live on stage" and if you would like to check that out, you should listen to the livealbum "All Night Long, Live" that he released in 1998.
In 2001 Robbie Dupree did find more rare material in his gemms and these songs was put out on the Vintage Vol. 2 release and followed up by many livegigs in US. Beside touring Robbie Dupree has been playin´ many acoustic performances with the keyboard player David Sancious and this has resulted in the latest 2003 release with a collection of Dupree songs recorded in the acoustic vein.
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