Born Robin Charles George Sidebotham in Wolverhampton, Staffordshire, England in 1956, Robin George was a rock guitarist, producer, singer, and songwriter. Although he didn’t achieve major international success under his own name, he was involved with many musical projects over the years including producing, touring, or recording with David Byron (Uriah Heep), Daniel Boone, Roy Wood (The Move / ELO / Wizzard), Noddy Holder (Slade), Diamond Head, Climax Blue Band, Tony Clarkin (Magnum), Dave Holland (Judas Priest), Phil Lynott (Thin Lizzy), Stewart Copeland (The Police), Glenn Hughes (Black Sabbath / Deep Purple), John Wetton (Asia / King Crimson / UK), Vix (We’ve Got a Fuzzbox and We’re Gonna Use It), and many others. A busy and prolific sideman and producer, he managed to also pursue a career as a solo artist and bandleader. Signing to Arista Records, Robin George released his first single in 1983 – “Go Down Fighting” – before moving over to the Bronze Records label. Robin George issued his debut solo album, Dangerous Music (1984), which included the single “Heartline.” Although completely out of step with the new wave and synthpop that dominated the charts at the time, the AOR / hard rock vibe of “Heartline” was a hit in both the UK (number 68) and the US (number 92) in 1985. However, Robin George’s plate was filled with other projects, and he didn’t take time to focus on his solo career, losing commercial momentum when he didn’t release a proper follow-up album. Remaining busy, he formed the group Notorious with Diamond Head vocalist Sean Harris, who released their self-titled debut album in 1990. The album was largely ignored by the label and audiences alike and was quickly deleted. Continuing a career as a sideman, he didn’t focus on his own music again until the group Life in 1997. Robin George returned to his solo career with albums such as Rock of Ages (2001), Bluesongs (2004), Crying Diamonds (2006), Sweet Revenge with Glenn Hughes (2008), You with Vix (2012), Dangerous Music II (2015), Rogue Angels (2018), and Wilderness (2021). Robin George was constantly recording music, much of it stored away in the vaults and not released until many years later. One of the busiest artists in hard rock and AOR, Robin George’s prolific career came to an end on April 26, 2024, when he died at the age of 68.
