Cynthia Robinson: Difference between revisions

Cynthia Robinson
Cynthia Robinson
Background information
Born	January 12, 1944; Sacramento, California, U.S.
Died	November 23, 2015 (aged 71) ; Carmichael, California, U.S.
Genres	Funk, soul, R&B
Occupation	Musician
Instrument(s)	Trumpet, vocals
Years active	1966–2015

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Cynthia Robinson (January 12, 1944 – November 23, 2015) was an American musician, best known for being a founding member of Sly and the Family Stone, for which she was the trumpeter and a vocalist.^[2] Her voice and presence were featured in the hits "Dance to the Music" and "I Want to Take You Higher." Questlove of the hip hop band the Roots has called Robinson the original "hypeman."^[3]

Early life

Robinson grew up in Sacramento, California. She lived in Oak Park, a neighborhood in Sacramento. She played flute in elementary school, but there were no flutes available at her high school, and she was told to play the clarinet. Unhappy, she asked a fellow student, whom she had heard playing the trumpet in a practice room, if she could give his instrument a try.

“Everything I blew was off key, but I knew it could sound good if you worked on it, and that’s what I wanted to do,” she told the online magazine Rookie in 2013.^[4]

She attended Sacramento High School where she played trumpet in the school band. Robinson was taunted by the boys in her band class for being a black girl playing a "white boy's instrument". Robinson even recalled teachers suggesting she take up a different activity and save the trumpet for the boys, but Robinson was in love with the trumpet.

Her first trumpet belonged to a beatnik, who told her she could have it if she played at one of his parties. “It smelled bad, it had all kinds of green crud inside the tubing, so I took it home, cleaned it, soaked it in hot water, cleaned it all out, and it was mine,” she told Rookie.^[4]

Sly and the Family Stone

She was a founding member of Sly and the Family Stone, starting in 1966. Robinson was among the first female trumpeters in a major American band, and the first such player in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Robinson's career with Sly Stone began in 1966 when the bandleader put together a group called the Stoners. They fell apart quickly, though, and she became a fixture of the Family Stone – a group whose members were male and female and represented different races, a novel idea at the time – alongside her cousin Larry Graham.

Robinson was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Sly and the Family Stone in 1993. In 2006, she reunited with the original band members of Family Stone.^[2]

Later career

She was the only member of the original Family Stone to continue working with Sly Stone after the band fell apart in 1975. She also played in the funk band Graham Central Station with Family Stone bandmate and cousin Larry Graham, starting in the 1990s.^[5] She also worked with George Clinton and Prince.^[4]

Personal life and death

Robinson was the mother of two daughters:^[2] Laura Marie Cook and Sylvyette Phunne Robinson (fathered by former band leader, Sly Stone).^[6]

On November 23, 2015, Robinson died of cancer in Carmichael, California at the age of 71.^[1]

Appears on

Stargard – Back 2 Back - Warner Bros. Records – BSK 3456 (1981)^[7]
Funkadelic – The Electric Spanking of War Babies – Warner Bros. Records – BSK 3482 (1981) – Tracks: "Funk Gets Stronger" (Part I), "Funk Gets Stronger" (Killer Millimeter Longer Version) / "She Loves You"^[8]
Graham Central Station – GCS 2000 – NPG Records (1998) – Track: "GCS2000"^[9]
The Robert Cray Band - Time Will Tell - Sanctuary Records 06078-84613-2 (2003) – Track: "Your Pal"^[10]

References

^ ^a ^b Grimes, William (November 26, 2015). "Cynthia Robinson, Sly and the Family Stone Trumpet Player, Dies at 71". The New York Times. Retrieved November 27, 2015.
^ ^a ^b ^c Graff, Gary (November 24, 2015). "Cynthia Robinson of Sly & the Family Stone Dead at 69". Billboard. Retrieved November 24, 2015.
^ "Sly & The Family Stone Co-founder Cynthia Robinson Dies At Age 69". Jambase.
^ ^a ^b ^c Grimes, William (November 27, 2015). "Cynthia Robinson, Sly and the Family Stone Trumpet Player, Dies at 71". New York Times.
^ "Larry Graham and Graham Central Station". LA Phil.
^ Tsioulcas, Anastasia (November 24, 2015). "Remembering Cynthia Robinson, Co-Founder of Sly & the Family Stone". NPR.
^ Discogs Stargard – Back 2 Back
^ Discogs Funkadelic – The Electric Spanking Of War Babies
^ Discogs Graham Central Station – GCS2000
^ Discogs The Robert Cray Band – Time Will Tell

External links

[NYT-1] Grimes, William (November 26, 2015). "Cynthia Robinson, Sly and the Family Stone Trumpet Player, Dies at 71". The New York Times. Retrieved November 27, 2015.

[Billboard-2] Graff, Gary (November 24, 2015). "Cynthia Robinson of Sly & the Family Stone Dead at 69". Billboard. Retrieved November 24, 2015.

[3] "Sly & The Family Stone Co-founder Cynthia Robinson Dies At Age 69". Jambase.

[:0-4] Grimes, William (November 27, 2015). "Cynthia Robinson, Sly and the Family Stone Trumpet Player, Dies at 71". New York Times.

[5] "Larry Graham and Graham Central Station". LA Phil.

[6] Tsioulcas, Anastasia (November 24, 2015). "Remembering Cynthia Robinson, Co-Founder of Sly & the Family Stone". NPR.

[7] Discogs Stargard – Back 2 Back

[8] Discogs Funkadelic – The Electric Spanking Of War Babies

[9] Discogs Graham Central Station – GCS2000

[10] Discogs The Robert Cray Band – Time Will Tell

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@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
+{{Short description|American musician (1944–2015)}}
 {{Use mdy dates|date=May 2015}}
 {{Infobox musical artist
-|name = Cynthia Robinson
+| name            = Cynthia Robinson
+| image           = File:CynthiaRobinson.png
-|image =
-|caption =
+| caption         =
-|image_size =
+| image_size      =
+| birth_date      = {{Birth date|1944|1|12}}<ref name="NYT">{{cite web |last=Grimes |first=William |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/27/arts/music/cynthia-robinson-sly-and-the-family-stone-trumpet-player-dies-at-71.html |title=Cynthia Robinson, Sly and the Family Stone Trumpet Player, Dies at 71 |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=26 November 2015 |access-date=27 November 2015}}</ref>
-|background = non_vocal_instrumentalist
+| birth_place     = [[Sacramento, California]], U.S.
-|birth_date = {{Birth date|1944|1|12}}<ref name="NYT">{{cite web |last=Grimes |first=William |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/27/arts/music/cynthia-robinson-sly-and-the-family-stone-trumpet-player-dies-at-71.html |title=Cynthia Robinson, Sly and the Family Stone Trumpet Player, Dies at 71 |publisher=[[The New York Times]] |date=26 November 2015 |accessdate=27 November 2015}}</ref>
+| death_date      = {{nowrap|{{death date and age|2015|11|23|1944|1|12|mf=yes}} }}
-|birth_place = [[Sacramento, California]], U.S.
+| death_place     = [[Carmichael, California]], U.S.
-|death_date = {{nowrap|{{death date and age|2015|11|23|1944|1|12|mf=yes}} }}
+| instrument      = [[Trumpet]], [[vocals]]
-|death_place = [[Carmichael, California]], U.S.
+| genre           = [[Funk]], [[Soul music|soul]], [[Rhythm and blues|R&B]]
-|instrument = [[Trumpet]], [[vocals]]
+| occupation      = Musician
-|genre =  [[Funk]], [[Soul music|soul]], [[Rhythm and blues|R&B]]
+| years_active    = 1966–2015
-|occupation = Musician
+| associated_acts = [[Sly and The Family Stone]]
-|years_active = 1967–2015
-|associated_acts = [[Sly and The Family Stone]]
 }}
-'''Cynthia Robinson''' (January 12, 1944 – November 23, 2015) was an American musician, best known for being the trumpeter and vocalist in [[Sly and the Family Stone]].<ref name=Billboard>{{cite web |url=http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/6776952/cynthia-robinson-sly-and-the-family-stone-dead |title=Cynthia Robinson of Sly & the Family Stone Dead at 69 |first=Gary |last=Graff |authorlink=Gary Graff |date=November 24, 2015 |work=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] |accessdate=November 24, 2015 }}</ref> Her voice and presence were featured in the hit [[Dance to the Music (song)|"Dance to the Music"]].
+'''Cynthia Robinson''' (January 12, 1944 – November 23, 2015) was an American musician, best known for being a founding member of [[Sly and the Family Stone]], for which she was the trumpeter and a vocalist.<ref name=Billboard>{{cite magazine |url=http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/6776952/cynthia-robinson-sly-and-the-family-stone-dead |title=Cynthia Robinson of Sly & the Family Stone Dead at 69 |first=Gary |last=Graff |author-link=Gary Graff |date=November 24, 2015 |magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] |access-date=November 24, 2015 }}</ref> Her voice and presence were featured in the hits [[Dance to the Music (song)|"Dance to the Music"]] and "[[I Want to Take You Higher]]." [[Questlove]] of the hip hop band [[the Roots]] has called Robinson the original "[[hypeman]]."<ref>{{Cite web|title=Sly & The Family Stone Co-founder Cynthia Robinson Dies At Age 69|url=https://www.jambase.com/article/sly-the-family-stone-co-founder-cynthia-robinson-dies-at-age-69|website=Jambase}}</ref>
+==Early life==
-Robinson was among the first female trumpeters in a major American band, and the first such player in the [[Rock and Roll Hall of Fame]]. She was the only member of the original Family Stone to continue working with [[Sly Stone]] after the band fell apart in 1975. She played in the funk band [[Graham Central Station]] with Family Stone bandmate [[Larry Graham]], starting in 1974.{{citation needed|date=February 2014}}
+Robinson grew up in Sacramento, California. She lived in [[Oak Park, Sacramento, California|Oak Park]], a neighborhood in Sacramento. She played flute in elementary school, but there were no flutes available at her high school, and she was told to play the clarinet. Unhappy, she asked a fellow student, whom she had heard playing the trumpet in a practice room, if she could give his instrument a try.
+“Everything I blew was off key, but I knew it could sound good if you worked on it, and that’s what I wanted to do,” she told the online magazine [http://www.rookiemag.com/2013/08/cynthia-sly-and-family-stone/ Rookie] in 2013.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news |last1=Grimes |first1=William |date=November 27, 2015 |title=Cynthia Robinson, Sly and the Family Stone Trumpet Player, Dies at 71 |website=New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/27/arts/music/cynthia-robinson-sly-and-the-family-stone-trumpet-player-dies-at-71.html}}</ref>
-==Personal life==
-Robinson grew up in Sacramento, California. She lived in [[Oak Park, Sacramento, California|Oak Park]], a neighborhood in Sacramento. She attended California Middle school and [[Sacramento Charter High School|Sacramento High School]] where she played trumpet in the school band. In high school, Robinson was taunted by the boys in her band class for being a Black girl playing a "white boy's instrument". Robinson even recalled teachers suggesting she take up a different activity and save the trumpet for the boys, but Robinson was in love with the trumpet.
+She attended [[Sacramento Charter High School|Sacramento High School]] where she played trumpet in the school band. Robinson was taunted by the boys in her band class for being a black girl playing a "white boy's instrument". Robinson even recalled teachers suggesting she take up a different activity and save the trumpet for the boys, but Robinson was in love with the trumpet.
-Robinson was the mother of two daughters:<ref name="Billboard" /> Laura Marie Cook and Sylvyette Phunne (Stone) Stewart.
+Her first trumpet belonged to a beatnik, who told her she could have it if she played at one of his parties. “It smelled bad, it had all kinds of green crud inside the tubing, so I took it home, cleaned it, soaked it in hot water, cleaned it all out, and it was mine,” she told Rookie.<ref name=":0" />
-==Legacy and death==
-Robinson was inducted into the [[Rock and Roll Hall of Fame]] as a member of [[Sly and the Family Stone]]. In 2006, she reunited with the original band members of Family Stone.<ref name=Billboard/>
+==Sly and the Family Stone==
-On November 23, 2015 Robinson died of cancer in Carmichael, California at the age of 71.<ref name="NYT"/>
+[[File:Sly and the Family Stone (1968 publicity photo).jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|[[Sly and the Family Stone]] in 1968. Left to right: [[Freddie Stone]], [[Sly Stone]], [[Rose Stone]], [[Larry Graham]], Cynthia Robinson, [[Jerry Martini]], and [[Greg Errico]].]]
+She was a founding member of [[Sly and the Family Stone]], starting in 1966. Robinson was among the first female trumpeters in a major American band, and the first such player in the [[Rock and Roll Hall of Fame]]. Robinson's career with Sly Stone began in 1966 when the bandleader put together a group called the Stoners. They fell apart quickly, though, and she became a fixture of the Family Stone – a group whose members were male and female and represented different races, a novel idea at the time – alongside her cousin Larry Graham.
+Robinson was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Sly and the Family Stone in 1993. In 2006, she reunited with the original band members of Family Stone.<ref name="Billboard" />
+== Later career ==
+She was the only member of the original Family Stone to continue working with [[Sly Stone]] after the band fell apart in 1975. She also played in the funk band [[Graham Central Station]] with Family Stone bandmate and cousin [[Larry Graham]], starting in the 1990s.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Larry Graham and Graham Central Station |url=https://www.laphil.com/musicdb/artists/3001/larry-graham-and-graham-central-station |website=LA Phil}}</ref> She also worked with [[George Clinton (funk musician)|George Clinton]] and [[Prince (musician)|Prince]].<ref name=":0" />
+==Personal life and death==
+Robinson was the mother of two daughters:<ref name="Billboard" /> Laura Marie Cook and Sylvyette Phunne Robinson (fathered by former band leader, Sly Stone).<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Tsioulcas |first1=Anastasia |date=November 24, 2015 |title=Remembering Cynthia Robinson, Co-Founder of Sly & the Family Stone |url=https://www.npr.org/sections/therecord/2015/11/24/457256347/remembering-cynthia-robinson-co-founder-of-sly-the-family-stone |website=[[NPR]]}}</ref>
+On November 23, 2015, Robinson died of cancer in Carmichael, California at the age of 71.<ref name="NYT"/>
 ==Appears on==
-* Stargard  – ''Back 2 Back'' - Warner Bros. Records – BSK 3456 - (1981)<ref>Discogs [http://www.discogs.com/Stargard-Back-2-Back/release/1181320 Stargard  – Back 2 Back]</ref>
+* [[Stargard (group)|Stargard]] – ''Back 2 Back'' - [[Warner Bros. Records]] – BSK 3456 (1981)<ref>Discogs [http://www.discogs.com/Stargard-Back-2-Back/release/1181320 Stargard – Back 2 Back]</ref>
-* Funkadelic  – ''The Electric Spanking Of War Babies'' - Warner Bros. Records – BSK 3482 - (1981) - Tracks: "Funk Gets Stronger" (Part I),  "Funk Gets Stronger" (Killer Millimeter Longer Version) / "She Loves You"<ref>Discogs [http://www.discogs.com/Funkadelic-The-Electric-Spanking-Of-War-Babies/master/16185 Funkadelic  – The Electric Spanking Of War Babies]</ref>
+* [[Funkadelic]]  – ''[[The Electric Spanking of War Babies]]'' – Warner Bros. Records – BSK 3482 (1981) – Tracks: "Funk Gets Stronger" (Part I),  "Funk Gets Stronger" (Killer Millimeter Longer Version) / "She Loves You"<ref>Discogs [http://www.discogs.com/Funkadelic-The-Electric-Spanking-Of-War-Babies/master/16185 Funkadelic  – The Electric Spanking Of War Babies]</ref>
-* Graham Central Station  – ''GCS2000'' - NPG Records - (1998) - Track: "GCS2000"<ref>Discogs [http://www.discogs.com/Graham-Central-Station-GCS2000/release/1586688 Graham Central Station  – GCS2000]</ref>
+* [[Graham Central Station]]  – ''[[GCS 2000]]'' – [[NPG Records]] (1998) – Track: "GCS2000"<ref>Discogs [http://www.discogs.com/Graham-Central-Station-GCS2000/release/1586688 Graham Central Station  – GCS2000]</ref>
-* The Robert Cray Band - ''Time Will Tell'' - Sanctuary Records 06078-84613-2 - (2003) - Track: "Your Pal"<ref>Discogs [http://www.discogs.com/Robert-Cray-Band-Time-Will-Tell/master/731169 The Robert Cray Band  – Time Will Tell]</ref>
+* The [[Robert Cray Band]] - ''[[Time Will Tell (Robert Cray album)|Time Will Tell]]'' - Sanctuary Records 06078-84613-2 (2003) – Track: "Your Pal"<ref>Discogs [http://www.discogs.com/Robert-Cray-Band-Time-Will-Tell/master/731169 The Robert Cray Band  – Time Will Tell]</ref>
 ==References==
@@ Line 42: / Line 53: @@
 ==External links==
 *[http://thefamilystonemusic.com Family Stone website]
+*[https://www.waxpoetics.com/article/cynthia-robinson-family-affair/ Family Affair: Cynthia Robinson (March 7, 2021)]
 *[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mJT4uE_RD1E In loving memory of Ms Cynthia Robinson (january 12, 1944 - november 23, 2015)<br>Rich Romanello with help from Edwin & Arno Konings presents :<br>Sly & The Family Stone – Live at the Winchester Cathedral, Redwood City, CA March 1967 - "St. James Infirmary" feat. Cynthia Robinson on trumpet]
 {{Sly & the Family Stone}}
+{{1993 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame}}
 {{Authority control}}
@@ Line 51: / Line 64: @@
 [[Category:1944 births]]
 [[Category:2015 deaths]]
-[[Category:African-American female singers]]
+[[Category:African-American women singers]]
 [[Category:American funk singers]]
 [[Category:American soul singers]]
@@ Line 57: / Line 70: @@
 [[Category:Deaths from cancer in California]]
 [[Category:Musicians from Sacramento, California]]
-[[Category:Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees]]
 [[Category:Sly and the Family Stone members]]
-[[Category:African-American musicians]]
 [[Category:American funk musicians]]
 [[Category:American soul musicians]]
 [[Category:People from Carmichael, California]]
+[[Category:Women trumpeters]]
-{{US-trumpeter-stub}}

v t e Sly and the Family Stone
Sly Stone Freddie Stone Rose Stone Cynthia Robinson Greg Errico Jerry Martini Larry Graham Vet Stone Rustee Allen Pat Rizzo Andy Newmark Bill Lordan
Studio albums	A Whole New Thing (1967) Dance to the Music (1968) Life (1968) Stand! (1969) There's a Riot Goin' On (1971) Fresh (1973) Small Talk (1974) Heard Ya Missed Me, Well I'm Back (1976) Back on the Right Track (1979) Ain't But the One Way (1982)
Live albums	The Woodstock Experience (2009) Live at the Fillmore East October 4th & 5th, 1968 (2015)
Compilations	Greatest Hits (1970) Different Strokes by Different Folks (2005)
Singles	"Dance to the Music" "Everyday People" "Sing a Simple Song" "Stand!" "I Want to Take You Higher" "Hot Fun in the Summertime" "Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)" "Everybody Is a Star" "Family Affair" "Runnin' Away" "If You Want Me to Stay"
Related articles	Discography Sly Stone solo discography Little Sister Coming Back for More On the Sly: In Search of the Family Stone Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin) (book)
Category

v t e Rock and Roll Hall of Fame – Class of 1993
Performers	Ruth Brown Cream Ginger Baker, Jack Bruce, Eric Clapton Creedence Clearwater Revival Doug Clifford, Stu Cook, John Fogerty, Tom Fogerty The Doors John Densmore, Robby Krieger, Ray Manzarek, Jim Morrison Frankie Lymon & The Teenagers Sherman Garnes, Frankie Lymon, Jimmy Merchant, Joe Negroni, Herman Santiago Etta James Van Morrison Sly and the Family Stone Greg Errico, Larry Graham, Jerry Martini, Cynthia Robinson, Freddie Stone, Rose Stone, Sly Stone
Early influences	Dinah Washington
Non-performers (Ahmet Ertegun Award)	Dick Clark Milt Gabler