Robert Brookins passed away from a heart attack on the 15th of April 2009. He was 46
Born: Robert F. Brookins Jr., 7th October 1962, Sacramento, California, U.S.A. Died: 15th April 2009, Elk Grove, California, U.S.A.Robert Brookins was a respected singer, songwriter and producer. Born in Sacramento, California, Robert began singing at the age of four.
At five years old, he was playing drums and by the time he was nine he was playing keyboards. By the Eighties he had a good grasp of the bass and lead guitars as well as various horn instruments. In 1974, he won the Motown Records Soul Search competition with his group Little Robert and the Fondeles.
Robert then joined the group Afterbach, in 1981, along with his brother Michael (guitars), and sang lead vocals on the ARC Columbia album ‘Matinee’.
The album was produced by Maurice and Verdine White of Earth Wind And Fire. As a teenager Robert performed in front of Ronald Reagan at the White House in Washington prior to becoming a prominent producer on both the West and East Coast of America during the mid ’80’s.
In 1986 he was the featured singer on the George Duke album ‘George Duke’, following which he signed to MCA as a solo artist where his debut solo album ‘In The Night’ (1986), included ‘Come To Me’ and the Stephanie Mills duet ‘In The Night (Making Love)’. ‘Let It Be Me’ followed in 1988, including another Stephanie Mills duet ‘Where Is The Love’.
As a writer and / or producer he has worked with The Reddings, Bobby Brown (‘Seventeen’), Jackie Jackson, Stephanie Mills, Deniece Williams (‘Blind Dating’), Jeffrey Osborne (‘All Because Of You’) and The Whispers (‘Innocent’).
Robert has also recorded keyboards with artists including the late George Howard (‘A Nice Place To Be’), Ramsey Lewis and Nancy Wilson (‘The Two of Us’), Stanley Clarke (‘Find Out’) and Roy Ayers. Robert kept a low artistic profile throughout the Nineties.