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Robin Wayne Zander (born January 23, 1953) is an American musician who is the lead singer and rhythm guitarist for the rock band Cheap Trick. Zander joined Cheap Trick in 1974 and, as of 2026, remains a member of the band. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2016 as a member of Cheap Trick. Zander is also a solo artist.
In the fall of 1974, after having completed his contractual obligations with Zander and Kent, Zander joined Cheap Trick. Along with Zander on lead vocals and rhythm guitar, the band consisted of guitarist Rick Nielsen, bassist Tom Petersson, and drummer Bun E. Carlos. Cheap Trick's 1979 album, Cheap Trick at Budokan, catapulted the band to stardom. The band reached the Top 10 in the U.S. charts in 1979 with "I Want You to Want Me" and topped the charts in 1988 with "The Flame". Cheap Trick has performed more than 5,000 shows and has sold more than 20 million albums. Zander was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Cheap Trick in 2016. As of 2026, he is still the lead singer of the band.
Zander released the solo album Robin Zander in 1993. SPIN. SPIN Media LLC. September 1993. p. 122. ISSN 0886-3032. Retrieved December 31, 2025. The lead single, "I've Always Got You", was issued to radio in June 1993, peaking at no. 13 on the Billboard Album Rock Tracks chart and no. 8 on Radio & Records AOR Tracks chart. A second single, "Show Me Heaven", followed in November 1993.
On September 30, 2016, Los Angeles rock band Steel Panther released a cover version of the Cheap Trick song "She's Tight". Steel Panther's music video for "She's Tight" features Zander.
Zander's vocal style has influenced many other rock singers, from 1980s (such as Joe Elliott of Def Leppard, Vince Neil of Mötley Crüe, Axl Rose of Guns N' Roses, Bret Michaels of Poison, and Sebastian Bach of Skid Row) to 1990s punk rock (such as Billie Joe Armstrong of Green Day) to alternative rock singers (such as Billy Corgan of The Smashing Pumpkins, Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam, Kurt Cobain of Nirvana, and Scott Weiland of Stone Temple Pilots).Multiple sources:
As of 2018, Zander lives in Safety Harbor, Florida with his wife, former Playboy Playmate Pamela Stein. Zander and Stein have a son, Robin Taylor Zander, and a daughter, Robin-Sailor Zander; both are singer-songwriters. When Cheap Trick bass guitar Tom Petersson was unable to tour in 2021 due to surgery, Zander's son Robin filled in for him on tour.
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