Meet Robin Lane, Musician and Founder of Non-Profit Songbird Sings.

Performing on the main stage live Sat at 3:45 pm is Robin Lane. Born in Los Angeles, Robin grew up in a musical family. During her teenage years, she became immersed in the music scene and the 1960’s alternative lifestyle, which inspired to write her own songs. Her father was Dean Martin’s musical director for many years and wrote the hit “Everybody Loves Somebody Sometime.” for him. She wrote several original songs during high school. Her first collaboration with Crazy Horse was not a formal one, but the association led to her debut – she sang on Neil Young’s album Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere.

Leaving LA’s wild and overwhelming entertainment scene, Robin moved to Pennsylvania, Manhattan, and finally Cambridge. Robin Lane and The Chartbusters started their career in Cambridge, Massachusetts in the late 70’s the surroundings of cultural and intellectual creativity merging punk, new wave, East Coast folk, and West Coast rock influences. Lane’s songs were infused with garage rock by ex-Modern Lovers Asa Brebner and Leroy Radcliffe.

Warner Brothers Records released three albums by them, including a self named record in 1980, the live EP 5 Live, and Imitation Life (1981). Two of her first album’s singles, “When Things Go Wrong” and “Why Do You Tell Lies?” received extensive national airplay. Robin Lane & The Chartbusters had the their 11th rock video played on MTV.

The first album received a four-star rating in the New Rolling Stone Record Guide. According to Geoffrey Himes for the Washington Post, “Although Blondie’s Deborah Harry and the Pretenders’ Chrissie Hynde have more hits and more press, Robin is arguably the most talented female artist to emerge from the New Wave Rock movement.”

Robin Lane and the Chartbusters toured considerably while in their heyday, opening for groups, The Kinks, The Cars, Hall and Oates, XTC, and others. The band’s last album was the release, Heart Connection.

Once the band stopped performing together, Robin split her time between raising her daughter, honing her songwriting skills, and touring solo. She performed at festivals in Holland, England, and Germany and opened for Warren Zevon, John Hiatt, Taj Mahal, Tim Finn, Dave Mason, Steve Earle, and T-Bone Burnett. 1988, she received the Boston Music Award for Outstanding Female Vocalist. As part of her first solo album, When You’re A Boy, Susanna Hoffs (Bangles) recorded Robin’s song “Wishing on Telstar.”. Robin also sang on the CD.

Cat Bird Seat was Robin’s first album since 1990. She had been out of the spotlight for 10 years, but she returned with a bang. Her new album received rave reviews and was featured on the cover of Billboard Magazine.

In 2002 The Chartbusters reunited. Their CD, Piece of Mind, was released in February, 2003.

In 2010 Robin founded Songbird Sings. Songbird Sings is non-profit dedicated to helping people work through and recover from traumatic experiences by writing and recording their own songs. The workshops help to transform those who’ve been silenced by domestic violence, sexual exploitation, childhood abuse, and the horrors of war. She is involved with Theo and Paul Epstein’s Foundation To Be Named Later and performs with Peter Gammons, Theo Epstein, Bill Janovitz, Tanya Donnelly at Hot Stove Cool Music, each year raising money for charities. Her workshops have been supported, among others, by Pearl Jam’s Vitalogy Foundation. Robin continues writing songs, performing House Concerts and various café’s and clubs.

The MusicCons Music Collectibles Extravaganza, April 8-10, 2022 at Boxboro Regency Hotel. Featuring vendors of records, instruments, gear, memorabilia and more!

Daily and weekend passes available while supply lasts. Concerts included in admission.