Lobo (musician)

Born Roland Kent Lavoie, July 31, 1943 in Tallahassee, Florida, Lobo was a singer-songwriter who was successful in the early 1970s. He was raised in the town of Winter Haven, Florida with his mother and six siblings. There he began his musical career as a member of "The Rumours" while attending the University of South Florida. He also apprenticed in several other groups during the 1960s as well, most notably the "Legends from Tampa, Florida", which included Gram Parsons and Jim Stafford. They would also enjoy success in the early '70s with two Top 10 hits, both produced by Lavoie. Lavoie also performed with bands called the "Sugar Beats" and "Me And The Other Guys", neither of which had any success outside of their region.

In 1971, former Sugar Beats member Phil Gernhard signed Lavoie. It was at this time Lavoie started calling himself Lobo (Spanish for wolf). Gernhard was an executive for Big Tree Records, and it was here Lobo released his first single, "Me And You And A Dog Named Boo". It reached number 5 in the US and launched a successful series of singles. The song became his only hit in the UK, where it reached number 4. Back-to-back Top 10 hits in 1972, "I'd Love You To Want Me" and "Don't Expect Me To Be Your Friend", were the last major hits for Lobo; however, he continued to chart with Big Tree until 1975 (six albums also charted, but only the second, Of A Simple Man, in 1972, made the Top 40). Lobo's songs have been characterised by their sweet melodies, sumptuous instrumentation and soulful lyrics. This has made him reasonably well known even outside the Western world including Africa, India and South-East Asia.

In 1979, Lobo resurfaced on MCA Records with "Where Were You When I Was Falling In Love" which reached number 23.