Robert Gordon Dies: Singer Who Took Rockabilly To Downtown Punk Scene Was 75
deadline.comRobert Gordon, a rockabilly devotee and singer whose band the Tuff Darts was a staple of New York City’s CBGB and Max’s Kansas City punk scene of the 1970s, died today.
He was 75. His death was announced by his record label Cleopatra Records on Facebook. “Cleopatra Records would like to offer our deepest condolences to his family and friends,” the statement reads. “We liked working with Robert and will miss his powerful baritone vocal as well as his focused dedication to his music.” A cause of death was not disclosed, but a GoFundMe page set up by his family says Gordon had been battling an aggressive form of acute myeloid leukemia.
Born in Bethesda, Maryland, Gordon developed an early affinity with such pioneering rockers of the 1950s as Eddie Cochran, Gene Vincent and Elvis Presley, and would later model both his musical approach and visual style on those heroes.
He and his band Tuff Darts, along with the likes of Patti Smith, the Ramones and Blondie, became part of the burgeoning downtown punk scene centered around CBGB and was included on the 1976 Atlantic Records compilation Live at CBGB.
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