David Robinson (drummer)

David Robinson
Robinson with the Cars in 1984
Background information
Born	(1949-04-02) April 2, 1949 Malden, Massachusetts, United States
Genres	Rock, new wave, proto-punk
Occupation	Drummer
Years active	1960s–1988, 2010–2011, 2018
Labels	Elektra
Formerly of	The Cars the Modern Lovers DMZ

David Robinson (born April 2, 1949) is a retired American rock drummer. He has performed with many rock bands, including the Rising Tide, the Modern Lovers, the Pop!, DMZ and the Cars. In 2018, Robinson was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the Cars.

Background

Born in Malden, Massachusetts, Robinson attended Woburn Memorial High School. From 1970 to 1973, he was a member of the Modern Lovers. Robinson co-formed the Cars in 1976, and came up with the Cars' band name and is credited with designing the album covers. Robinson was the only member of the Cars who was a Massachusetts native. He was a member of DMZ when he left to form the Cars. After the breakup of the Cars, Robinson retired from the music industry, and ran a restaurant. He was an extra in several films, including Housesitter and The Crucible. In 2010, Robinson reunited with the surviving original members of the Cars to record their first album in 24 years, titled Move Like This. He had to relearn how to play the drums since (aside from loose jamming on the congas) he had stopped playing in 1987. After the completion of Move Like This, Robinson said that he would be interested in working on more studio albums.

As of August 2018, Robinson runs an art gallery in Rockport, Massachusetts, where he sells jewelry that he makes himself. In 2020, Robinson appeared in an episode of Chasing Classic Cars in which his 1969 De Tomaso Mangusta was restored.