Richmond-based
Robbin Thompson died last week. Never heard of him? Don't worry, most people haven't, despite his being involved with
early Bruce Springsteen related bands. His songs were popular on local radio in the early 80s, but he never really got a national break, despite minor hits from his 1980 LP "
Two B's Please", like "
Brite Eyes" and "
Sweet Virginia Breeze" (which is one of the two
replacement songs for Virginia's
unfortunate former state song).
My favorite from the time was "Candy Apple Red", a nostalgic song borrowing from both
Beach Music and
The Beach Boys. It wasn't a single from the LP, but I recall hearing it on the radio at the time. And while the theme is hardly unique, I can't help but think it presaged "
Glory Days", which Bruce would record a few years later.
The Robbin Thompson Band - "
Candy Apple Red"
