NEW YORK (CelebrityAccess) – 2007 Songwriters Hall of Fame inductee, songwriter, singer, and former Broadcast Music Inc. (BMI) music executive Robert “Bobby” Weinstein, passed away on March 16 at the age of 82. A cause of death has not been disclosed.
Weinstein was the product of a musical family, growing up in New York City, where he attended the School of Industrial Art in Manhattan. While there, he formed a vocal group, The Legends, alongside fellow students Marshall Samples, Ron Warwell, Richard “Chico” Brunson, Sampson Reese, and Dominick Fleres. The group won a talent contest on the stage of the famed Apollo Theater in 1955.
In 1957, he began writing songs with Teddy Randazzo, and their first major hit as co-writers was “Pretty Blue Eyes,” recorded by Steve Lawrence and produced by Don Costa, which reached no. 9 on the pop charts at the start of 1960.
Working as part of Costa’s production company, Weinstein and Randazzo had some of their biggest successes with comeback hits for Little Anthony and the Imperials in 1964 and 1965, “I’m On The Outside (Looking In),” “Goin’ Out Of My Head,” and “Hurt So Bad,” the last of which was also co-written with Bobby Hart. Weinstein, Randazzo, and Lou Stallman also had a hit in 1965 with “It’s Gonna Take A Miracle” by The Royalettes. “Goin’ Out Of My Head” has sold more than 100 million records recorded by over 400 artists and ranks in the top 50 of the most recorded songs in history.
Many of Weinstein’s collaborations were recorded by hit artists of that time, including The Box Tops, Dionne Warwick, Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons, Ella Fitzgerald, Duke Ellington, Jerry Vale, The Lettermen, Linda Ronstadt, Deniece Williams, Luther Vandross, The Temptations, Little Anthony and The Imperials, The Royalettes and Frank Sinatra.
Weinstein later became an executive with the performing rights organization BMI, where he served for 25 years as liaison for songwriter affiliates. He was a Songwriters Hall of Fame board member for 24 years and was president of the organization from 1993 to 1999.
He is survived by his loving wife Carol, beloved son Blue and was a loving grandfather.
