Lobo

Singer/songwriter Lobo was born as Roland Kent LaVoie on July 31, 1943 in Tallahassee, Florida. One of seven children, Lobo was raised by his mother in Winter Haven, Florida. His father was a big band guitar player. Lobo joined the band the Rumors in 1961. He attended both St. Petersburg Junior College and the University of South Florida. In 1964 he joined the group the Suger Beats. Other bands Lobo was a member of in his salad days were US Male and Me and the Other Guys. In 1969 Lobo recorded "Happy Days in New York City/My Friend is Here," which was his debut single as a solo artist on the Laurie Records label. Lobo had his first hit song in 1971 with the charming "Me and You and a Dog Named Boo," which peaked at #5 on the Billboard pop charts. The plaintive ballad "I'd Love You to Want Me" proved to be Lobo's greatest smash success; it soared all the way to #2 on the Billboard pop charts in 1972. Moreover, "I'd Love You to Want Me" was a #1 hit in Germany in 1973 and cracked the UK pop charts at #5 in the middle of 1974. "Don't Expect Me to Be Your Friend" likewise did well; it reached #8 on the Billboard pop charts in 1972. Lobo had additional Top 40 hits in 1973 and 1974 with the songs "It Sure Took a Long, Long Time," "How Can I Tell Her," and "Standing at the End of the Line." Lobo had his last Top 30 chart success with "Don't Tell Me Goodnight" in 1975. He went on to record either albums and/or singles for the labels Philips, Curb Records, and MCA Records throughout the rest of the 70's. In 1979 Lobo had a #23 hit with "Where Were You When I Was Falling in Love." He started his own label called Lobo Records in 1981. Lobo had a trio of country radio hits in the early 80's with the songs "I Don't Want to Want You," "Come Looking for Me," and "Living My Life Without You". Lobo Records became Evergreen Records in 1985. The label scored a big country hit with the single "Paint the Town Blue," which was a duet between Lobo and Robin Lee. In the late 80's Lobo started to amass a substantial fan following in Asia. He has released several albums for the Asian market and has performed in concert to sold-out crowds in Asia. Lobo released his latest album "Out of Time" in 2008.