Summary
Robert Tepper (born 30 May 1950)[1] is an American songwriter, recording artist and singer, best known for his hit song "No Easy Way Out" from the Rocky IV motion picture soundtrack. He is also known for co-writing the hit song "Into the Night" with Benny Mardones.
Robert Tepper | |
|---|---|
| Born | Robert Tepper 30 May 1950[1] |
| Nationality | American |
| Other names | Bobby Tepper Robert Tepper |
| Labels |
|
| Children | 5 |
| Musical career | |
| Genres | Hard rock, AOR, soft rock, pop rock, rock |
| Occupation(s) | musician, songwriter, bassist, singer |
| Instrument(s) | bass guitar (early), vocals (tenor) |
| Years active | 1980 — present |
| Formerly of | Iron Butterfly (1990—1992) |
| Website | roberttepper |
Life and career edit
Tepper was born in Bayonne, New Jersey on 30 May 1950.
He paired up with fellow singer Benny Mardones, and together they wrote Mardones' hit ballad Into the Night. Tepper then worked with Mardones on writing the latter's follow-up album Too Much to Lose in 1981.
In 1985, Tepper signed with Scotti Brothers and moved to Los Angeles. Actor/director Sylvester Stallone was taken with Tepper's song "No Easy Way Out", which subsequently led to its inclusion in the movie Rocky IV and to his song "Angel of the City" to be included in Stallone's 1986 film Cobra. "No Easy Way Out" climbed into the Top 40, reaching #22 on Billboard's Hot 100 in 1986, and momentarily putting Tepper in the public eye. Several European labels, including Ministry of Sound, released "No Easy Way Out" with their own dance versions, resulting in regular airplay on German radio stations that continues today (in particular evening dance and party programming in Munich featured on Charivari 95.5 and Radio Gong 96.3). The heavy metal group Bullet For My Valentine also recorded the song in 2008. Tepper released two solo albums for Scotti Bros. Records, but both albums received little promotion from the label. In 1986, one year after Rocky IV, another song from Tepper's debut album (titled No Easy Way Out) called "Angel Of The City" became the insert montage song of Stallone´s film Cobra. Also in 1986, he co-wrote the single "Le Bel Age" for Pat Benatar, which peaked at #54 on the Billboard charts. A second album, Modern Madness was released in 1988. He went on to join the classic hard rock group Iron Butterfly for a few years. His third solo album No Rest For The Wounded Heart was released exclusively in Europe in 1996 on the MTM Music label.
In 2009, Sony/BMG re-released his first two albums digitally.
In 2012, he released his fourth solo album titled New Life Story. The music is a departure from the big rock sound of the 1980s and has been described as "acoustic, singer/songwriter with an electric tinge."
In 2023, Robert and musician/business partner Chris Cameron started Red Eye Syndicate LLC, a music licensing company.
Tepper lives in Los Angeles and has five children.[citation needed]
Discography edit
Albums edit
- No Easy Way Out (Scotti Bros., 1985) Billboard 200 #144[2]
- Modern Madness (Scotti Bros., 1988)
- No Rest for the Wounded Heart (MTM Music, 1996)
- New Life Story (2012)
- Better Than the Rest (AOR Heaven, 2019)
- Feels Like Monday (Heavy Breather, 2022)
Singles edit
| Year | Title | Peak chart positions[3] | Album | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hot 100 | Mainstream Rock | |||
| 1986 | "No Easy Way Out" | 22 | 12 | No Easy Way Out[4] |
| "Don't Walk Away" | 85 | — | ||
| "Angel of the City" | — | — | ||
| "If That's What You Call Lovin'" | — | — | ||
| 1988 | "The Unforgiven" | — | — | Modern Madness[5][6] |
| "When You Dream of Love" | — | — | ||
| 2015 | "Ain't No Rules" | — | — | Non-album singles |
| 2017 | "Looking for the Love" | — | — | |
| 2018 | "Whose Lonely Now" | — | — | |
References edit
- ^ a b "Robert Tepper". Resso. Archived from the original on 2023-05-30. Retrieved 2023-05-30.
- ^ Robert Tepper Chart History | Billboard
- ^ Robert Tepper Chart History | Billboard
- ^ Robert Tepper Discography at Discogs
- ^ Amazon.com The Unforgiven b/w same (12 inch vinyl single): Music
- ^ Robert Tepper - When You Dream Of Love Records, CDs and LPs
External links edit
- Robert Tepper Official Website
- Red Eye Syndicate home page