From:   "Dik de Heer" 
Date:  Fri Sep 20, 2002  1:17 am
Subject:  Born To Be With You : Bobby Nunn
 
BOBBY NUNN

Born Ulysses B. Nunn, September 20, 1925, Birmingham, Alabama.
Died 5 November 1986, Los Angeles, California

Bobby Nunn was the bass singer of the Coasters from October 1955 to
circa September 1957. Prior to that, he was a founding member of the
Robins.
Nunn settled in Watts, Los Angeles, after his discharge from the U.S.
Air Force (where he had become welterweight boxing champion) in 1947.
There he was discovered by Johnny Otis' drummer Leard Bell at The
Barrelhouse club. Bobby teamed up with the A-Sharp Trio from San
Francisco, comprising twin brothers Billy and Roy Richards, and Ty
"Terrell" Leonard and recorded with them as the Four Bluebirds for the
Excelsior label (featuring Otis' band) in 1947. He also recorded with this
group as the Robins from 1949 for Aladdin, and especially for Savoy,
waxing a.o. "If It's So Baby" (# 10 R&B), "The Turkey Hop", and "Our
Romance Is Gone". For Savoy he also duetted with Little Esther on
"Double Crossing Blues", a # 1 R&B hit in 1950. The Robins were closely
associated with Johnny Otis during this period. In December 1950, Bobby
guested Modern Records, where "Bobby Nunn with the Robins" waxed
Leiber-Stollerīs first record composition, "Thatīs What The Good Book
Says". He worked as a solo artist between stints with the Robins and
duetted with girl singer Mickey Champion, with Little Esther again, and
also with the legendary Bobby Day (who in his early days recorded under
his true name, Robert Byrd). In 1953 Nunn and the Robins (now enlarged
with tenor Grady Chapman) recorded for RCA and Crown, and later moved
to Spark Records, where Carl Gardner joined them. Nunn sang lead on a.o.
"Framed" for Spark, and left the Robins together with Gardner to become
original bass for the Coasters.
Bobby Nunn stayed in California when the Coasters moved to New York.
His replacement in the Coasters was Will "Dub" Jones from the Cadets.
In the 60s Nunn launched a West-Coast based new group, "The Coasters,
Mark II". He toured with this group, initially including former Robins member
Grady Chapman, Billy Wilson and Bobby Sheen from Bob B. Soxx & the
Blue Jeans - soon also Billy Richards' nephew Billy Richards, Jr and some-
times Randy Jones. They acted all over the U.S., and even in Germany
in the ī80s, up to Nunnīs death by heart-failure in Los Angeles in 1986.
His group is now led by Billy Richards, Jr. and touring as Billy Richards'
Coasters or The West Coasters.

Recommended listening:
The Robins, Rockin' - Titanic TR-CD 6007 (Italy). 26 Savoy recordings.