Austin Roberts born 19 September 1945

Austin Roberts (born George Austin Robertson Jr.; September 19, 1945 – November 1, 2024) was an American Grammy Award-winning singer/songwriter who landed a Top Ten hit in 1975 with a cover version of the Jay Stevens'-penned country-pop/soft rock weeper "Rocky," the multi-talented Austin Roberts has also written for television and the stage. 

Roberts was born in Norfolk, Virginia, but grew up in the quaint Hilton Village area of Newport News, Virginia. After working on his Bachelor of Arts at William & Mary College, George enlisted in the Marine Corps. Upon discharge he made his way to New York City where he began his multi-faceted career. 

He served as the lead vocalist with numerous groups during the late '60s and '70s, including the Buchanan Brothers and Arkade, the latter of whom scored a hit in the early '70s with "The Morning of Our Lives." In 1970 he performed a new rendition of the theme song to the second season of the animated series, Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! as well as the season 2 "chase songs", many of which he also composed. He also did some voice acting in the show. 

In 1972, he sang the hit "Something's Wrong with Me", written by Danny Janssen and Bobby Hart, which reached No. 12 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1972. "Keep on Singing", later a No. 15 hit single for Helen Reddy in April 1974, was another hit for Roberts, reaching No. 50 on the Hot 100 in March 1973.

                                   

 "Rocky" brought his greatest success, reaching No. 9 on the Hot 100 in October 1975. The track also reached No. 22 in the UK in November 1975, which to date is Roberts' only chart appearance in the UK. It also topped the pop charts in Germany and South Africa. Roberts was also a backup singer for the Partridge Family, and in Josie and the Pussycats. 

The new era of country music was taking shape in Nashville, Tennessee and in the late 70’s, Roberts established himself in Franklin, with his family, and crafted a career in the country music songwriting market – with hit songs such as “IOU” by Lee Greenwood, “You Lie” by Reba McIntyre, the 1988 Olympics Gymnastics Team theme song “When You Put Your Heart In It,” by Kenny Rogers, hit songs with BJ Thomas, Gary Morris, Michele Wright, Lorrie Morgan and so many more. He co-wrote and produced along with many other legends in the songwriting world for many years. 

He was the recipient of numerous nominations and wins from CMA’s, Grammy’s, ACM and Music City News Awards and unending accolades in between. A highlight had to be nominations at both the Golden Globes and Academy Awards for Best Song – “Over You,” from the 1984 movie “Tender Mercies.” Roberts had other movie music, television, jingles and off Broadway shows added to his resume over the years including the musicals, Rachinoff and Damon's Song.

In 1999, Busch Gardens commissioned Roberts to write the opening song for their Williamsburg Extravaganza. 

Roberts died from numerous prolonged health issues on November 1, 2024, at the age of 79. 

(Edited from AllMusic, Williamson County Source, Wikipedia & Scoobysnax)