Vicki Sue Robinson, a talented actress and singer, was born on May 31, 1954, in Harlem, New York City, and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
She was the daughter of Jolly Robinson, a white folk singer, and Bill Robinson, a black Shakespearean actor, who was actually part white, part black, and part Native American.
Robinson made her first public appearance at the age of six in 1960, singing harmonies with her mother on stage at the Philadelphia Folk Festival.
At the age of sixteen, Robinson was featured as a cast member in the Broadway stage production of the hit hippie counterculture musical "Hair."
She also appeared in stage productions of "Jesus Christ, Superstar," "Soon," "Long Time Coming, Long Time Gone," and "Voices from the Third World."
Robinson made her professional singing debut singing backing vocals on Todd Rundgren's album "Something, Anything."
She acted in the movies "Going Home," "To Find a Man," "Hoodlums," and "Red Lipstick."
In 1976, Robinson scored her greatest success with the rousing disco anthem "Turn the Beat Around," which was a #1 hit on the disco charts and peaked at #10 on the Billboard pop charts.
The song earned her a Grammy nomination for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance and was named the best new disco artist of the year by "Billboard" magazine.
Although she never matched the success of "Turn the Beat Around," Robinson had a long and varied show business career throughout the 80's and 90's.
She contributed the pulsating tune "Nighttime Fantasy" to the soundtrack of the flop vampire horror comedy "Nocturna."
Robinson sang commercial jingles for high-profile clients such as Gillette Razors, General Motors, Maybelline, Sprite, Downey Fabric Softener, Doublemint Gum, and Folgers Coffee.
She also worked as a session singer on albums for artists such as Cher, Michael Bolton, Cyndi Lauper, and RuPaul.
In 1983, Robinson had a Top 5 hit in Australia with her disco cover of the classic Lulu song "To Sir, With Love."
She supplied the singing voice for actress Kath Soucie on the cartoon TV series "Jem."
The success of Gloria Estefan's 1994 cover of "Turn the Beat Around" sparked a resurgence in Robinson's career, and she went on to make guest appearances on numerous talk shows, record the song "My Stomp, My Beat" for the soundtrack of the film "Chasing Amy," and embark on a well-received world tour with fellow disco veterans.
Robinson died from cancer at the tragically young age of 45 on April 27, 2000, at her home in Wilton, Connecticut.
