Robbie Dupree

Robert Dupuis (born December 23, 1946), known professionally as Robbie Dupree, is an American singer best known for his hit songs "Steal Away" (No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100) and "Hot Rod Hearts" (No. 15).

Robbie Dupree was born Robert Dupuis in Brooklyn, New York on December 23, 1946, the son of Robert, an auto mechanic, and Maureen, a housewife. While growing up in Queens, his biggest musical influences included R&B musicians Marvin Gaye and Sam Cooke.

In 1981, he received a Grammy nomination as Best New Artist, losing to Christopher Cross. Dupree's final single to make the Billboard chart, "Brooklyn Girls", peaked at No. 54 in June 1981.

In 1987, Dupree contributed the song "Girls in Cars" to Piledriver – The Wrestling Album 2, a collection of theme songs for World Wrestling Entertainment (then known as the World Wrestling Federation). The tag team Strike Force (Tito Santana and Rick Martel) used an instrumental version of "Girls in Cars" as their entrance music from 1987 to 1989.

In 2010, Dupree signed with Spectra Records and released the album Time and Tide featuring former E Street Band keyboards player David Sancious. On May 21, 2010, Dupree performed on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon as part of Jimmy's ongoing tribute to yacht rock, the smooth West Coast sound of the late 1970s and early 1980s.

Biography summary from English Wikipedia, photograph via Wikimedia Commons.