Robbie Dupree

Robbie Dupree is a singer and songwriter whose smooth but gently soulful vocal style helped earn him a pair of early-'80s soft rock hits. A New York native, he spent much of the '70s playing in bands and eventually relocated to Los Angeles, where he reinvented himself as a solo act. Dupree landed a contract with Elektra and made a polished but catchy self-titled album that revealed the influence of the Doobie Brothers. Released in 1980, it spawned the major hits "Steal Away" and "Hot Rod Hearts." Dupree's popularity waned, but he continued to record and enjoyed a career resurgence with assistance from Internet comedians who embraced soft rock in a series of tributes to what they called "yacht rock." ~ Mark Deming