Robert John

Best known for his 1979 number one hit "Sad Eyes," pop singer Robert John actually charted for the first time in 1958 as a doo wop singer, giving him one of the longest spans ever between an artist's chart debut and first number one single. Billed as Bobby Pedrick, his debut single, "White Bucks and Saddle Shoes," charted in 1958, as did the follow-up, "Pajama Party," early the next year. Going by Robert John, he signed with Atlantic in 1971 and soon landed a Top Ten smash with a remake of "The Lion Sleeps Tonight." In 1979, he resurfaced on EMI with the album Night Songs, and late that year, the smooth pop ballad "Sad Eyes" went all the way to number one. No follow-up proved nearly as popular; his last chart single was in 1983 with a remake of "Bread and Butter" on Motown.