Born on 1 June: Tom Robinson, English rock's tireless campaigner

He was born in Cambridge in 1950 and, after almost half a century of career, still retains his eternal kindness and… his rebellious spirit.

At the school he attended, which was connected to the Quaker movement, he first learned his craft in a (yes, already) trio where he played the guitar. Adolescents have vivid imaginations, so they chose The Inquisition as their stage name!

At the age of 13, he realised he had feelings for other boys. At the time, homosexuality was still considered a crime punishable by imprisonment in the United Kingdom. It was not even partially legalised until 1967. It’s therefore no surprise that one of his hits with his band the Tom Robinson Band is entitled "Glad To Be Gay". Originally written for a London gay pride in 1976, it featured prominently on a four-track EP released at the start of 1978. While becoming an anthem of resistance for gay communities all over Europe, it was also censored from the BBC’s airwaves. Only John Peel, the venerable broadcaster’s famed talent spotter, refused to follow the censorship orders. 

Afterwards, Tom Robinson explored many other musical genres but always kept up the same activism. He championed the Rock Against Racism movement from its very beginning in 1976 and still supports Amnesty International to this day. In the pages of The Guardian, he even said: "Music saved me. And activism gave me a reason to get up in the morning."

Long seen as an exclusively gay icon, in the 1990s he revealed that he was in a relationship with a woman, thus affirming his bisexual identity. He then became an ardent defender of the diversity of sexual identities.

Up until recently he was a presenter on BBC 6 Music where, in a way, he was picking up John Peel’s torch, while he also still continues—well into his 70s—to perform on stage, sometimes solo with just his guitar, sometimes with a specially formed group. And the wonderful stories he tells are as worth hearing as the choruses—like "Atmospherics Listen To The Radio" and "Spain", the magnificent "War Baby", or "2.4.6.8 Motorway"—that are tucked away somewhere in the recesses of your memory. A few years ago, when I gave him the photo illustrating this article, he naturally came up with an anecdote from his memory. "I remember that TRB concert at the Werchter Festival perfectly, for one simple reason: it was our last gig together before the band split up. That’s something you never forget!"

(MH with Stéphane Soupart – Photo: © Etienne Tordoir)

Photo: Tom Robinson with TRB on stage at the Werchter Festival (Belgium) in July 1979