The B-side is a cover of Bob Dylan's " I Shall Be Released" which Robinson performed many times, including as part of the supergroup "The Secret Police" at The Secret Policeman's Ball in 1979. It was released in Europe, reaching No. 1 in Sweden on 27 January 1978, and staying at the top for 4 weeks, while in the US (Harvest 4533) has "2-4-6-8" on both sides. It was re-released on Old Gold in 1983 and on EMI in 1987, including a 12" version. [7] Motorway" was originally released on 7 October 1977 and immediately attracted attention. It rose to No. 5 in the UK Singles Chart on 22 October 1977, and stayed on the chart for 9 weeks. [3] This is Robinson's highest charting single; his later (solo) single " War Baby" reached No. 6. The band performed it on Top of the Pops on 27 October, and again on 10 November. [4] August 2004 Script". Queer Music Heritage. August 2004. Archived from the original on 2007-07-05 . Retrieved 2014-08-05. Adam Sherwin. "Tom Robinson: Singer shows new generation the power of the protest song in his first album for 20 years". The Independent . Retrieved 4 March 2017.

a b c d e f g "Tom Robinson - Full Official Chart History". Official Charts Company . Retrieved 19 January 2016. Robinson's return to Britain led to late-night performances in cabarets at the Edinburgh Fringe, some of which later surfaced on the live album Midnight at the Fringe (1988). [2] [3] His career enjoyed a resurgence in the mid-1990s with a trio of albums for the respected folk/roots label Cooking Vinyl and a Glastonbury performance in 1994. [3] [7] Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrateded.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p.254. ISBN 0-646-11917-6. Rebecca Fowler, "National Music Festival: 2-4-6-8 it's never too late: He went in and out of fashion but Tom Robinson is still driven by music. Rebecca Fowler meets the gay activist who became a family man", The Independent, 4 June 1996.

Credits (1)

The music and lyrics were written by Tom Robinson. The song was the first single released by the Tom Robinson Band, who had formed in January 1977 and was signed to EMI in August 1977. Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19thed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.

In 1973, Robinson moved to London and joined the acoustic trio Café Society. [2] [3] They impressed Ray Davies, of The Kinks, enough for him to sign them to his Konk label and produce their debut album. According to Robinson, Davies's other commitments made the recording a lengthy process and, after it sold only 600 copies, [3] he left the band. Subsequently, when the Tom Robinson Band were playing at the Nashville Rooms in London, Robinson saw Davies enter and sarcastically performed The Kinks' hit " Tired of Waiting for You". Davies retaliated with the less-than-complimentary Kinks single "Prince of the Punks", about Robinson. [ vague]

Continuing our look at the stories behind the songs, we turn our attention to a perennial driving favourite. Tom Robinson talked to M about the secrets of 2-4-6-8 Motorway - the debut single by Tom Robinson Band (TRB) in 1977. In 2020, Robinson embarked on a four-night solo acoustic tour prior to beginning a 22-date UK "70th Birthday Tour" featuring a 5-piece band. [14] Personal life [ edit ]

Over his career, Robinson has released more than twenty albums either as a solo performer or as a member of a group. [2] He has also released fanclub-only bootlegs known as the Castaway Club series. In late 2018 and early 2019 Robinson deputised for Radio 2 DJ Johnnie Walker on his Sunday show Sounds of the 70s. [13] a b "Peter Tatchell: Not Glad To Be Gay?". 5 January 2011. Archived from the original on 5 January 2011 . Retrieved 18 September 2020.

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A longtime supporter and former volunteer of London's Gay Switchboard help-line, it was at a 1982 benefit party for the organisation that Robinson met Sue Brearley, [17] the woman with whom he would eventually live and have two children, and later marry. [2] In a 1994 interview for The Boston Globe newspaper, Robinson asserted: "We've been fighting for tolerance for the last 20 years, and I've campaigned for people to be able to love whoever the hell they want. That's what we're talking about: tolerance and freedom and liberty—life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. So if somebody won't grant me the same tolerance I've been fighting for them, hey, they've got a problem, not me." [2] Thomas Giles Robinson (born 1 June 1950) is a British singer, bassist, radio presenter and long-time LGBT rights activist, best known for the hits " Glad to Be Gay", " 2-4-6-8 Motorway", and "Don't Take No for an Answer", with his Tom Robinson Band. He later peaked at No.6 in the UK Singles Chart with his solo single " War Baby". [1] Early life [ edit ] In 2014, he was one of the performers at the opening ceremonies of WorldPride in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, alongside Melissa Etheridge, Deborah Cox and Steve Grand. [10] Tom Robinson was born into a middle-class family in Cambridge on 1 June 1950. [2] He attended Friends' School, Saffron Walden, a co-ed privately funded Quaker school, between 1961 and 1967. He played guitar in a trio at school called The Inquisition. Robinson has two brothers, Matthew (a former BBC executive producer) and George, and a sister, Sophy.

In 1982, Robinson penned the song " War Baby" about divisions between East and West Germany, [2] and recorded his first solo album North by Northwest with producer Richard Mazda. "War Baby" peaked at No.6 in the UK Singles Chart [1] and at No.1 in the UK Indie Chart for three weeks, [6] reviving his career. [2] [3] His following single, "Listen to the Radio: Atmospherics", co-written with Peter Gabriel, peaked at No.39 in the UK Singles Chart, and provided him further income when it was covered by Pukka Orchestra in 1984. [1] The Pukkas' version was a top 20 hit in Canada under the title "Listen to the Radio". Tom Robinson Concert Setlists and Tour Dates". setlist.fm. 30 November 2019 . Retrieved 3 August 2020. Tom Robinson Albums 1975–2002". tomrobinson.com. Archived from the original on 2014-06-05 . Retrieved 2014-08-05. Motorway" was not issued on a UK album at the time, and Robinson still rues what he calls the "fatal mistake" of omitting the band's most famous songs "2-4-6-8 Motorway" and "Glad to Be Gay" from their debut album Power in the Darkness, although both songs appeared on a 12" bonus record included with the US release of Power in the Darkness. Robinson wrote the song between leaving Café Society in 1976 and forming the Tom Robinson Band the following year, at a time when he was performing with whichever friends were available on the night; thus, the song had to be simple enough to learn in a few minutes. [1]Gold Badge Award recipients revealed - M Magazine". M magazine: PRS for Music online magazine. 16 September 2015. Robinson does not identify exclusively as gay. He has had past experiences with women and has asserted that he has always made it clear that he liked both men and women. [15] He now identifies as bisexual, but in the past he used the phrase 'gay', synonymous with 'queer', to encompass the entire LGBT community. He felt the term 'bisexual' was a cop-out. [15] [16] EMI initially turned the song down. However, after touring the band became much tighter, and guitarist Danny Kustow expanded his riffs, which persuaded EMI to release the record. [1] In 1997, he won a Sony Academy Award for You've Got to Hide Your Love Away, a radio documentary about gay music, produced by Benjamin Mepsted. [3] He currently presents his own show on 6 Music, on Saturdays between 9 pm and midnight, and on Sundays between 6 pm and 8 pm as "Now Playing @6Music", a show that plays songs based on a certain theme and listeners' input. He also has a show broadcast at 2 am on Monday mornings, which is focused on music by local bands from BBC Introducing. In 1994 he wrote and presented Surviving Suicide, about his suicide attempt. [2] In the mid-1990s, when Robinson became a father, the tabloids ran stories about what they deemed as a sexual orientation change, running headlines such as "Britain's Number One Gay in Love with Girl Biker!" ( The Sunday People). [2] Robinson continued to identify as a gay man, telling an interviewer for The Guardian: "I have much more sympathy with bisexuals now, but I am absolutely not one." [2] He added, "Our enemies do not draw the distinction between gay and bisexual." [2]