
Robin Sylvester
Biography
Robin Sylvester (1950 – 29 October 2022) was an English musician who was best known as a member of the American band RatDog. Although primarily a bass player, he played several instruments, including the guitar and keyboards, and did extensive arranging. Sylvester began his professional music career with the a cappella London Boy Singers chorus in the 1960s, and as a sound engineer in 1969. Working as an assistant at Abbey Road Studios when The Beatles recorded their eponymous album, he was inspired by Paul McCartney to take up the bass guitar. He also used early synthesisers while playing with and producing Byzantium in 1971. While touring with Dana Gillespie, he moved to the United States in 1974. Clive Davis signed his folk-rock band The Movies to Arista Records; the band played around New York and Los Angeles in the late 1970s. Then, as a session musician, he worked alongside Steve Douglas, backing the Beach Boys and Ry Cooder. He also played in live acts led by Marty Balin, Mary Wells, The Shirelles, The Coasters, The Drifters, Billy Preston, Christine McVie, Steve Seskin, Bo Diddley, Chuck Berry, Freddy Fender, Del Shannon, and Vince Welnick's Missing Man Formation. Sylvester also worked with ex-Fleetwood Mac member Bob Welch in his band as a bass player for his concert Live from the Roxy in West Hollywood on November 19th 1981. The concert was officially released as an album in 2004. In 2003, he replaced Rob Wasserman as RatDog's bass player. He played his first show on 4 March 2003.
Bio from Wikipedia
Discography
Records they worked on — most-collected first.

Irish Tour '74
1974

Tattoo
1973

Deuce
1971

Rory Gallagher
1971

Live! In Europe
1972

Against The Grain
1975

If I Could Do It All Over Again, I'd Do It All Over You
1970

Rory Gallagher

Canterbury Tales (The Best Of Caravan)
1976

Barbed Wire Sandwich
1970

Snafu
1970

Notes From San Francisco
2011

First Wind
1971

Mike Westbrook's Love Songs
1970

Raw Material
1970

Mice And Rats In The Loft
1971
Credited work
701 releases · 67 albums · active 1969–2026
- Engineering · 709
- Performance · 290
- Other credits · 57
- Production · 36
- Mastering · 2
Studios: Tangerine Studios · Polydor Studios · Wessex Sound Studios · Ulster Hall, Belfast
Frequent collaborators
- Rory Gallagher
- Byzantium (2)
- The Trio
- Caravan
- Robbie Patton
- John Surman
- Jan Dukes De Grey
- Principal Edwards Magic Theatre
