Robert John, an itinerant singer-songwriter who was working in construction before scoring a Number One hit ... songs for artists including Lou Rawls, Blood, Sweat & Tears, and Bobby Vinton.

John was born Robert John Pedrick Jr. on Jan. 3, 1946, in Brooklyn, New York. He scored his first hit on Billboard’s Hot 100 as a 12-year-old in 1958 with “White Bucks and Saddle Shoes.” The song ...

Robert had a big number one single on the Billboard charts in 1979 with "Sad Eyes," which also garnered him a Grammy Award ...

The singer-songwriter, who began his career at just 12 years old, also had a Top 10 hit with a version of "The Lion Sleeps ...

He scored his first hit on Billboard’s Hot 100 ... John and songwriter Michael Gately would write songs for Lou Rawls, Blood, Sweat & Tears, and Bobby Vinton, Rolling Stone reported.

The 1960s excelled in cheesy pop ballads with songs like “Can’t Help Falling in Love” by Elvis Presley and “Mr. Lonely” by Bobby Vinton. The British invasion of the mid-’60s brought ...