Robin Zander (born January 23, 1953) is the lead singer and rhythm guitarist for the rock band Cheap Trick. 　　Zander was born in Beloit, Wisconsin and grew up in nearby Loves Park, Illinois. He learned to play guitar by the age of 12, and appearing in high school productions like “Annie Get Your Gun” helped him to develop his stage presence. His early bands included The Destinations, Butterscotch Sundae and The Hoods, covering songs by bands such as The Animals, The Beatles and The Rolling Stones. In high school, Zander sang for three years in the Madrigals, the most demanding of the three choral groups at his school, played basketball and football, and had a part-time job at a sandwich shop. 　　In the early 1970s, Zander teamed up with Brian Beebe to form a duo called “Zander and Kent”. They secured a 3 summer residency contract at the Picadilly Club in Wisconsin Dells, a contract which caused Zander to turn down an invitation in 1973 to join the earliest incarnation of Cheap Trick. The lead singer role was then offered to Randy Hogan, but he left in the fall of 1974, which neatly coincided with Zander’s Dells contract expiring in September of that year. Zander accepted the second invitation to join Cheap Trick, and the classic line-up of Zander, Rick Nielsen, Tom Petersson and Bun E. Carlos was in place.