by Ron WynnThis Los Angeles vocal group were the forerunners of the Coasters. They began as the Four Bluebirds in 1947, then became the Robins. Ty Terrell, Billy Richards, Roy Richards, and Bobby Nunn were the original members, with Carl Gardner and Grady Chapman adding in 1954. A year later Gardner and Nunn departed to form the Coasters. The Robins had two R&B Top Ten hits. If Its So Baby was done with the Johnny Otis Band in 1950 for Savoy, while their best-known number, Smokey Joes Cafe, was recorded for Atco in 1955. This was a prototype of the songs that became the Coasters forte: humorous vehicles with just a dash of cultural insight.