Bobby Allan / Rhythm  Kings

Vermilion, late 1950s - early 1960s

Bobby Allan had a short musical career, releasing 3 45s (4 songs) in less than a year. He had a brief try at record production, then moved on with his life.

He was born Robert Allen Fackler, and while his obituary says he was from Lorain, he grew up in Vermilion and graduated high school in 1960. While in high school he was in a rock-n-roll band, the Rhythm Kings. One other member was Jimmy Fischer. The band recorded a demo, it's a pretty good rocker with guitar and piano. One song title is "Rockin' Till The Break Of Dawn". The recording sounds like it was done at a fairly good studio, most likely in Cleveland, although there is nothing on the demo label besides the group and song title.

Two years later, he wrote and recorded three songs and released two 45s, reusing the same song on the flip. The record label was Ard, which seems to have been his private label, but there is no information about it. THe records have consecutive numbers and were released in short order of each other. The first release - using the label number of 10 - was "Gonna Leave This Town". It was a Billboard pick and seemed to have sold a decent number of copies. The publishing for the "Gonna..." is Lois, the publihsing for King records. The two Ard records were pressed by King so that might explain why. The other two songs were published by Faweller, which is Bobby's own publishing.

He had a third 45 on Challenge, released only a few months later. The publishing is shared with Carlman which means Carl Maduri was involved...possibly the Glasser brothers as well. The record was not a hit.

That was the last recording by Allan/Fackler. He took a shot at the other side of the business and set up Bobby Allan Productions, and was involved with the Prediktors. That's the last we know of his musical efforts.

Bob went college at Ohio U and moved to Michigan where, accoding to his obituary, he was a high school teacher in suburban Detroit starting in 1966. He died in 2016. Jim Fischer is also deceased.

Discography:
Gonna Leave This Town / Lonely And Blue - Ard 10, Sept 1962
The Only One / Lonely And Blue - Ard 10, Nov 1962
My Baby / The Only One - Challenge 9193, April 1963