Born in Tallahassee, Florida, Lavoie was raised by his mother in Winter Haven, Florida with his six siblings. He began his musical career in 1961 as a member of a local band, The Rumours. The band included Gram Parsons and Jim Stafford, as well as drummer Jon Corneal, who later joined Parsons' International Submarine Band.
In 1964, while attending the University of South Florida, Lavoie joined a band called the Sugar Beats and met producer Phil Gernhard. He recorded a regional hit for the band, a cover of Johnny Rivers' song, "What Am I Doing Here".
During the 1960s, Lavoie performed with many other bands, including US Male, The Uglies, and Me and the Other Guys. It was in the latter band that he met musician Billy Aerts, who became a member of Lobo's touring band in the early 1970s and produced Lobo's comeback album in 1989.
Again working with Gernhard, his first solo record was released in 1969, the single "Happy Days In New York City" backed with "My Friend Is Here". Both were original tracks. It was released on Laurie Records.
By 1971, Lavoie had started calling himself Lobo (Spanish for wolf). Gernhard was an executive for Big Tree Records, and the company released his first single, "Me and You and a Dog Named Boo". The first major hit for the label, it reached number 5 in the US and launched a successful series of singles. The song also reached number 4 in the UK.
His debut album, Introducing Lobo, followed that May. In June his second single, "She Didn't Do Magic", was released. In September, "California Kid And Reemo" was released. Another single was The Albatross. It was around this time that Big Tree Records was merged with Bell Records. In the confusion, Lobo's second album Close Up was lost and never released.
Maintaining the Lobo alias, he released Of a Simple Man in 1972, which yielded back-to-back Top 10 hits, including "Don't Expect Me To Be Your Friend", which reached #8 in the US charts, and "I'd Love You to Want Me". "I'd Love You To Want Me" was Lobo's biggest hit, climbing to #2 on the Billboard charts in 1972, and later reached #1 in Germany and in mid-1974, #5 in the United Kingdom.
With the release of Calumet in 1973, Lobo had three more Top 40 hits: "It Sure Took a Long, Long Time," "How Can I Tell Her" and "Standing at the End of the Line." He made an appearance on American Bandstand that year and also released a fourth single from Calumet, "There Ain't No Way." A fifth, "Standing At The End Of The Line" was released in 1975.
In June 1974 Lobo's fourth album Just A Singer. It was the first album by Lobo to contain tracks not written by Lobo. The only single from the album was "Rings".
His last Top 30 single for Big Tree, "Don't Tell Me Goodnight", was released in 1975. Lobo also released the album, A Cowboy Afraid Of Horses and his last single for Big Tree, "Would I Still Have You", was released. The label followed up with a compilation that year, "The Best Of Lobo".
In 1976, Lobo started to break from Big Tree and Phil Gernhard, releasing the album Come With Me in Europe on the Philips label. "At First Sight" was the single. Neither were released in US.
1977 Lobo signed with Curb Records in 1977 and released the single "Afterglow", which was co-produced by Lobo and Gernhard. Another single, "You Are All I Ever Need" was released in 1978. It was last single to have Gernhard as producer.
In 1979, Lobo resurfaced on MCA Records, where he was paired with producer Bob Montgomery and released the single "Where Were You When I Was Falling In Love", which reached #23. He also released his first US album in four years, Lobo. Other singles for Curb were "Holding On For Dear Love", "With A Love Like Ours" and "Fight Fire With Fire".
Dissatisfied with the production of his records, Lobo sought a release from his Curb contract. He moved to Nashville and in 1981 he started his own label, Lobo Records, and released several singles including "I Don't Want To Want You", written by his brother, Roger Lavoie, "Come Looking For Me" and "Living My Life Without You". All making the country charts.
NOTE: The 1981 Disco Single by LOBO - "The Caribbean Disco Show" (Mercury - 1981) is not the same person as this Lobo.
Lobo Records became Evergreen Records in 1985. It released two singles, "Am I Going Crazy" and "Paint The Town Blue", a duet with Robin Lee.
Meanwhile, Lobo's popularity was growing in Asia, fanned by the release of his greatest hits compilations in 1987 and 1988.
In 1989, Lobo released his first new album in 10 years, Am I Going Crazy, made in Taiwan on UFO/WEA records and produced by Billy Aerts.
With his popularity in Asia sustained by the reissue of all his albums on CD, he signed a multi-album deal with PonyCanyon Records in Singapore, releasing Asian Moon (repackaging of tracks from Am I Going Crazy along with newly recorded tracks) in 1994, Classic Hits (re-recorded Lobo hits and some cover versions other artists' hits) in 1995 and in 1996 Sometimes (all new original songs). On another Asian label, Springroll Entertainment, he released You Must Remember This in 1997, an album of pop standards that was released in two formats, one with vocals and the other with instrumental tracks.
The East Asian financial crisis in 1997 drove his record labels out of business and Lobo retired to his home in Florida.
Retirement was short-lived, however, as in 2000 Lobo signed with a German record company, Gmbh Entertainment, and recorded a few tracks for various Hits CD's. He also co-wrote two Christmas songs with Billy Aerts, "A Big Kid's Christmas" and "Late Christmas Eve", which have been released on various Christmas compilations from 2000 to present.
Singles recorded during this period include "Caribbean Disco Show", "Let It Be Me", "Who'll Stop The Rain" and "Different Drum". These were all available on different "Greatest Hits" releases.
His popularity in Asia is having a resurgence, and in 2006 he toured in Southeast Asia.
Strangely, his music has been sampled by Melbourne experimental band Kooties, although they paid little respect to Lobo's original intentions.
In 2008 Lobo released his first new album in over 10 years. Out of Time features some new songs as well as the old favorites. Out of Time represents a step back to the original era of these recordings, revisiting his old songs the same way he wrote them; by doing all the instruments himself, they are Out of Time. It refers to the classic nature of the old songs, how they are still favorites, even though they don’t follow the norm of today’s songs.
A Cowboy Afraid of Horses
Lobo Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I don't have a lot to say
So when it comes to a love life
It's hard to find a way
If it wasn't for bad luck
I'd have no luck at all
And so a woman like you
Backs me up to the wall
I feel like
A cowboy afraid of horses
Just like a sailor
Scared to death of the sea
Like a magician
With his hands tied behind him
That's how I feel
When you're around me
We go out somewhere
There are people staring at you
I feel strange inside
I don't know what to do
I never have had someone
Anyone else would want
But you handle it so well
You just act nonchalant
The lyrics in Lobo's song "A Cowboy Afraid of Horses" paint a picture of a man who lacks confidence in his love life. The singer explains that he doesn't talk much and feels uncomfortable when he's with a woman he likes. He describes his situation as having bad luck, and he feels that having a woman like her around him pushes him to the wall. The chorus of the song talks about feeling like a cowboy afraid of horses, who is scared in the presence of a woman he wants to impress. Just like a sailor who is scared of the sea, the singer feels like he cannot control his fear and nervousness around her. He likens himself to a magician with his hands tied behind him, i.e., someone who wants to do something but cannot muster the confidence to do so. The singer points out that going out with her to places makes him feel strange, and he is unsure of what to do. In the last verse, he states that he has never had anybody else that people would want, but the woman handles it well and acts nonchalant.
The song "A Cowboy Afraid of Horses" by Lobo was released in 1975 and was featured in his album "Come with Me." The song was written by Kent Robbins, a Nashville songwriter who has written hit songs for various country music artists such as Dolly Parton, George Strait, and Carrie Underwood. Interestingly, Lobo was not a country music artist but a pop singer who had several hit songs in the 1970s.
Line by Line Meaning
I don't talk much
I am not a person who talks a lot
I don't have a lot to say
I don't have much to share with others
So when it comes to a love life
When it comes to romantic relationships
It's hard to find a way
It becomes difficult for me to find a direction
If it wasn't for bad luck
Had I not been so unlucky
I'd have no luck at all
I would have been left with no fortune
And so a woman like you
And that's why a woman like you
Backs me up to the wall
Makes me feel confined and helpless
I feel like
I feel as if
A cowboy afraid of horses
A person who is incapable of handling the things they fear
Just like a sailor
Similar to a sailor
Scared to death of the sea
Terrified of the vast and deep sea
Like a magician
Comparable to a magician
With his hands tied behind him
Unable to use their hands to perform their magic
That's how I feel
That is the way I feel
When you're around me
When you are in my presence
We go out somewhere
When we go out in public
There are people staring at you
People are looking at you for your charm
I feel strange inside
I feel uncomfortable within
I don't know what to do
I am unsure about my actions
I never have had someone
I have never been with someone
Anyone else would want
Whom others would desire
But you handle it so well
But you deal with it gracefully
You just act nonchalant
You maintain a relaxed and unbothered demeanor
Contributed by Caden G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
ana maria pinheiro
tudo lindo....amo lobo!
sweetpea027
Lobo sings very sweetly with good lyrics . I hope to find more of his songs. ~~Ava~~
Kenneth Wong
It's a great Lobo song that some how didn't reach Malaysia in CD format. Could you upload the entire album?
jp3580
essa musica é show pena que mtos nw gostam..
Ronald Oaks
L o b o oh yes got it right I am 73 years old I I have listened to Lobo all my life up to now words music perfect stories in the song bring back memories from long ago absolutely fantastic thank you Lobo
Joe Masc
Thank you so much for this song. I have wanted ths song for years. I wanted to play it for my dad who introduced us to Lobo in the 70's. Unfortunately he expired last year.
MARTINE JOSEPH
Depuis toujours j 'écoute LOBO et c' est beau ! Je découvre seulement internet !! Et j'aime la mélodie de ce charme et cette manière qu' a LOBO d' en jouer et chanter ainsi c' est mélodieux à l' esprit !!! J'adore !!! J B le 11/02/17
Jim King
Im 56, I've been listening to him since I was 9. This man is incredible!!
Luiz Carlos Dalpiaz
Gosto muito das músicas do cantor lobo.
Mesmo desconhecendo a lingua e procurando não traduzir eubcurto esse som...
Conheci essw dusco em 1976..
Life is too short
i like it