Robert Hafner

Robert Hafner (April 8, 1932 – October 12, 2013) was an American record producer and songwriter who, along with Tony Hilder, was responsible for many of the surf records that came out in California in the 1960s including "Vesuvius" and "Intoxica" by The Revels. He also contributed to the music for the film The Exiles. Music historian and author Robert Dalley said that he had a definite place in surf history.

Robert Hafner
Born
Robert John Hafner

(1932-04-08)April 8, 1932
Coatesville, Pennsylvania, United States
DiedOctober 12, 2013(2013-10-12) (aged 81)
OccupationMusician, composer, record producer
Years active1950s to 1980s
Spouse(s)Barbara Hafner

Personal life

Hafner was born in Coatesville, Pennsylvania in 1932. In 1939 the Hafner family moved to Los Angeles. While at high school he got his first guitar and later joined the high school jazz swing band. After quitting college and moving to New York he attempted to get into the Actors Studio, but ended up working as a painter. Following the deaths of his parents within a short time of each other, he ended up broke and on skid row. He then caught up with an old acquaintance and with his help he got into the music business, working as a songwriter and musical arranger. In 1969 he married in Idaho. In 1992 he and his wife Barbara moved to Chicago to be closer to her parents. They had a daughter, Celeste.

He died of heart failure Sunday, October 13, 2015 at Centegra Memorial Medical Center in McHenry, aged 81.[1] At the time of his death, he had lived in Lake County for 30 years.[2]

Music career

In the late 1950s Hafner also worked with Los Angeles producer Earl Stone. It was reconnecting with this old acquaintance that he was able to work with The Revels.[3]

In 1961 Hafner and Anthony (Tony) Hilder provided the music for the film The Exiles.[4][5]

The bands Hafner and Hilder worked with included a group called New Dimension. They never released any singles. The albums were released by a very small record label called Sutton who Hilder and Hafner had a deal with. These budget releases were packaged in generic sleeves and sent straight to shops to go into the cut-out bins and racks.[6][7]

His composition Comanche was used for the film Pulp Fiction, which he found offensive as it was used as background music for a violent scene in the film. According to him, there was an idealistic angle to the song as it was about the plight of the American Indian.[8] According to avvo.com, on Apr 15, 1994, Robert Hafner and The Revels filed a legal action against Disney, Miramax, MCA Records, and Universal Music Group for the use of the song in the film, which went to trial and Hafner won.[9]

By the late 1990s, he had stopped writing music and had left the music business.[10]

Compositions covered
"Turn Him Down" aka "Turn Her Down"

Hafner co-wrote the song "Turn Him Down" with K.C. Reeth.[11] It was recorded by Emmett Lord and released as the B side of "Woman" on Liberty 55491 in 1962. It was given a forecast of moderate sales potential by Billboard in its September 8 issue.[12] Also that year it was covered by another group, Rochell & the Candles with the new title, "Turn Her Down" and released as the B side of their Challenge singe, "Each Night".[13] A girl group called The Cupons released their version backed with "Be Your Love Tonight" on the Impact label in 1964.[14][15] Later covers of the song have been by The Pussywillows on their 1988 Spring Fever! album,[16] and Japanese punk / garage girl group, MELLViNS as the B side of their 2015 single, "One Fine Day".[17]

Film and other

In 1959, Hafner and Tony Hilder had small parts in the film The Hideous Sun Demon, a sci-fi horror film directed by Tom Boutross and Robert Clarke.[18] During his life he wrote several screenplays and novels.[19]

Compositions (selective)
Title Group / Act Release Catalogue Year Notes #
"Endless Love" Jesse Belvin and The Capris "Beware" / "Endless Love" Tender 518 1959 Co-composed with K.C. Reeth[20]
"Rendezvous" Billy Watkins "You're Unforgettable" / "Rendezvous" Challenge 59056 1959 [21][22]
"Endless Love" Vi Hall "Endless Love" / "It's Graduation Time" CT C-1 / C-1X Co-composed with K.C. Reeth[23]
"Vesuvius," "Church Key" The Revels "Vesuvius" / "Church Key" Impact 1-IMX 1960 [24]
"Intoxica," "Comanche" The Revels "Intoxica" / "Tequila" Impact 3-IMX 1961 [25]
"Latin Soul", "Christmas Eve" The Sentinals "Latin Soul" / "Christmas Eve" Era 3097 1962 (Side 2 co-written with K.C. Reeth)[26]
"Surfin' Tragedy" Bob Vaught and the Renegades "Exotic" / "Surfin' Tragedy" GNP Crescendo GNP 193X 1963 [27]
"The Final Season" Bob Linkletter "The Out Crowd" / "The Final Season" Chattahoochee Records CH 702 1965 [28]
"The Day George Wallace Was Shot" Bob Hafner and the Homesteaders "The Day George Wallace Was Shot" / "Brave Men Walk Alone" Liberty Tree 1972 [29][30]

References
  1. Chicago Tribune October 20, 2013 Robert John Hafner, 1932-2013, '60s songwriter plunged into surf music craze By Joan Giangrasse Kates, Special to the Tribune
  2. Highbeam Research Hafner-4355706
  3. Chicago Tribune October 20, 2013 Robert John Hafner, 1932-2013, '60s songwriter plunged into surf music craze By Joan Giangrasse Kates, Special to the Tribune
  4. Chicago Tribune November 21, 2008 'The Exiles' stars Yvonne Wilson, Homer Nish, Tommy Reynolds, Rico Rodriguez By Michael Phillips, Tribune Critic
  5. The American Film Institute Catalog of Motion Pictures Feature Films 1961 - 1970 , Richard P Krafsur, Executive Editor Page 314
  6. Beyond The Beat Generation The New Dimensions
  7. MusicDish e-Journal 2001-05-14 From Surf to Folk Rock: He's Done it All! An Interview with SoCal's Craig Nuttycombe By Mike Dugo, 60sGarageBands
  8. Chicago Tribune October 20, 2013 Robert John Hafner, 1932-2013, '60s songwriter plunged into surf music craze By Joan Giangrasse Kates, Special to the Tribune
  9. Avvo Inc. Robert Hafner and The Revels v. Disney, Miramax, MCA Records, and Universal Music Group
  10. Chicago Tribune October 20, 2013 Robert John Hafner, 1932-2013, '60s songwriter plunged into surf music craze By Joan Giangrasse Kates, Special to the Tribune
  11. Catalog of Copyright Entries, United States Department of the Treasury - Page 1582
  12. Billboard, September 8, 1962 - Page 56 Reviews of New Singles, Moderate Sales Potential
  13. Billboard, July 28, 1962 - Page 23 SPOTLIGHT SINGLES OF THE WEEK, SINGLES REVIEWS
  14. Discogs - Various – Girls In The Garage Pt. 2
  15. 45Cat - The Cupons - Discography, USA
  16. Discogs - The Pussywillows – Spring Fever!
  17. Discogs - MELLVINS – One Fine Day Turn Her Down
  18. Science Fiction and Fantasy Film Flashbacks by Tom Weaver Page 98 The Hideous Sun Demon (1959)
  19. Highbeam Research Hafner-4355706
  20. The Billboard, 23 Feb 1959 - Page 51 * Reviews of New Pop Records
  21. 45Cat - Billy Watkins - Discography, USA, You're Unforgettable (After You've Been Kissed)
  22. The Cash Box, October 17, 1959 - Page 14 The Cash Box Best Bets
  23. Who Put the Bomp, No.14, Fall 1975 - Page 13 "The Tony Hilder Story" by John Blair & Bill Smart - CT LABEL
  24. Discogs Robert John Hafner Writing & Arrangement
  25. 45Cat Tracks Composed By: Robert J. Hafner
  26. 45Cat Tracks Composed By: Robert J. Hafner
  27. 45Cat Bob Vaught And The Renegades GNP 193X
  28. 45Cast - Bob Linkletter - Discography
  29. 45Cat - Bob Hafner And The Homesteaders - Discography
  30. Rate Your Music - The Day George Wallace Was Shot / Brave Men Walk Alone
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