Folk Singer, Highwaymen Member Gil Robbins Dies

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Gil Robbins, a folk singer, guitarist and member of the early 1960s group the Highwaymen, has died.

Tracey Jacobs, publicist for Robbins' son, the actor and director Tim Robbins, said in an email Saturday that Robbins died Tuesday in Esteban Cantu, Mexico. He was 80.

Shortly before Gil Robbins joined the Highwaymen, the group had a major hit with "Michael," their version of "Michael, Row the Boat Ashore." When Robbins joined in 1962, he took the group in a more political direction, playing and singing on five albums until their 1964 breakup.

Tim Robbins, star of "The Shawshank Redemption" and director of "Dead Man Walking," issued a statement calling him "a fantastic father and a great musician" with a "commitment to social justice."

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