| Allison Robertson | |
|---|---|
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Allison Rae Robertson |
| Born | August 26, 1979 |
| Origin | North Hollywood, California, U.S. |
| Genres | Rock |
| Occupations | Guitarist |
| Years active | 1993–present |
| Labels | Lookout!, Atlantic, Purple Feather Records |
| Associated acts | The Donnas |
| Website | www.thedonnas.com |
Allison Rae Robertson[1] (born August 26, 1979) is the guitarist for rock band The Donnas.
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Allison Robertson was born on August 26, 1979, in North Hollywood, California. She comes from a very musical family. Her father is musician Baxter Robertson[2] who wrote the track "Feel The Night" on the Karate Kid Soundtrack. Her mother, Lisa Jimenez, worked for A&M Records and for a variety of music publishing companies in Los Angeles prior to the family relocating to Palo Alto in the early 1980s. Similar to her other Donnas bandmates, she was often bullied and picked on in school for being a fan of hard rock and metal, which was uncommon for girls.
Although she was born in North Hollywood, she later moved to Palo Alto, California, early in her childhood. There she met her band mates (Torry Castellano in 4th grade, Maya Ford in 5th grade, and Brett Anderson in 7th grade)[3] in school. She started to play guitar at the age of 12. Her first guitar was a Mexican-made Fender Telecaster[4] which she later sold to get her first Gibson guitar. She toured with the band straight out of high school and are still together today.
She is known for playing Gibson guitars[5] and Marshall amps,[6] her signature guitar is a Gibson Les Paul Standard. She prefers not to use effects pedals, as her Marshall amps alone give her the guitar sound she favors. She is also known for her natural stage presence.
In 2006, she formed the band Elle Rae,[7] with her sister Emily. The name was a combination of both their middle names, Ellen and Rae. Elle Rae has recorded two songs, both of which are available for streaming on their Myspace page. One of the songs is a cover of the Split Enz track 'Six Months in a Leaky Boat'.
In early 2007, she played lead guitar for band Loudlion. One of their songs appeared on the Hills Have Eyes 2 soundtrack.[8]
As of May 2007, she has her own show called "Fun in The Dungeon with Allison Robertson" on the internet radio station Women Rock Radio.[9]
In January 2009 Allison joined with Samantha Maloney (ex. Mötley Crüe, Hole), former Playboy model/Disc-Jockey Tuesdae, and Corey Parks (ex. Nashville Pussy), to form Chelsea Girls.[10] Chelsea Girls were offered a monthly gig at The Roxy Theatre in Los Angeles, after the band's first 3 live shows there sold out and attracted major media attention.[11]
In February 2010 Allison announced that she was no longer playing with Chelsea Girls via The Donnaholics message boards. In October 2010 Allison began playing select shows with the Chelsea Girls once again.