Robert J. Sherman
A second-generation Disney tunesmith who stepped out of his father's shadow to craft his own musical stories for stage and screen.
Born 1968 (age 58)·American songwriter·Birthday: July 16·Generation X
Biography
Born into the most successful songwriting partnership in film history, Robert J. Sherman grew up in the shadow of the Sherman Brothers—his father Robert B. and uncle Richard. Rather than be daunted, he absorbed the craft, penning his first song at age six and joining BMI as one of its youngest members ever at sixteen. His path led him not to animated features, but to the theatrical stage and independent film. He forged a distinct voice, often collaborating with his brother, Jeffrey, on projects that blended family-friendly sentiment with a modern sensibility. His work includes scores for stage musicals like 'Love Birds' and songs for films such as 'The Tigger Movie', honoring a legacy while carefully carving his own niche in the family business of melody and rhyme.
Generation X
1965–1980
The latchkey kids. Raised during divorce, recession, and the end of the Cold War. Skeptical, self-reliant, media-literate. They invented indie culture, grunge, and the early internet — then watched the Boomers take credit.
Robert was born in 1968, placing them squarely in the Generation X. The events that shaped this generation — economic uncertainty, the end of the Cold War, and the rise of personal computing — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Robert Was Born
The biggest hits of 1968
#1 Movie
2001: A Space Odyssey
Best Picture
Oliver!
#1 TV Show
The Andy Griffith Show
Robert's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1968Born
Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy assassinated
Gas: $0.34/galHome: $14,950Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Hey Jude" — The BeatlesBest Picture: Oliver!
1973Started school
US withdraws from Vietnam; Roe v. Wade decided
Gas: $0.39/galHome: $22,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" — Tony Orlando & DawnBest Picture: The Sting
1981Became a teenager
MTV launches; first Space Shuttle flight; AIDS identified
Gas: $1.31/galHome: $52,300Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Bette Davis Eyes" — Kim CarnesBest Picture: Chariots of Fire
1984Could drive
Apple Macintosh introduced
Gas: $1.13/galHome: $59,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"When Doves Cry" — PrinceBest Picture: Amadeus
1986Could vote
Challenger disaster; Chernobyl nuclear meltdown
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $66,600Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"That's What Friends Are For" — Dionne & FriendsBest Picture: Platoon
1989Turned 21
Berlin Wall falls; Tiananmen Square protests
Gas: $1.00/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Look Away" — ChicagoBest Picture: Driving Miss Daisy
1998Turned 30
Google founded; Clinton impeachment
Gas: $1.06/galHome: $107,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Too Close" — NextBest Picture: Shakespeare in Love
2008Turned 40
Barack Obama elected first Black US president; financial crisis
Gas: $3.27/galHome: $153,100Min wage: $6.55/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Low" — Flo RidaBest Picture: Slumdog Millionaire
2018Turned 50
Royal wedding of Harry and Meghan; Parkland shooting
Gas: $2.72/galHome: $211,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"God's Plan" — DrakeBest Picture: Green Book
2026Age 58 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Co-wrote songs for the 2000 Disney animated film 'The Tigger Movie' with his brother Jeffrey.
- Wrote the book, music, and lyrics for the musical 'Love Birds', which premiered at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.
- Composed the score for the award-winning children's film 'The Boys of Sunset Ridge'.
- Became one of the youngest songwriters ever invited to join the performing rights organization BMI at age 16.
Did You Know?
He is the son of Robert B. Sherman, one half of the legendary Sherman Brothers who wrote songs for 'Mary Poppins' and 'The Jungle Book'.
Sherman is an alum of the BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Workshop, a prestigious incubator for musical theater writers.
He is based in London, having lived and worked there for many years.
“A song should feel like it's always existed, waiting for you to find it.”
