Ira Robbins is a music writer, editor and author. Born in New York City, he began writing about rock and roll as a teenager in 1972. While completing a degree in Electrical Engineering, he co-founded a music magazine, Trouser Press, in 1974. In 1983, Trouser Press produced the first of five well-received record guides, which Robbins edited and served as a major contributor.

He has written album, concert reviews and features for many publications, including Rolling Stone, Circus, Musician, Crawdaddy, Creem, Spin, Entertainment Weekly, New York Times, New York Observer and New York Post. More recently, he has written for various online publications. He has done liner notes for 49 albums (winning a 1998 ASCAP Deems Taylor award for one). He has edited, co-edited or authored a number of books, including The Rolling Stone Review 1985. He has written and produced radio programs and served as a paid consultant to the law firm of Phillips, Nizer in connection with pre-production insurance examination of the screenplay for Sid and Nancy. He was a longtime Grammy Awards voter and is a longtime Rock and Roll Hall of Fame voter.