Biography

Immediately recognizable, Paul Robeson's spectacularly booming bass voice loomed over the 20th Century. He first made his name as a stage and screen actor in the 1920s, before garnering significant acclaim for a London turn as Othello in 1930. By the mid-1930s, he was a semi-regular feature in cinema, and in 1936, he appeared in SHOW BOAT, which included his trademark stirring rendition of "Ol' Man River." His outspokenness against discrimination and injustice at home and abroad resulted in him suffering severely at the hands of his own government. The withdrawal of his passport, in the mid-50s, severely damaged his career when he was in his vocal prime. A brilliant mind, Robeson spent his final years touring, writing, and lecturing, passing away in 1976 at age 77.

Top Tracks

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• Deep River

• Go Down Moses

• Got The South In My Soul

• Hammer Song

• Joe Hill, Folk Song

• Love Song

• No More Auction Block For Me, Folk Song

• Nobody Knows The Trouble I've Seen

• Ol' Man River

• Ol' Man River, Song (from "show Boat")

• Rockin' Chair

• Song Of The Volga Boatmen

• Songs My Mother Taught Me

• St. Louis Blues

• Summertime, Song (from Porgy And Bess, Opera)

• Takin' Names

• The Old Fols At Home (swanee River)

Discography

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• Live at Carnegie Hall: May 9, 1958

  Vanguard

  1958