Frank Isaac Robinson was born on December 28, 1938 in Detroit, Michigan. He showed signs of high intelligence early on, being able to recite the alphabet at 6 months, reading fluently at age three and singing blues while accompanying himself on the piano at just two years old! At three, he won a local talent show at the Paradise Theater which piqued many people's interest. Sadly his mother died when he was just five years old, but he kept up with his music.
By age seven, he was playing guest spots with Lionel Hampton. Due to child label legislation, he was unable to tour with Hampton. Robinson would join Hampton on the radio as well, along with Harry "The Hipster" Gibson. Little Frank even got a part in the movie "No Leave, No Love" as himself. In 1946, Robinson was invited to the White House to play for President Harry S. Truman. This made him the first African American performer to appear at the annual WHCA dinner. During the performance, he shouted out "How'm I doin' Mr. President?" which became his catch phrase.
As the years went on, he began touring major theaters and at his peak, brought in $10,000 a week. In 1949, he was given special permission to join the American Federation of Musicians which allowed him to record his first records with Capitol Records. Both of his first releases made the Billboard R&B chart. In 1950, he toured with Count Basie and the following year, he toured the UK including a show at the Palladium. Robinson would stop recording in 1952 with only about a dozen records to his name.
He continued to make appearances until 1956, now going by Frank Robinson, but would officially end it by 1959 citing his wanting to go to school. In 1960, he worked for WGPR-TV and helped set up small record labels in Detroit, even opening his own recording studio. He would also help out around his parents' store.
In 2002, Robinson appeared at a concert celebrating the music of Detroit and in 2007, went to Britain to appear at a rock and roll weekend festivals. At the last Dr. Boogie show of 2013, he was the featured artist. On April 30, 2016, Robinson attended the White House Correspondents' Dinner on the 70th anniversary of his appearance at the 1946 dinner where he received a salute from President Barack Obama and a standing ovation from the audience. He would be inducted into the Rhythm & Blues Music Hall of Fame.
Today's song, "Christmas Boogie", was arranged by Vernon White and recorded on January 24, 1950. It would be released in November of the same year with Frankie "Sugar Chile" Robinson on piano and providing vocals, James Richardson (bass), and Red Saunders (drums).
Информация по комментариям в разработке