William “Popsie” Randolph (May 15, 1920 – October 1, 1978) was a US photographer of Greek descent. The son of Greek immigrants, Randolph capitalized on his early success in photography of the New York music scene from the 1940s by continuing to photograph many of the music industry's greats but also movie stars, athletes and politicians including

Robert F. Kennedy Robert Francis Kennedy (November 20, 1925June 6, 1968), also known by his initials RFK and by the nickname Bobby, was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 64th United States Attorney General from January 1961 to September 1964, ...

during the release of the "Kennedy Years" recordings.

Photography career

“Popsie” was there for the jump from the studio crafted pop of

Tin Pan Alley Tin Pan Alley was a collection of music publishers and songwriters in New York City that dominated the popular music of the United States in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It originally referred to a specific place: West 28th Street ...

to the rhythms of rock and roll and the uptown sounds of rhythm & blues into the soul that laid much of the foundation of contemporary music. The 100,000 negatives and prints left behind after Randolph's death in 1978 constitute a vast collection. The range of the material includes: When Frank Sinatra was named "King of the Singers" at The Copa during a broadcast on WINS with comic

Phil Silvers Phil Silvers (born Phillip Silver; May 11, 1911 – November 1, 1985) was an American entertainer and comedic actor, known as "The King of Chutzpah". His career as a professional entertainer spanned nearly sixty years. Silvers achieved major popu ...

officiating. When Elvis Presley came to New York to cut his first records for RCA Victor.

Bobby Darin Bobby Darin (born Walden Robert Cassotto; May 14, 1936 – December 20, 1973) was an American musician and actor. He performed jazz, pop, rock and roll, folk, swing, and country music. He started his career as a songwriter for Connie ...

signing with Atlantic Records (for the string of hits that included the smash "Mack the Knife"). When

Harry Belafonte Harry Belafonte (born Harold George Bellanfanti Jr.; March 1, 1927) is an American singer, activist, and actor. As arguably the most successful Jamaican-American pop star, he popularized the Trinbagonian Caribbean musical style with an interna ...

entered a New York studio to launch the mid-1950s calypso craze. He also photographed all of the major teen idols through the years from

Eddie Fisher Edwin Jack Fisher (August 10, 1928 – September 22, 2010) was an American singer and actor. He was one of the most popular artists during the 1950s, selling millions of records and hosting his own TV show, ''The Eddie Fisher Show''. Actress Eli ...

and Tab Hunter to Frankie Avalon, Jimmy Clanton and Fabian.

Funny Pairings

Another facet of the "Popsie" style and collection was his affinity for odd couples:

Chuck Berry Charles Edward Anderson Berry (October 18, 1926 – March 18, 2017) was an American singer, songwriter and guitarist who pioneered rock and roll. Nicknamed the " Father of Rock and Roll", he refined and developed rhythm and blues into th ...

jamming with

Trini Lopez Trinidad López III (May 15, 1937 – August 11, 2020) was an American singer, guitarist, and actor. His first album included a cover version of Pete Seeger's " If I Had a Hammer", which earned a Golden Disc for him. His other hits include ...

("If I Had a Hammer"); Perry Como at the piano with

Brenda Lee Brenda Mae Tarpley (born December 11, 1944), known professionally as Brenda Lee, is an American singer. Performing rockabilly, pop and country music, she had 47 US chart hits during the 1960s and is ranked fourth in that decade, surpassed onl ...

;

Alan Freed Albert James "Alan" Freed (December 15, 1921 – January 20, 1965) was an American disc jockey. He also produced and promoted large traveling concerts with various acts, helping to spread the importance of rock and roll music throughout Nor ...

trading one-liners with Salvador Dalí; Count Basie backing up Pat Boone on a TV special;

Dr. Joyce Brothers Joyce Diane Brothers (October 20, 1927 – May 13, 2013) was an American psychologist, television personality, advice columnist, and writer. She first became famous in 1955 for winning the top prize on the American game show '' The $64,000 Ques ...

interviewing the Beatles; Welsh singer Tom Jones hanging out with the Rolling Stones during their first visit to America at the New York Playboy Club; Nat "King" Cole meeting composer

W. C. Handy William Christopher Handy (November 16, 1873 – March 28, 1958) was an American composer and musician who referred to himself as the Father of the Blues. Handy was one of the most influential songwriters in the United States. One of many musici ...

("St. Louis Blues");

Ella Fitzgerald Ella Jane Fitzgerald (April 25, 1917June 15, 1996) was an American jazz singer, sometimes referred to as the "First Lady of Song", "Queen of Jazz", and "Lady Ella". She was noted for her purity of tone, impeccable diction, phrasing, timing, in ...

nightclubbing with

Billie Holiday Billie Holiday (born Eleanora Fagan; April 7, 1915 – July 17, 1959) was an American jazz and swing music singer. Nicknamed "Lady Day" by her friend and music partner, Lester Young, Holiday had an innovative influence on jazz music and pop s ...

. "Popsie" also captured the times when the music world carried over to other areas like sports and politics. He photographed Jackie Robinson and

Buddy Johnson Woodrow Wilson "Buddy" Johnson (January 10, 1915 – February 9, 1977) was an American jump blues pianist and bandleader active from the 1930s through the 1960s. His songs were often performed by his sister Ella Johnson, most notably " Since I ...

when they collaborated on the single "Did You See Jackie Robinson Hit That Ball?"2003
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Well known photographs

*''

Miles Davis Miles Dewey Davis III (May 26, 1926September 28, 1991) was an American trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz and 20th-century music. Davis adopted a variety of musi ...

, Jazz Trumpeter'', 1953 *''

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one ...

, First album'', 1956 *''

Brill Building The Brill Building is an office building at 1619 Broadway on 49th Street in the New York City borough of Manhattan, just north of Times Square and further uptown from the historic musical Tin Pan Alley neighborhood. It was built in 1931 as t ...

, Portraits'', 1945–1973 Though Randolph has been attributed for his photographs on ''

'', he did not take the front cover photograph, as this was taken by William V. Robertson of Robertson & Fresch.

Books about Popsie

Most recently, “Popsie's” work was featured in the highly acclaimed book “Popsie” by Michael Randolph, foreword by

Quincy Jones Quincy Delight Jones Jr. (born March 14, 1933) is an American record producer, musician, songwriter, composer, arranger, and film and television producer. His career spans 70 years in the entertainment industry with a record of 80 Grammy Award n ...

and published by Hal Leonard Corporation. Additionally, “Popsie” photos and books are on exhibit at Chartwell Booksellers, 55 East 52nd Street, NYC; the Smithsonian - National Museum of American History Washington, D.C.; the Grammy Museum Live in Los Angeles; the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland; the Brooklyn Museum (Fall 2009); and the White House has repeatedly requested and been provided prints from his voluminous collection.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Randolph, William Popsie Photographers from New York City Commercial photographers 1920 births 1978 deaths American people of Greek descent