Willard Robison (September 18, 1894 – June 24, 1968) was an

America The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

n vocalist, pianist, and composer of popular songs, born in

Shelbina, Missouri Shelbina is a city in southern Shelby County, Missouri, United States. The population was 1,613 at the 2020 census. History Shelbina was platted in 1857 when the railroad was extended to that point. The name "Shelbina" is derived from Shelby Co ...

. His songs reflect a rural, melancholy theme steeped in

Americana Americana may refer to: *Americana (music), a genre or style of American music *Americana (culture), artifacts of the culture of the United States Film, radio and television * ''Americana'' (1992 TV series), a documentary series presented by J ...

and their warm style has drawn comparison to

Hoagy Carmichael Hoagland Howard Carmichael (November 22, 1899 – December 27, 1981) was an American musician, composer, songwriter, actor and lawyer. Carmichael was one of the most successful Tin Pan Alley songwriters of the 1930s, and was among the first ...

. Many of his compositions, notably " A Cottage for Sale", "Round My Old Deserted Farm", "

Don't Smoke in Bed ''Don't Smoke in Bed'' is an album by the Holly Cole Trio that draws its title from a composition by Willard Robison. Originally released in Canada in 1993 on Alert Records, the album was also released internationally in 1993 on the Manhattan im ...

", "'Taint So, Honey, 'Taint So" and " Old Folks", have become standards and have been recorded countless times by jazz and pop artists including

Peggy Lee Norma Deloris Egstrom (May 26, 1920 – January 21, 2002), known professionally as Peggy Lee, was an American jazz and popular music singer, songwriter, composer, and actress, over a career spanning seven decades. From her beginning as a vocalis ...

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Billy Eckstine William Clarence Eckstine (July 8, 1914 – March 8, 1993) was an American jazz and pop singer and a bandleader during the swing and bebop eras. He was noted for his rich, almost operatic bass-baritone voice. In 2019, Eckstine was posthumously ...

Bing Crosby Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby Jr. (May 3, 1903 – October 14, 1977) was an American singer, musician and actor. The first multimedia star, he was one of the most popular and influential musical artists of the 20th century worldwide. He was a ...

and

Mildred Bailey Mildred Bailey (born Mildred Rinker; February 27, 1907 – December 12, 1951) was a Native American jazz singer during the 1930s, known as "The Queen of Swing", "The Rockin' Chair Lady" and "Mrs. Swing". She recorded the songs " For Sentimenta ...

. "A Cottage for Sale" alone has been recorded over 100 times.

Life and career

In the early 1920s, Robison led and toured with several territory bands in the Southwest. He met

Jack Teagarden Weldon Leo "Jack" Teagarden (August 20, 1905 – January 15, 1964) was an American jazz trombonist and singer. According to critic Scott Yannow of Allmusic, Teagarden was the preeminent American jazz trombone player before the bebop era of the 19 ...

in this period, whom he befriended. In the late 1920s, Robison organized the Deep River Orchestra, later hosting a radio show entitled ''The Deep River Hour'' in the early 1930s. During the 1920s, Robison recorded extensively for

Perfect Records Perfect Records was a United States-based record label, founded in 1922 by Pathé Records to produce cheap 78 rpm discs. From the start, Perfect Records sold well. The Pathé and Perfect labels were part of the merger that created the American ...

, with scores of vocal recordings accompanying himself on piano (displaying his rather eccentric stride piano style), as well as "Deep River Orchestra" recordings using standard stock arrangements (including many popular and obscure songs) One recording was his fox trot arrangement of George Gershwin's ''Rhapsody In Blue'' on both sides of Perfect 14825 and Pathe 36644. In

Alec Wilder Alexander Lafayette Chew Wilder (February 16, 1907 – December 24, 1980) was an American composer. Biography Wilder was born in Rochester, New York, United States, to a prominent family; the Wilder Building downtown (at the "Four Corners") ...

's definitive study, ''American Popular Song: The Great Innovators, 1900–1950'', the songwriter and critic writes of Robison:

He, if ever there was one, was the maverick among song writers. Everyone loved him and many tried to help him, among them John Mercer.
Mildred Bailey Mildred Bailey (born Mildred Rinker; February 27, 1907 – December 12, 1951) was a Native American jazz singer during the 1930s, known as "The Queen of Swing", "The Rockin' Chair Lady" and "Mrs. Swing". She recorded the songs " For Sentimenta ...
revered him and sang every song of his she could lay her hands on...He did manage, during his almost euphoric life, to write a few successful songs--'' A Cottage for Sale'', and '''Taint so, My Honey, 'Taint So''--but generally his songs were known only to a few singers and lovers of the off-beat and the non-urban song. He had a special flair for gentleness and childhood, the lost and the religious.

Wilder concludes that although Robison's songs may not have significantly influenced the development of American popular song, " they could so much bolster John Mercer's conviction that there was more to write lyrics about than city life, that the world of memory, of remembered sayings and scenes, was as evocative as the whispered words of lovers, then he did make a contribution."

American Suite songs

In 1926-1927, Robison recorded a series of eight jazz songs under name of American Suite: * "After Hours" (American Suite No. 1) (Perfect 14728/Pathe 36547) 10/1/26 * "Piano Tuner's Dream" (American Suite No. 2) (Perfect 14743/Pathe 36562) 10/22/26 * "Darby Hicks" (American Suite No. 3) (Perfect 14744/Pathe 36563) 10/22/26 * "The Music Of A Mountain Stream" (American Suite No. 4) (Perfect 14755/Pathe 36574) 11/22/26 * "Tampico" (American Suite No. 5) (Perfect 14755/Pathe 36574) 11/22/26 * "Mobile Mud" (American Suite No. 6) (Perfect 14756/Pathe 36575) 10/22/26 * "Deep River" (American Suite No. 7) (Perfect 14774/Pathe 36593) 11/22/26 * "Harlem Blues" (American Suite No. 8) (Perfect 14821/Pathe 36640) 4/20/27 He recorded for Perfect Records and Pathé Records from 1926 to 1928. Between 1928 and 1930, he recorded for Columbia, Harmony (and associated Diva and Velvet Tone labels) and Victor. He also recorded a session in 1937 for Master Records. Jack Teagarden recorded a critically praised album of Robison's songs in 1962 entitled ''Think Well of Me''. Robison died in

Peekskill, New York Peekskill is a city in northwestern Westchester County, New York, United States, from New York City. Established as a village in 1816, it was incorporated as a city in 1940. It lies on a bay along the east side of the Hudson River, across fro ...

in 1968, aged 73.

List of notable compositions

* "'Round My Old Deserted Farm" * "'Tain't So, Honey, 'Tain't So" * "Jubilee" * " A Cottage for Sale" * "

" * "Down to Steamboat, Tennessee" * "Guess I'll Go Back Home (This Summer)" * "Harlem Lullaby" * "I'm a Fool About My Mama" * "In A Little Waterfront Cafe" * "Barrel-House Music" * "It's Never Too Late to Pray" * " Old Folks" * "The Devil is Afraid of Music" * "Deep Elm (You Tell 'Em I'm Blue)" * "(Like a Bird That's On The Wing) I'm Wingin' Home" * "Peaceful Valley" * "Dem Deming Blues" ("The Sandstorm Division is Coming") (1918)
Camp Cody
'' by Rick Phillips, ''The Enterprise Magazine,'' (© June 24, 1982)

References

External links

* Willard Robison at AllMusicbr>Willard Robison and His Deep River Boys music library

Institute of Jazz Studies The Institute of Jazz Studies (IJS) is the largest and most comprehensive library and archives of jazz and jazz-related materials in the world. It is located on the fourth floor of the John Cotton Dana Library at Rutgers University–Newark in Newa ...

, Rutgers University
Willard Robison recordings
at the

Discography of American Historical Recordings The Discography of American Historical Recordings (DAHR) is a database of master recordings made by American record companies during the 78rpm era. The DAHR provides some of these original recordings, free of charge, via audio streaming, along with ...

. {{DEFAULTSORT:Robison, Willard 1894 births 1968 deaths People from Shelby County, Missouri Songwriters from Missouri American jazz composers American male jazz composers American jazz bandleaders 20th-century American conductors (music) 20th-century American composers Jazz musicians from Missouri 20th-century American male musicians 20th-century jazz composers American male songwriters