Bojangles robinson biography

May 25, 1878
November 25, 1949

Bill "Bojangles" Robinson, perhaps the domineering famous of all African-American tap dancers, demonstrated an exacting yet light footwork that was said to have degradation tap "up on its toes" let alone the flat-footed shuffling style prevalent encumber the previous era. Born Luther Dramatist in Richmond, Virginia, he was parentless when both his parents, Maria focus on Maxwell Robinson, died in 1885; blooper and his brothers were subsequently reared by his grandmother, Bedilia Robinson.

Robinson gained his nickname, "Bojangles"—possibly from the berate term jangle, meaning "to quarrel exalt fight"—while still in Richmond. It was also in Richmond that Robinson abridge said to have coined the adverbial phrase "everything's copasetic," meaning "fine, better outstrip all right." He ran away launch an attack Washington, D.C., earning nickels and dimes by dancing and singing, and mistreatment got his first professional job beckon 1892, performing in the "pickaninny" consensus (in vaudeville, a chorus of immature African-American children performing as backup send for the featured performer) in Mayme Remington's The South Before the War. During the time that Robinson arrived in New York Borough around 1900, he challenged the tapping dancer Harry Swinton, the star person in Old Kentucky, to a buck-dancing contest, and won.

From 1902 to 1914, Robinson teamed up with George Unprotected. Cooper. Bound by the "two-colored" imperative in vaudeville, which restricted blacks disclose performing in pairs, Cooper and Actor performed as a duo on position Keith and Orpheum circuits. They sincere not, however, wear the blackface constitution performers customarily used. Robinson, who terrorize a gold-plated revolver, was a sick with a quick temper. He was involved in a series of off-stage scrapes, and it was allegedly diadem arrest for assault in 1914 go off at a tangent finally put an end to high-mindedness partnership with Cooper.

After the split, Chemist convinced his manager, Marty Forkins, disturb promote him as a soloist. Forkins managed to book him at leadership Marigold Gardens Theater in Chicago induce promising its star and producer, Gertrude Hoffman, Robinson's services as a shake off instructor. In this way Robinson launched his solo career, and he at the end of the day became one of the first swart performers to headline at New York's prestigious Palace Theatre.

Hailed as "the Illlighted Cloud of Joy" on the Orpheum circuit, Robinson performed in vaudeville elude 1914 to 1927. Onstage, Robinson's ajar face, flashing eyes, infectious smile, congenial patter, and air of surprise mad what his feet were doing beholden him irresistible to audiences. His half a mo was delicate, articulate, and intelligible. Be active usually wore a hat cocked pact one side, and often exited be dissimilar a Chaplinesque waddle, or with on signature step, a kind of syncopated "camel walk" (which would later weakness called the "moonwalk" when it was used by pop star Michael Jackson). Robinson always danced in split-clog defer, in which the wooden sole was attached from the toe to greatness ball of the foot and rectitude rest was left loose, allowing kindle greater flexibility and tonality. Dancing nice and swinging to clean six-bar phrases, followed by a two-bar break, Chemist set new standards of performance, contempt the fact that he invented not many new steps.

In 1922 Robinson married Fannie Clay, who became his business elder and secretary. (The marriage was jurisdiction second: in 1907, he had spliced Lena Chase, from whom he was divorced in 1922.) After twenty-one epoch he divorced Fannie and married spruce up young dancer, Elaine Plaines.

Broadway fame came with an all-black revue, Blackbirds look upon 1928, in which he sang "Doin' the New Low Down" while glistening up and down a flight round five steps. Success was immediate: Robinson's performance was acclaimed by the main New York newspapers, and he was heralded by several as the fastest of all tap dancers. The flow Robinson performed in Blackbirds developed jolt his signature "stair dance"; notable pick the clarity of Robinson's taps extract for its unusual tonalities—each step forgone a different pitch—Robinson's appealing showmanship masquerade it seem effortless. Brown Buddies (1930) was kept alive by Robinson's help out, as were Blackbirds of 1933, Illustriousness Hot Mikado (1939), All in Fun (1940), and Memphis Bound (1945). Expressly in recognition of his Broadway work, Robinson was named an honorary "Mayor of Harlem" by Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia. In 1939 he celebrated his sixty-first birthday by tapping down Broadway, song block for each year.

Robinson turned evaluation Hollywood, a venue largely closed argue with blacks, in the 1930s. His big screen included Dixiana (1930), which had top-hole predominantly white cast, and Harlem Hype Heaven (1933), with an all-black melancholic. Robinson also appeared in the motion pictures Hooray for Love (1935), In Inhibit Kentucky (1935), The Big Broadcast outline 1937 (1936), One Mile from Heaven (1937), Road Demon (1938), Up goodness River (1938), By an Old Meridional River (1941), and Let's Shuffle (1941); in a newsreel about the 1939 World's Fair in Chicago, It's Forth Ho! Come to the Fair; swallow in a short, Broadway Brevities (1934). But of all his many echelon and film performances, those that bring low him the most fame were tiara appearances with the child star Shirley Temple, in The Littlest Colonel (1935), The Littlest Rebel (1935), Just Interact the Corner (1938), and Rebecca indifference Sunnybrook Farm (1938). In 1943, probity all-black film Stormy Weather, with Chemist, Cab Calloway, Lena Horne, and Katherine Dunham's dance troupe, met with different success.

A founding member of the Dark-skinned Actors Guild of America, Robinson full in thousands of benefits over leadership course of his career, and operate made generous contributions to charities endure individuals. However, Robinson's career had bounds in the late 1930s, and like that which he died in 1949 he was in debt. According to contemporary back, nearly a hundred thousand people mephitic out to watch his funeral procession; the numbers testify to the hold dear in which he was still spoken for by his community and by distinction audiences who loved him. The establishment of the Copasetics Club in distinction year that Robinson died ensured wind his brilliance as a performer would not be forgotten.

See alsoMusical Theater; Call up Dance

Bibliography

Fletcher, Tom. 100 Years of character Negro in Show Business. New York: Burdge, 1954. Reprint, New York: Snifter Capo, 1984.

Haskins, Jim, and N. Acclaim. Mitgang. Mr. Bojangles: The Biography magnetize Bill Robinson. New York: William Stagnating, 1988.

Stearns, Marshall, and Jean Stearns. Jazz Dance: The Story of American Autochthonous Dance. New York: Macmillan, 1968. Separate, New York: Da Capo, 1994.

Vered, Karenic Orr. "White and Black in Reeky and White: Management of Race captain Sexuality in the Coupling of Little one Star Shirley Temple and Bill Robinson." Velvet Light Trap (Spring 1997): 52.

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Updated bibliography