J. Russell Robinson

J. Russell Robinson

J. Russell Robinson (July 8, 1892 – September 30, 1963) was a United States ragtime and dixieland jazz pianist and a composer of popular tunes.

Robinson was born in Indianapolis, Indiana. He started publishing ragtime compositions in his teens; his early hits included "Sapho Rag" and "Eccentric". With his drummer brother he toured the Southern United States in the early 1910s including an extended stay in New Orleans. He also turned out hundreds of piano roll recordings for the US Music Company in Chicago and later the QRS Company in New York. He was known for his heavily blues and jazz influenced playing style; advertisements billed him in the somewhat racist language of the time as "The White Boy with the Colored Fingers". His style has been described as having a swinging, shimmying style with many right hand only blues breaks.

In 1919 Robinson joined the Original Dixieland Jazz Band. He then went to work with W.C. Handy's publishing company, supplying new arrangements and lyrics for popular editions of tunes like "The Memphis Blues" and "Ole Miss" in the 1920s. He also played piano with various popular and blues singers in phonograph recording sessions, accompanying singers such as Annette Hanshaw, Lucille Hegamin, Marion Harris, and Lizzie Miles. On some of his acompanyments to African American singers the acompanyment was listed on the record labels as being by Spencer Williams (with Williams permission)

His popular compositions include "Palesteena", "Margie", "Mary Lou", "Singin' The Blues", "Meet Me In No Special Place (And I'll Be There At No Particular Time)", and the title song for the movie "Portrait of Jennie" (1948).

In 1957, while living in Palmdale, California, Robinson teamed with a young librettist/lyricist, Leo McElroy, to create the score for a musical entitled "Mermaid Tavern" which enjoyed a brief flirtation with off-Broadway and continues to be considered and produced in regional theatres.

Robinson died of cancer in Palmdale, California in 1963 after a brief illness, during which he completed two new songs for "Mermaid Tavern."


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