Earl Robinson

Earl Hawley Robinson was a central player in the early recognition and development of American folk music. He was born on July 2, 1910 in Seattle, Washington. From an early age his mother made sure that he, along with his two siblings, received a serious musical education. Between the three children, they played piano, guitar, flute, viola, violin, saxophone, and clarinet. By the age of six, Robinson was improvising on the piano, so it was little surprise that he decided to major in music when he enrolled in the University of Seattle in 1928. After graduation in 1933, he traveled to China and worked his way back to the United States by hiring himself as a pianist on an ocean liner. In 1934, he arrived in New York City, eager to involve himself in left-=wing activity including the Young Communist League and the Workers Laboratory Theater (later known as the Theater of Action). During the summer of 1936 he worked as the musical director at Camp Unity, and it was there he composed "Joe Hill." While continuing his activity at summer camps, he also began composing for the Federal Theater Project in the late 1930s, and led the People's Chorus at the International Workers Order. Robinson reached an early career peak in 1939 when he wrote "Ballad for Americans" with John Latouche for the end of the play, Sing for Your Supper. When the Works Progress Administration (a federal government program) shut down, CBS rescued "Ballad for Americans" for its Pursuit of Happiness radio program in the latter part of 1939. In the epic song, the singer paints a mythical portrait of the American people throughout history. Performed by actor-singer Paul Robeson, the program was a smashing success, leading to a recording of the song backed by Robinson's American Peoples Chorus. Surprisingly,...