Orlando Roberson

According to the great jazz singer and blues shouter Jimmy Rushing, it was the advent of sound system technology that changed the singing style of vocalists appearing with jazz or blues groups. Rushing's generation, which included performers such as Big Joe Turner and Jimmy Witherspoon, had figured out how to get their voices over the top of the band, rhythm section, and all, without the benefit of amplification because there was none available. The advent of the megaphone brought about crooners such as Rudy Vallee, yet this device had such a limited sound it was in turn not suited to every type of performance. It was the invention of the microphone around 1933 that made it possible for singers such as Orlando Roberson or the Jimmie Lunceford band's Dan Grissom to be heard over the sound of a full band. Once they did, the effect on the listening public was devastating, paving the way for the likes of Frank Sinatra and Perry Como. Vocalists such as Roberson were often considered showstoppers, not only because of their vocal range, but because audiences were not used to hearing voices such as his coming from the bandstand. The voice of Orlando Roberson is most frequently described as high, with some listeners even assuming it is a woman singing. He was part of the first wave of the type of fragile, subtly expressive voices that were indeed made possible by microphone technology. As a result, vocalists could have the same time of musical flexibility as instrumentalists. He has often been misidentified as Orlando Robeson, a spelling difference of one letter which has also led to the misconception that there was a family relation to the great gospel and dramatic singer Paul Robeson. In reality, the two are not related other than their choice of careers. Orlando Roberson's...