Paul Leroy Robeson (April 9, 1898 – January 23, 1976) was an African-American concert singer (bass-baritone), recording artist, athlete and actor who became noted for his political radicalism and activism in the civil rights movement. The son of an escaped slave, Robeson was the first major concert star to popularize the performance of Negro spirituals and was the first black actor of the 20th century to portray Shakespeare's Othello in a production with an all white cast.
A nationally renowned football player from 1917 to the early 1920s, Robeson was an All-American athlete, and Phi Beta Kappa Society laureate during his years at Rutgers University. In 1923, Robeson drifted into amateur theater work and within a decade he had become an international star of stage, screen, radio and film. Robeson went on to be a recipient of the NAACP's Spingarn Medal, the Stalin Peace Prize and of honorary memberships in over half a dozen trade unions. James Earl Jones, Sidney Poitier and Harry Belafonte have cited Robeson's lead film roles as being the first to display dignity for black actors and pride in African heritage. Though one of the most internationally famous people of the 20th century, blacklisting during the Cold War, has nearly erased Robeson from mainstream interpretations of history.
At the height of his career, Paul Robeson chose to become primarily a political artist. In 1950, Robeson's passport was revoked under the McCarran Act over his work in the anti-imperialism movement and what the U.S. State Department called Robeson's "frequent criticism while abroad of the treatment of blacks in the US." Under heavy and daily surveillance by both the FBI and the CIA and publicly condemned for his beliefs, Robeson's income fell dramatically and he was blacklisted from performing on stage, screen, radio and television. Robeson's right to travel was restored in 1958, but his already faltering health broke down under controversial circumstances in 1963. By 1965, he was forced into permanent retirement. He spent his final years in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, unapologetic about his political views and career. Advocates of Robeson's legacy have restored his name to history books and sports records, honoring his memory with posthumous recognitions.
Here´s a compilation named after one of his most famous songs, "Ol´ Man River", released in 1990.
Tracks:
01 – Carry Me Back To Old Virginny/Round The Bend Of The Road/River, Stay ‘Way From My Door
02 – Swing Low, Sweet Chariot
03 – Blue Prelude
04 – My Old Kentucky Home
05 – The Old Ark’s A-Moving
06 – Got The South In My Soul
07 – Go Down, Moses
08 – I Stood On The River
09 – The Folks I Used To Know
10 – Scarecrow
11 – Piccaninny Shoes
12 – Shenandoa’
13 – I Want To Be Ready
14 – Wagon Wheels
15 – Joshua Fit The Battle Of Jericho
16 – So Shy
17 – Peter, Go Ring-A Dem Bells
18 – I Ain’t Lazy, I’m Just Dreamin’
19 – Mammy’s Little Kinky Headed Boy
20 – Roll The Chariot Along
21 – Hail The Crown/I Got A Robe/Oh Lord, I Done What You Told Me To Do/The Gospel Train/The Heaven Bells Are Ringin’/I’ll Hear The Trumpet Sound/Walk Together, Children
22 – Ol’ Man River
Paul Robeson - Ol´ Man River (1990)
(320 kbps, small front cover included)
