Paul Robeson - An Evening With Paul Robeson (1960)

By 1952, Robeson had become, in Pete Seeger’s words, “the most blacklisted performer in America”. The FBI intimidated promoters to deny him venues while radio stations refused to play his records, which were no longer available in the shops. He couldn’t sing at a commercial hall, no producer would put him on stage, and his movie career had long since come to an end. Worse still, the state department denied him a passport, trapping him inside the US.

The destruction of Robeson’s reputation dates from that period, a time when attending a Robeson concert became a suspicious act and sporting records were surreptitiously revised to disguise his past achievements.

Many other figures smeared during McCarthyism – Albert Einstein, Langston Hughes, Charlie Chaplin, WEB Du Bois, etc – have been subsequently rehabilitated. Robeson’s ongoing obscurity stems from his obstinate refusal to recant or back down.
“I am a radical,” he insisted, “and I am going to stay one until my people get free to walk the Earth.”

Called before the notorious House Un-American Activities Committee in 1956, he was asked why, given his beliefs, he remained in the United States.

“Because my father was a slave,” he replied. “And my people died to build this country, and I am going to stay here, and have a part of it just like you. And no fascist-minded people will drive me from it. Is that clear”’

The album "An Evening With Paul Robeson" was also released under titles like "Robeson" or "Robeson Sings"

Tracklist:

A1 Some Enchanted Evening
A2 Mah Lindy Lou
A3 Skye Boat Song
A4 The Riddle Song
A5 Down De Lovers' Lane
A6 Land Of My Fathers
B1 I'll Walk Beside You
B2 Ma Curly-Headed Baby
B3 Trees
B4 The Castle Of Dromore
B5 Just A'Wearyin' For You
B6 Climbing Up


Paul Robeson - An Evening With Paul Robeson (1960)

(320 kbps, cover art included)