Bill Robinson

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Bill Robinson, January 25, 1933
Photograph by Carl van Vechten , from the Van Vechten Collection of the Library of Congress

Bill "Bojangles" Robinson (born May 25, 1877 as Luther Robinson in Richmond , Virginia , † November 25, 1949 in New York City , New York ) was an American tap dancer and actor .

Life

Bill Robinson was born in Richmond, Virginia. He lost his parents as a toddler and was raised by his grandmother. He ran away from home at the age of nine and began his career as a street artist . Due to his outstanding talent as a dancer , he made the leap into the clubs and variety theaters of New York City . His dance style revolutionized the tap dance of his time: At that time rhythms were mainly generated with the flat foot; Robinson, on the other hand, was the first to dance mainly on the balls of his feet. He was very successful, performed on Broadway , in the famous Cotton Club and as one of the first black tap dancers in Hollywood productions. One of his most frequent film partners was the young Shirley Temple . There are two explanations for the meaning of his nickname "Bojangles". Many saw it as a synonym for carefree, but the black vaudeville artist Tom Flatcher said the word was colloquial for a quarreling person.

Despite his successes, Robinson died a poor man. He gave a lot to charity, but was also a notorious gambler . When he died of chronic heart disease in 1949, he was laid out in Harlem . Showmaster Ed Sullivan paid the bill for his funeral out of pocket. Thousands lined the streets to pay their final respects. His coffin was carried to the grave by Duke Ellington , Cole Porter and Irving Berlin .

Filmography (selection)

  • 1932: Harlem is Heaven
  • 1935: The Little Colonel
  • 1935: The Littlest Rebel
  • 1935: In Old Kentucky
  • 1935: Hooray For Love
  • 1937: One Mile From Heaven
  • 1938: Cotton Club Revue
  • 1938: Shirley on Welle 303 (Rebecca Of Sunnybrook Farm)
  • 1938: Just Around the Corner
  • 1943: The Dancer on the Steps (Stormy Weather)

Honors

Robinson's birthday, May 25, was declared National Tap Dance Day by the US Congress in 1989.

The folk singer Jerry Jeff Walker wrote the song Mr. Bojangles in 1968 , which is now one of the jazz standards and has been interpreted by many artists. However, it does not describe Bill Robinson himself, but a Bojangles impersonator who dances for tips.

One of Robinson's favorite sayings was "everything is copasetic", he said he invented the adjective himself. Copasetic has entered the English colloquial language with the meaning “in the best order”. After his death, step stars Billy Strayhorn, Charles Cook, Honi Coles, Cholly Atkins and LeRoy Myers founded the group "The Copasetics" to keep Robinson and his steps in memory. The legendary group existed for decades with changing cast.

In 2001 his life story was filmed in the film Bojangles , with tap dancer and actor Gregory Hines playing the lead role .

In Tim Burton's film Corpse Bride (2005), the character “Bonejangels” was given to Robinson and the song “Mr. Bojangles ”.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Who is Who of the International Tap Association ( Memento of the original from February 14, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.tapdance.org
  2. ↑ Ed Sullivan's biography at Discogs , accessed September 25, 2018.
  3. ↑ Bill Robinson's grave
personal data
SURNAME Robinson, Bill
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Robinson, Bojangles (nickname); Robinson, Luther (maiden name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American tap dancer and actor
DATE OF BIRTH May 25, 1877
PLACE OF BIRTH Richmond , Virginia
DATE OF DEATH November 25, 1949
Place of death New York City , New York