Don Robey
Don Robey (born November 1, 1903 in Houston , Texas , † June 16, 1975 ibid) was an American songwriter, promoter and music producer. He was the first African American to own a successful record label . Artists he signed included Bobby "Blue" Bland , Big Mama Thornton , Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown , Memphis Slim , Little Junior Parker and many others.
Before he turned to the music business, Robey tried different activities - he was u. a. professional player and taxi entrepreneur. In the 1930s he was organizing dance events in the Houston area. He temporarily ran a club in Los Angeles before opening the "Bronze Peacock Dinner Club" in Houston in the mid- 1940s . There was also a record store, an artist agency and in 1949 the record label Peacock Records .
Robey had Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown under contract, with whom Peacock had his first hits. The first number 1 had the label with Hound Dog by Big Mama Thornton .
1952 merged Peacock and Duke Records from Memphis (Tennessee) to Duke-Peacock . In 1953 Robey became the sole owner. The label's stars included Johnny Ace , Rosco Gordon , Little Junior Parker and Bobby "Blue" Bland .
In 1957 Robey founded the R&B label Back Beat . Duke-Peacock concentrated on gospel in addition to the blues . In 1973 Robey sold Duke-Peacock and acted as a consultant for the new owner, ABC-Dunhill Records .
Don Robey died in Houston in 1975.
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| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Robey, Don |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American songwriter and music producer |
| DATE OF BIRTH | November 1, 1903 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Houston , Texas |
| DATE OF DEATH | June 16, 1975 |
| Place of death | Houston , Texas |