Sid Robin

Sidney "Sid" Robin (actually Sidney Rabinowitz ; born July 12, 1912 in New York City , † November 7, 1985 in Los Angeles ) was an American lyricist and composer of the Tin Pan Alley era.

Life

Chick Webb - Undecided

All that is known about his childhood is that he learned to play the saxophone. He wrote his first text for the piano solo My Monday Date (or A Monday Date ), composed by Earl Hines and recorded on June 27, 1928 , which was later covered by numerous performers (including Louis Armstrong , Eddie Condon , Meade Lux Lewis ). In 1935 he wrote Just Because with Bob and Joe Shelton , which the Shelton Brothers recorded on February 23, 1935. Elvis Presley covered the song in 1956 as the B-side of Blue Moon , recorded on September 10, 1954 on Sun Records and only released on its first LP Elvis Presley in March 1956. The track was covered at least 54 times. Together with Sonny Burke , Robin wrote the text for the original instrumental recording King Porter Stomp , a jazz standard composed by Jelly Roll Morton and recorded in July 1923 , which was first written with a text version by Chick Webb (vocals: Ella Fitzgerald ) in February 1936 and in the movie Miller's Crossing (US premiere on September 21, 1990) can be heard. On October 28, 1938, John Kirby & the Onyx Club Boys took over the title Undecided ( Decca Records # 2216) with Robin's text and trumpeter Charlie Shavers as the composer (19th place on the pop hit parade ). Actually, the title was supposed to express that a final music title had not yet been decided. Robin based the text on this and described a relationship that began and ended again and again. The version, which was covered by Chick Webb (with Ella Fitzgerald vocals; Decca # 2323) on February 17, 1939, was transported to rank 8 in the pop hit parade. With the recording date June 25, 1951, the song celebrated again with the Ames Brothers ( Coral Records # 60566) as a million seller (rank # 2), followed by the Benny Goodman Sextet in December 1952. Overall, this song was released in at least 78 versions. The collaboration with the Andrews Sisters began with the title Rock, Rock, Rock-A-Bye Baby , recorded on March 31, 1939.

Buddy Clark - Sincerely Yours

Save a Smile For A Rainy Day for Roy Rogers can be heard in the movie Billy the Kid Returns (US premiere: September 4, 1938). Robin next wrote the text to an original instrumental recording , Benny Goodman's famous Flying Home (recorded on November 6, 1939), subsequently covered 16 times. He wrote the classic Woodchoppers Ball with orchestra leader Woody Herman and band member Joe Bishop (April 12, 1939). In its instrumental version, the title reached number 9 on the charts and developed into another million seller by 1948. Together with Alec Wilder , That's the Way It Goes for Benny Goodman with vocals by Peggy Lee (September 25, 1941) was written. In cooperation with Jimmy Henderson and Bertha Scott, he wrote the popular I Miss You So , presented by the Andrews Sisters in the film of the same name (US premiere on February 20, 1942, including the Robin composition What's Cookin '? ).

Robin only joined the US collecting society ASCAP in 1942 . During the Second World War he entertained the troops as a member of Irving Berlin's show This is the Army from 1942. At that time he was an army composer ("soldier songwriter") with the rank of private, who wrote the title Six Jerks in A Jeep (April 23, 1942) for the Second Army Corps, interpreted by the Andrews Sisters. East of the Rockies was copyrighted June 18, 1942, to Private Robin, and was incorporated by the Andrews Sisters on July 22, 1942. Further compositions are the score for the film of the same name, My Baby Said Yes with Bing Crosby (US premiere on September 17, 1945), No One to Cry To with the Sons of the Pioneers (March 15, 1946). Sincerely Yours Robin wrote for Freddie Stewart (published June 1947), a cover was published by Buddy Clark (August 21, 1947), Green Cockatoo was written for Ethel Smith (December 30, 1947) and Blind Date for comedian Bob Hope (May 11, 1947) 1950).

Film music

Robin was also the composer of many other film scores such as Gene Autry's Trail to San Antone (January 25, 1947). Together with Foy Willing he wrote film scores for the Western Under Colorado Skies (December 15, 1947) or for some films with Roy Rogers such as The Golden Stallion (November 15, 1949), Bells of Coronado (January 8, 1950) or Twilight in the Sierras (March 22, 1950). Many of these film scores were made with Foy Willing. Robin wrote for the Groucho Marx TV series You Can Bet Your Life (April 1, 1941). Two songs he wrote with Louis Jordan only became known to a wider audience very late through the Broadway revue Five Guys Named Moe (British premiere in London's West End on December 14, 1990, US premiere on April 8, 1992). namely Look Out (Sister) (recorded for Decca on June 4, 1947) and I Know What I've Got (February 7, 1949). One of Robin's last compositions was One Little Kiss for Jo Stafford (July 1956). ASCAP has copyrighted 117 pieces of music for him.

Individual evidence

1. ^ Joseph Murrells, Million Selling Records , 1985, p. 66
2. ^ Billboard Magazine, December 6, 1952, Columbia Couterpoints , p. 23
3. ^ Joseph Murrells, Million Selling Records , 1985, p. 29
4. ^ John Bush Jones, The Songs That Fought the War , 1942, p. 105