h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Entry: Paul Robeson - Performer and Campaigner - A87809908
Author: minorvogonpoet - U3099090

This was originally intended to be my response to Create's August challenge. I'm sorry it was late.

My main source has been Martin Bauml Duberman's comprehensive biography 'Paul Robeson'.

Thank you so much for this. I have been a fan all my life, but knew little of his work or background, only his singing which still gives me goose pimples and shudders.

It makes very interesting reading and it is such a shame his name hasn't been kept in the forefront of history.

No-one has ever matched his singing of Ol' Man River, the true title.

For those not familiar with him

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k2lGxGrYz-0

Thanks again,

Websailor

i have just looked at the list of his songs and there are so many wonderful ones I had forgotten. Found the one my mother hated for some reason - Short'nin' Bread

Websailor

Do you remember Willy the Whale singing that?

Thanks Websailor.

Ol' Man River is the only one of Robeson's songs I've mentioned by name. It might be good to add a couple more and add the You tube links.

Gnomon - I'm afraid I haven't heard of Willy the Whale. Can you enlighten me?

Me too please Gnomon

Websailor

I found this to be a really engaging piece about an interesting man.

Thanks, Woolly

I've put a few links in this entry. I'm taking the book back to the library tomorrow, so it'll be more difficult for me to check any matters of fact.

Disney made a cartoon back in the 40s called "the whale who wanted to sing at the met". When we first come across Willy the Whale, he's amusing some penguins by sing Shortnin' Bread, Robeson style. He later sings many classic opera moments. The whole thing is on YouTube.

This is an excellent entry, MVP. I couldn't fault it on content - it seems to give a good well-rounded description of Robeson's life, although it's not a subject I know much about. I used to listen to Robeson on my father's 78s and I remember Ol' Man River, Joshua Fit de Battle of Jericho and others.

There are just three places in the entry where I think your choice of words isn't quite right, although it is debatable.

"His performance was regarded as the show's redeeming quality" - a performance isn't a quality. I think "feature" would be better.

"he had many friends in the organisation and shared their ideas" - I think "ideals" would be better than "ideas".

"Trouble culminated in 1949, with riots at two concerts" - while it is acceptable to use "culminated" in this way, it is more usual to say that some culminated in something else. So you could say:

In 1949, trouble culminated in riots at two concerts.

Other than those, I think this is ready for picking.

Willy the Whale appears in the 8th Disney Classic, 1946's 'Make Mine Music'.

<BB<

Thanks Gnomon, I've made some changes.

This is great, MVP.

I've got a few suggestions and links.

'...and lynchings of black people were common.'

Lynchings took place. They weren't exactly 'common' in 1899. In 1899, 21 white people were lynched in the US, and 85 black people. That's horrible, but not 'common', I think.

Here are the statistics:
http://law2.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/shipp/lynchingyear.html

Also, you make it sound like that sort of thing was likely to happen in Princeton, New Jersey. This news would appall the entire Princeton campus. It's a longstanding hotbed of upper-class rectitude.

I don't know if you can work in a link - or want to - but I wrote a bit about Robeson in my Entry on the song 'Zog nit keynmol', which Robeson sang in the USSR. I also explained some about the Peekskill Riots: A87735748

The film 'Song of Freedom' is available online through archive.org:

http://archive.org/details/SongofFreedom

I recommend a watch. He's marvellous in it, along with the British cast.

You can get Robeson singing 'John Henry' from archive.org, too:
http://archive.org/details/PaulRobeson-JohnHenry

My favourite Robeson rendition is 'This Little Light of Mine':

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TkZsChKNULk

You've got some really good reviews for this Entry, and I was going to press for it to be accepted into the sub-editors queue. Then I noticed that Dmitri had made some further suggestions. I'll leave it until after you've had a chance to respond. But I'd like to see this moving on as soon as possible please.

You've got some really good reviews for this Entry, and I was going to press for it to be accepted into the sub-editors queue. Then I noticed that Dmitri had made some further suggestions. I'll leave it until after you've had a chance to respond. But I'd like to see this moving on as soon as possible please. :D

Thanks for this Dmitri.

Having been away for a couple of weeks, I'm still catching up with things. I'll make these changes as soon as possible.

I remembered that you'd written something about Peekskill but couldn't find it when I looked.

I've made the changes Dmitri suggested. I hope these improve the entry.

This looks good. I think you've managed to balance the story about Robeson's struggle against prejudice with an appreciation of his considerable accomplishments.

He was a remarkable man.

I've had another read through this, and I'm very impressed. I reckon it is ready for picking, if a scout is around.