Classically Black: Paul Robeson

The deep bass voice of Paul Robeson was perfectly suited for the Showboat tune "Ol' Man River," and it became a signature song of the singer and stage actor.

But Robeson wasn't content to just sing the words of the song. He changed them where he thought it appropriate, and turned "Ol' Man River" into a kind of protest song. Thus "I'm tired of living and scared of dying" became "I'll keep on fighting until I'm dying."

It is a testament to Robeson's legacy that the current revival of Showboat uses his revised lyrics, says WILL-FM's Roger Cooper, whose Classically Black: Robeson highlights the career and life of Robeson.

"When I began researching Robeson's life, I had no idea he was such a great leader," says Cooper. "Other people have done great things in music, but he was involved in film, dramatics, the labor movement, and in championing the causes of oppressed people around the world. Because he was a public figure, people listened to what he said. I'd compare him to Dr. Martin Luther King."

Robeson's father, an escaped slave who became a minister, taught his children that they had great dignity and value, and were inferior to no one, regardless of color or station, says Cooper. His father's sermons, the music he heard in church, a quick intelligence and natural athletic ability all went into shaping Robeson as an artist. In college at Rutgers University, Robeson played football, was catcher for the varsity baseball team, center for the basketball team and threw the discus for the track team.

Although Robeson attended Columbia University law school, race prevented him from practicing law on a satisfactory level. Cooper says that Robeson's commanding presence and deep, authoritative voice would have served him well in the courtroom. "He was denied, but these same qualities made him a consummate artist," says Cooper.

The program features an interview with William Warfield about Robeson, and recordings made by Robeson including "Ballad for Americans" by John LaTouche, "Ol' Man River," and several spirituals.

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