Earl Robinson
Earl Hawley Robinson (July 2, 1910 – July 20, 1991) was an American composer, arranger and folk music singer-songwriter from Seattle, Washington. Robinson is remembered for his music, including the cantata "Ballad for Americans" and songs such as "Joe Hill" and "Black and White", which expressed his left-leaning political views. He wrote many popular songs and music for Hollywood films, including his collaboration with Lewis Allan on the 1940s hit "The House I Live In" from the Academy Award winning film of the same name. He was a member of the Communist Party from the 1930s to the 1950s. The jazz clarinetist Perry Robinson (1938–2018) was his son. |
Birth and Death Data: Born Seattle (city in and county seat of King County, State of Washington, United States), Died July 20, 1991 (Seattle (city in and county seat of King County, State of Washington, United States) )
Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1929 - 1944
Roles Represented in DAHR: composer, narrator, choral director, arranger
= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.
Recordings
| Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Victor | BVE-56629 | 10-in. | 11/29/1929 | Take time to be holy | Holman and Robinson | Vocal duet, with piano | arranger | |
| Victor | BS-047035 | 10-in. | 2/9/1940 | Ballad for Americans | American People's Chorus ; Paul Robeson ; Victor Symphony Orchestra | Bass vocal solo and mixed vocal chorus, with orchestra | composer, choral director | |
| Victor | BS-047036 | 10-in. | 2/9/1940 | Ballad for Americans | American People's Chorus ; Paul Robeson ; Victor Symphony Orchestra | Bass vocal solo and mixed vocal chorus, with orchestra | composer, choral director | |
| Victor | BS-047037 | 10-in. | 2/9/1940 | Ballad for Americans | American People's Chorus ; Paul Robeson ; Victor Symphony Orchestra | Bass vocal solo and mixed vocal chorus, with orchestra | composer, choral director | |
| Victor | BS-047038 | 10-in. | 2/9/1940 | Ballad for Americans | American People's Chorus ; Paul Robeson ; Victor Symphony Orchestra | Bass vocal solo and mixed vocal chorus, with orchestra | choral director, composer | |
| Decca | 71967 | 4/10/1944 | The lonesome train: Part 3 | Burl Ives | narrator, composer | |||
| Decca | 71968 | 4/10/1944 | The lonesome train: Part 6 | Burl Ives | narrator, composer | |||
| Decca | 71969 | 4/10/1944 | The lonesome train: Part 1 | Burl Ives | narrator, composer | |||
| Decca | 71970 | 4/10/1944 | The lonesome train: Part 2 | Burl Ives | narrator, composer | |||
| Decca | 71971 | 4/10/1944 | The lonesome train: Part 4 | Burl Ives | narrator, composer | |||
| Decca | 71972 | 4/10/1944 | The lonesome train: Part 5 | Burl Ives | narrator, composer |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Robinson, Earl," accessed January 4, 2026, http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/104447.
Robinson, Earl. (2026). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved January 4, 2026, from http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/104447.
"Robinson, Earl." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2026. Web. 4 January 2026.
DAHR Persistent Identifier
External Sources
Wikipedia: Earl Robinson
Discogs: Earl Robinson
Allmusic: Earl Robinson
Grove: Earl Robinson
IMDb: Earl Robinson
Linked Open Data Sources
LCNAR: Robinson, Earl, 1910-1991 - https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n84007927
Wikidata: Earl Robinson - https://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q1277150
VIAF: https://viaf.org/viaf/115418748
MusicBrainz: Earl Robinson - https://musicbrainz.org/artist/bdd9f8ea-c3d6-450a-80a0-5cf9bf178dfa
Fast: https://id.worldcat.org/fast/140040 - https://id.worldcat.org/fast/140040
Wikipedia content provided under the terms of the Creative Commons BY-SA license
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