| − | '''Paul LeRoy Bustill Robeson''' (April 9, 1898–January 23, 1976) was an American [[actor]] of film and stage, All-American and professional [[athlete]], [[writer]], multi-lingual [[orator]], [[lawyer]], and ''basso profondo'' concert singer who was also noted for his wide-ranging support of [[Josef Stalin]] and [[Communism]]. A forerunner of the [[civil rights]] movement, Robeson was a trade union [[activist]], a so-called "peace activist," [[Phi Beta Kappa Society]] laureate, and a recipient of the Spingarn Medal and [[Stalin Peace Prize]]. His outspoken beliefs and friendships with Communists led to his passport being revoked from 1950 to 1958 under the [[McCarran Act]] and he was under surveillance by the U.S. [[Federal Bureau of Investigation]], [[Central Intelligence Agency]] and by British [[MI5]] for well over three decades until his death in 1976. Robeson pled the [[Fifth Amendment]] before the [[House Unamerican Activities Committee]] when questioned about CPUSA membership. | + | '''Paul LeRoy Bustill Robeson''' (April 9, 1898–January 23, 1976) was an American [[actor]] of film and stage, All-American and professional [[athlete]], [[writer]], multi-lingual [[orator]], [[lawyer]], and ''basso profondo'' concert singer who was also noted for his wide-ranging support of [[Josef Stalin]] and [[Communism]]. A forerunner of the [[civil rights]] movement, Robeson was a trade union [[activist]], peace activist, [[Phi Beta Kappa Society]] laureate, and a recipient of the Spingarn Medal and [[Stalin Peace Prize]]. His outspoken beliefs and friendships with international socialist, anti-colonialist activists and Communists led to his passport being revoked from 1950 to 1958 under the [[McCarran Act]] and he was under surveillance by the U.S. [[Federal Bureau of Investigation]], [[Central Intelligence Agency]] and by British [[MI5]] for well over three decades until his death in 1976. Robeson pled the [[Fifth Amendment]] before the [[House Unamerican Activities Committee]] when questioned about CPUSA membership. to this day he has never been officially identified as an official CPUSA member despite his many affiliations. |
| − | After a return from Europe during the [[Communazi]] period, he performed ''Patriotic [[cantata]]'' with lyrics by John La Touche and music by Earl Robinson. Originally titled, The Ballad for [[Uncle Sam]], it was written for a [[Works Progress Administration]] theatre project called Sing for Your Supper.<ref>Online notes from 2005 [http://www.lafayette.edu/webdata/robeson/audio.html Paul Robeson Conference] at Lafayette College. Accessed 31 January 2006.</ref> | + | After a return from Europe during the interwar period, he performed ''Patriotic [[cantata]]'' with lyrics by John La Touche and music by Earl Robinson. Originally titled, The Ballad for [[Uncle Sam]], it was written for a [[Works Progress Administration]] theatre project called Sing for Your Supper.<ref>Online notes from 2005 [http://www.lafayette.edu/webdata/robeson/audio.html Paul Robeson Conference] at Lafayette College. Accessed 31 January 2006.</ref> |
| | Robeson performed "Ballad" on the [[CBS]] radio network in 1943, accompanied by chorus and orchestra. [[Bing Crosby]] would also record a commercially successful recording of the piece but the song is almost always associated with Robeson as it represents the pinnacle of his music and radio career prior to the [[Cold War]]<ref name=Duberman241>Duberman, Martin. ''Paul Robeson'', 1989, pg 241. </ref>He would perform it at [[The Hollywood Bowl]] to the largest sold-out crowd in its history.<ref name=Duberman241 /> | | Robeson performed "Ballad" on the [[CBS]] radio network in 1943, accompanied by chorus and orchestra. [[Bing Crosby]] would also record a commercially successful recording of the piece but the song is almost always associated with Robeson as it represents the pinnacle of his music and radio career prior to the [[Cold War]]<ref name=Duberman241>Duberman, Martin. ''Paul Robeson'', 1989, pg 241. </ref>He would perform it at [[The Hollywood Bowl]] to the largest sold-out crowd in its history.<ref name=Duberman241 /> |