Bobby Robinson (record producer)
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Bobby Robinson is a prominent African-American independent record producer in New York, most active from the 1950s through the mid-1980s. He established several highly successful record labels, and produced numerous records that sold in the millions.
Biography
R&B/rock and roll/soul days
A South Carolina native, Robinson moved to New York and opened "Bobby's Record Shop" (now "Bobby's Happy House") in 1946. His was the first black-owned business on Harlem's famed 125th Street. Located on the corner of 125th St. and Frederick Douglass Boulevard (formerly, "8th Avenue"), his shop is still in business. [#endnote_Firstblackbusiness]In the '50s and '60s, he established several record labels, some in partnership with his brother, Danny Robinson. Among them were Red Robin Records in 1952, Whirlin' Disc Records in 1956, Fury Records and Everlast Records in 1957, Fire Records in 1959, and Enjoy Records in 1962.
Having enjoyed healthy local sales with doo-wop and blues discs on his "Robin" and "Red Robin" labels in the early to mid-1950s, he launched "Fire" and "Fury" as vehicles for rhythm and blues and rock and roll artists, most of which were produced by him in New York, but some were produced by others and acquired by him in various Southern cities.
Robinson produced numerous million-selling records by such notable performers as Wilbert Harrison, The Shirelles, Lee Dorsey, and Dave "Baby" Cortez. He produced Gladys Knight & the Pips' first hit, "Every Beat of My Heart". Robinson also produced several of Elmore James' greatest records. King Curtis's "Soul Twist" was the first release of his "Enjoy" label, and over twenty years later, he released the highly successful hit, "Iām The Packman (Eat Everything I Can)" by The Packman, on the same label.
Hip hop days
In the 1970s, Robinson produced some of the first hip-hop music records for his "Enjoy" label and had considerable influence and success in that genre through the mid-1980s. He achieved another success in 1979, when he recorded Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five's first record, "Superrappin'", an innovative record which was very influential in hip-hop's early years. A local hit among New York area hip-hop fans, the music industry, however, was not ready for the new sound, and the record failed to hit nationwide.Robinson then went to commercial success with other old school hip hop artists, including Pumpkin and Friends, the Funky Four Plus One More, Spoonie Gee (Robinson's nephew), and Kool Moe Dee with the Treacherous Three.
Robinson also chalked up another success when he produced Doug E. Fresh's "Just Having Fun (Do The Beatbox)", which introduced beatboxing to the record-buying public.
Selected production credits
- "Kansas City" by Wilbert Harrison
- "Dedicated to the One I Love" by The Shirelles
- "Ya Ya" by Lee Dorsey
- "The Happy Organ" by Dave "Baby" Cortez
- "Tossin' and Turnin'" by Bobby Lewis
- "That's All Right" by Arthur Crudup's (covered by Elvis Presley for his first record)
- "Jack, That Cat Was Clean" by Dr. Horse (Dr. Pittman)
- "Salt Pork, West Virginia" by Dr. Horse (Dr. Pittman)
- "You Don't Have to Go" bt Sam Myers
- "Wiggle Wobble" by Les Cooper
- "Every Beat of My Heart" by Gladys Knight & the Pips
- "Rockin It" by Pumpkin and Friends
- "Rappin' And Rocking The House" by the Funky Four Plus One More (at over sixteen minutes, the longest rap record of its time)
- "Love Rap" by Spoonie Gee
- several hits by Kool Moe Dee with the Treacherous Three ("The New Rap Language", "At The Party" and "Body Rock")
External links: discographies
- http://koti.mbnet.fi/wdd/robinson.htm
- http://www.bsnpubs.com/fire.html
- http://www.globaldogproductions.com/fire.html
Notes
- ā Black Enterprise, June, 2003
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