Paul Robeson's Voices is a meditation on Robeson's singing, a study of the artist's life in song. Music historian Grant Olwage examines Robeson's voice as it exists in two broad and intersecting domains: as sound object and sounding gesture, specifically how it was fashioned in the contexts of singing practices, in recital, concert, and recorded performance, and as subject of identification. Olwage asks: how does the voice encapsulate modes of subjectivity, of being? Combining deep archival research with musicological theory, this book is a study of voice as central to Robeson's sense of self and his politics. Paul Robeson's Voices charts the dialectal process of Robeson's vocal and self-discovery, documenting some of the ways Robeson's practice revised the traditions of concert singing in the first half of the twentieth century and how his voice manifested as resistance.

This comprehensive biography explores the tumultuous and passionate life of activist, singer, and actor Paul Robeson. When faced with the decision to remain silent or be ostracized, Paul Robeson chose to sing, shout, and speak out. Sing and Shout: The Mighty Voice of Paul Robeson explores how Robeson's love of African American spirituals and deep empathy towards the suffering of others drove his long, fervent mission as a civil rights activist and his career as an artist. Although he was also an actor, singing was Robeson's defining talent and where he could best express himself. After exploring socialism, Robeson was targeted by the U.S. government for speaking out about discrimination against African Americans and for his political views. He was labeled a communist during the height of the Cold War and found himself stripped of his U.S. passport. But Robeson never gave in and continued to perform and speak out. The book is based on author Susan Goldman Rubin's extensive research, including fieldwork in Harlem, NY, in Princeton and Somerville, NJ, and at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, NJ. Includes an author's note, resources, source notes, index, and a preface by author Harry Belafonte.

Compiled by the editors of Freedomways. Tributes to Robeson in prose and poetry by his contemporaries. Selections from Robeson's own writings. Foreword to this edition by Ernest Kaiser. Updated bibliography.

This is the first book-length study of the 12 films starring African American Renaissance man Paul Robeson (1898-1976). Singer, actor, author, lawyer, athlete, pacifist and civil rights activist, Robeson was also the first African American to receive top billing in motion pictures, delivering unforgettable characterizations in such classics as The Emperor Jones (1933), Sanders of the River (1935), Show Boat (1936) and The Proud Valley (1940). Original research is provided from primary materials housed at the Schomburg Center for Black Culture in Harlem and the FBI archives in Washington, D.C., and from Robeson's family and friends, including his son Paul Robeson, Jr. Two appendices cover Robeson's film work as offscreen narrator and singer and his many stage appearances. Rare illustrations include never-before-published original studio materials.

Paul Robeson was a towering figure in American culture, conquering many disparate venues—from football and film to law to Shakespeare. An extraordinary athlete-scholar-actor-singer, Robeson also became a crusader for human rights. And though he was admired by many, his controversial support of the Soviet Union during the Cold War and the era of McCarthyism led to ostracism and his declining health. In Robeson: An American Ballad, Arnold H. Lubasch chronicles the remarkable life of this twentieth-century original. In this concise and readable account, Lubasch—a New York Times veteran for almost 40 years—reports on Robeson’s life story more accurately and clearly than any previous books. In addition to detailing the highs and lows of Robeson’s life and career, Lubasch offers several personal anecdotes about this American icon, and includes commentary on the 100th-anniversary celebration of Robeson’s birth. This engaging work will be of interest to virtually everyone, but especially to scholars and students of U.S. and African American history and culture.

Two key performances by Paul Robeson shed light on the Cold War era

The remarkable life of Paul Robeson, quintessential Harlem Renaissance man: scholar, all-American, actor, activist, and firebrand Born the son of an ex-slave in New Jersey in 1898, Paul Robeson, endowed with multiple gifts, seemed destined for fame. In his youth, he was as tenacious in the classroom as he was on the football field. After graduating from Rutgers with high honors, he went on to earn a law degree at Columbia. Soon after, he began a stage and film career that made him one of the country’s most celebrated figures. But it was not to last. Robeson became increasingly vocal about defending black civil rights and criticizing Western imperialism, and his radical views ran counter to the country’s evermore conservative posture. During the McCarthy period, Robeson’s passport was lifted, he was denounced as a traitor, and his career was destroyed. Yet he refused to bow. His powerful and tragic story is emblematic of the major themes of twentieth-century history. Martin Duberman’s exhaustive biography is the result of years of research and interviews, and paints a portrait worthy of its incredible subject and his improbable story. Duberman uses primary documents to take us deep into Robeson’s life, giving Robeson the due that he so richly deserves.

Paul Robeson proved his prowess on the football field and excelled in college and law school in an era that offered few opportunities to African Americans. He won international acclaim as a singer and actor, but was blacklisted as a controversial political activist. Today, Robeson's legacy has reclaimed its rightful place in history. He is recognized for his astounding range of talents and his unwavering stature as a champion of civil rights.

Following World War II, America was witness to two great struggles. The first was on the international front and involved the fight for freedom around the globe, as millions of people in Asia and Africa rose up to throw off their European colonial masters. In the decades following 1945 dozens of new nations joined the ranks of independent countries. Following the Civil War, the African-American voice in U.S. foreign affairs continued to grow. In the late nineteenth century, a few African-Americans — such as Frederick Douglass — even served as U.S. diplomats to the "black republics" of Liberia and Haiti. When America began its overseas thrust during the 1890s, African-American opinion was divided.