A child prodigy on this week’s Phantom Dancer radio show with Greg Poppleton – Frank ‘Sugar Chile Robinson’. He played a White House dinner in 1946 aged 7, then played again at the White House in 2016 to a standing ovation aged 77.

The Phantom Dancer is your two hour non-stop mix of swing and jazz from live 1920s-60s radio and TV, presented by Greg Poppleton on Radio 2SER 107.3 Sydney since 1985. Hear the show online from 12:04pm Tuesday 24 September at 2ser.com

The last hour is all vinyl.

SUGAR CHILE

Fom Wiki,
Frank Isaac Robinson (born December 28, 1938), known in his early musical career as Sugar Chile Robinson, is an American jazz pianist and singer who became famous as a child prodigy.

PIANO

Robinson was born in Detroit, Michigan. At an early age he showed unusual gifts singing the blues and accompanying himself on the piano. According to contemporary newsreels, he was self-taught and managed to use techniques including slapping the keys with elbows and fists.

AGE 3

He won a talent show at the Paradise Theatre in Detroit at the age of three, and in 1945 played guest spots at the theatre with Lionel Hampton, who was prevented by child protection legislation from taking Robinson on tour with him. However, Robinson performed on radio with Hampton and Harry ‘The Hipster’ Gibson and also appeared as himself in the Hollywood film No Leave, No Love, starring Van Johnson and Keenan Wynn.

CATCH PHRASE

In 1946, he played for President Harry S. Truman at the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner, shouting out “How’m I Doin’, Mr. President?” – which became his catchphrase – during his performance of “Caldonia”. He was the first African American performer to appear at the annual WHCA dinner. He began touring major theaters, setting box office records in Detroit and California. In 1949 he was given special permission to join the American Federation of Musicians and record his first releases on Capitol Records, “Numbers Boogie” and “Caldonia”, both reaching the Billboard R&B chart. In 1950, he toured and appeared on television with Count Basie and in a short film ‘Sugar Chile’ Robinson, Billie Holiday, Count Basie and His Sextet. The following year, he toured the UK, appearing at the London Palladium. He stopped recording in 1952, later explaining,

“I wanted to go to school… I wanted some school background in me and I asked my Dad if I could stop, and I went to school because I honestly wanted my college diploma.”

UNI AND TV

Until 1956 he continued to make occasional appearances as a jazz musician, billed as Frank Robinson, and performed on one occasion with Gerry Mulligan, but then gave up his musical career entirely. Continuing his academic studies, he earned a degree in history from Olivet College and one in psychology from the Detroit Institute of Technology. In the 1960s, he worked for WGPR-TV, and also helped set up small record labels in Detroit and opened a recording studio.

LATELY

In the 21st Century he has made a comeback as a musician with the help of the American Music Research Foundation. In 2002, he appeared at a special concert celebrating Detroit music, and in 2007 he traveled to Britain to appear at a rock and roll weekend festival. In the last Dr Boogie show of 2013, Sugar Chile Robinson was the featured artist, with four of his classic hits showcasing amid biographical sketches of his early career. On April 30, 2016, he attended the White House Correspondents’ Dinner on the 70th anniversary of his appearance at the 1946 dinner. He met President Obama and was saluted during the dinner, receiving a standing ovation as the picture of him as a child appeared on the video screens. In 2016 he was inducted into the Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame.

Your Phantom Dancer Video of the Week is Sugar Chile Robinson! Enjoy…

Make sure you come back to this blog, Greg Poppleton’s Radio Lounge, every Tuesday, for the newest Phantom Dancer play list and Video of the Week!

Thank you.

Play List – The Phantom Dancer 107.3 2SER-FM Sydney, Live Stream, Digital Radio Community Radio Network Show CRN #406
107.3 2SER Tuesday 24 September 2019 After the 2SER 12 noon news, 12:04 – 2:00pm (+10 hours GMT)
Set 1	That Ace Drummer Man Gene Krupa on 1945-46 Radio
Whispering	Gene Krupa Orchestra	’Spotlight Bands’ MBS 1946
Bugle Call Rag	Gene Krupa Orchestra	Pacific Square San Diego MBS 2 Mar 1945
Yes, Yes, Honey	Gene Krupa Orchestra (voc) Carolyn Gray	’One Night Stand’ The Click, Phildelphia AFRS Re-broadcast 8 Jan 1945
Set 2	Rock’n’Roll Live on 1950s Radio
Theme + I Was Born To Rock	Smilin’ Smokey Lynn	’Midnite Matinee’ Olympic Auditorium KFVD Los Angeles 28 Sep 1951
Tender Trap	Count Basie Orchestra (voc) Joe Williams	’Rock’n’Roll Dance Party’ WCBS CBS NY 12 May 1956
Baby Please Don’t Go		’Sepia Swing Club’ WDIA Memphis 14 Dec 1951
Set 3	Progressive Jazz on 1948-62 Radio and TV
Theme + Move	Miles Davis Nonet	’Symphony Sid Show’ Royal Roost WMCA New York 4 Sep 1948
Strike Up the Band	Pete Brown	’All-Star Parade of Bands’ Birdland WRCA NBC NY 2 Sep 1952
Oleo + Theme	Phineas Newborn Jr	’Jazz Scene USA’ TV Series Los Angeles 15 Oct 1962
Set 4	Woody Herman on Live 1944-45 Radio
Flying Home	Woody Herman Orchestra	’Old Gold Show’ Rehearsal WABC CBS NY 2 Aug 1944
Goosey Gander	Woody Herman Orchestra	Cafe Rouge Hotel Pennsylvania WABC CBS NY 21 Jul 1945
Apple Honey + Blue Flame (theme)	Woody Herman Orchestra	’One Night Stand’ Cafe Rouge Hotel Pennsylvania NYC AFRS Re-broadcast 6 Aug 1945
Set 5	Raymond Scott Orchestra 1940
Pretty Little Petticoat (theme) + Huckleberry Duck	Raymond Scott Orchestra	Panther Room Hotel Sherman WMAQ NBC Chicago 1940
Creepy Weepy	Raymond Scott Orchestra	’Music Depreciation’ KHJ Mutual-Don Lees LA 1940
Blueberry Hill	Raymond Scott Orchestra (voc) Nan Wynn	Panther Room Hotel Sherman WMAQ NBC Chicago 1940
Caterpillar Creep	Raymond Scott Orchestra	’Music Depreciation’ KHJ Mutual-Don Lees LA 1940
Set 6	1930s Swing Bands on Radio
I Let a Song Go Out of my Heart	Charlie Barnet Orchestra	Radio Transcription Los Angeles 1938
The Chant	Artie Shaw Orchestra	Aircheck 28 May 1939
Satan Takes a Holiday	Benny Goodman Orchestra	’Camel Caravan’ KNX CBS LA 17 Aug 1937
Bugle Blues	Count Basie Orchestra	Savoy Ballroom Harlem NYC 30 June 1937
Set 7	Tommy Dorsey on 1945 Radip
I’m Getting Sentimental Over You (theme) + Instrumental	Tommy Dorsey Orchestra	‘One Night Stand’ 400 Restaurant AFRS Re-broadcast 30 Sep 1945
I’m Beginning To See The Light	Tommy Dorsey Orchestra (voc) Sentimentalists	Aircheck Meadowbrook Ballroom Cedar Grove NJ 3 Feb 1945
Song of India	Tommy Dorsey Orchestra	Aircheck Ocean Park Ca 19 Aug 1945
The Minor Goes Muggin’	Tommy Dorsey Orchestra	Aircheck Meadowbrook Ballroom Cedar Grove NJ 3 Feb 1945
Set 8	Pianists on 1940s-50s Radio
Caldonia Boogie	Sugar Chile Robinson with Lionel Hampton Orchestra	‘Jubilee’ AFRS Hollywood 1946
Theme + I’m In a Dancing Mood	Dave Brubeck	Basin Street WCBS CBS New York City Mar 1957
When Your Lover Has Gone	Erroll Garner	‘Storyville’ WHDH Boston Dec 1953