| Short Bio | “Late in his life, composer J. Rosamond Johnson (Lift Ev'ry Voice and Sing) submitted to his longtime publisher, E.B. Marks, a list of songs that would comprise a volume of his best early popular songs written with his pre-1910 partner Bob Cole and his brother, James Weldon Johnson (Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man). That list was never put into print...until now. Featuring an introductionby Dr. Thomas Riis (Just Before Jazz) and several rare photos, this new compilation is the latest legacy offering from the Marks archive, which contains a rich heritage of turn-of-the-century African-American, and thus distinctly American, pre-jazz-era popular song.” |