[Dixielandjazz] Dick Robertson, singer

[Bill Haesler]

> No luck I'm afraid with the source of DR's death date. My contact  
> has replied:
> "I was hoping you weren't going to ask me that! I can't recall where I
> got it from.

Dear John,
Found it!
Your friend's reference to Cadence Magazine set me thinking again.
I 'googled' Cadence with no luck but then wondered what other jazz mag  
in 1979-80 would bother to record the death of singer/songwriter Dick  
Robertson.
Jazz Journal? Probably, but no index available, although I have access  
to the late Mike Sutcliffe's complete bound set up to 2007.
Laurie's Wright's 'Storyville' magazine? Possibly and I do have the  
published Index, lovingly compiled by German enthusiast Bernard H  
Behncke.
Eureka!
Issue 87 (February-March 1980) page 106.
Another old friend and Ellington specialist Jerry Valburn, in  
commenting about the identity of the vocalist and band for "Is That  
Religion/The Peanut Vender" by Earl Jackson and His Musical Champions,  
recorded on 20 January 1931, wrote [in part]:
"I had a conversation with Dick Robertson last winter (at that time he  
was not 'the late Dick Robertson' as reported in an earlier issue but,  
sadly, he passed away on 13 July 1979). Dick remembered the session  
welll, that it was Ellington, and that "Is That Religion" was one of  
his favourite sides."
Very kind regards,
Bill.