JESSIE MAE ROBINSON

Jessie Mae Robinson was a songwriter whose compositions were recorded by the major R&B artists of the post-World War II era. Robinson was one of the few black songwriters to break the color barrier, and wrote a number of hits for major pop stars of the 1950s. She was raised in Los Angeles and married Leonard Robinson. Among the many R&B hits she composed were Old Maid Boogie (Eddie Vinson, 1947), Blue Light Boogie (Louis Jordan, 1950), Double Crossing Blues (Little Esther And Johnny Otis, 1950), Black Night (Charles Brown, 1951), Roomin House Boogie (Amos Milburn, 1949) and Sneakin Around (B.B. King, 1955). Her most successful song, I Went To Your Wedding (1952), launched her career in the pop market. The song was first recorded by Damita Jo, and then Patti Page made it a number 1 pop hit. Other pop success came with Jo Stafford (Keep It A Secret, 1952), Frankie Laine (Im Just A Poor Bachelor, 1953), and both Wanda Jackson and Elvis Presley (Lets Have A Party, 1957). In the early 1960s, Robinson formed a couple of small record labels. Nina Simone recorded The Other Woman, one of Robinson's most recognizable compositions.