Richard Joseph Robertson (July 3, 1900 – July 12, 1979) was an American popular

big band A big band or jazz orchestra is a type of musical ensemble of jazz music that usually consists of ten or more musicians with four sections: saxophones, trumpets, trombones, and a rhythm section. Big bands originated during the early 1910s and ...

singer and

songwriter A songwriter is a person who creates musical compositions or writes lyrics for songs, or both. The writer of the music for a song can be called a composer, although this term tends to be used mainly in the classical music genre and film scoring. ...

of the 1930s and 1940s. He sang for many bandleaders such as

Leo Reisman Leo F. Reisman (October 11, 1897 – December 18, 1961) was an American violinist and bandleader in the 1920s and 1930s. Born and reared in Boston, Massachusetts, United States, Inspired by the Russian-American violinist Jascha Heifetz, Reisman st ...

and

Roger Wolfe Kahn Roger Wolfe Kahn (October 19, 1907 – July 12, 1962) was an American jazz and popular musician, composer, bandleader (Roger Wolfe Kahn and His Orchestra) and an aviator. Life and career Roger Wolfe Kahn (originally spelled "Wolff") was born i ...

and His Orchestra, and was on the artist roster at

Banner Records Banner Records was an American record company and label in the 1920s and 1930s. It was created primarily for the S.S. Kresge Company, though it was employed as a budget label in other discount stores. History Banner was formed in January 1922 as ...

. Robertson was one of the most prolific New York based vocalists (along with

Irving Kaufman Irving Robert Kaufman (June 24, 1910 – February 1, 1992) was a United States federal judge, United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit and a United States district judge of the United States Distri ...

Chick Bullock Charles (Chick) Bullock (September 16, 18981900 U.S. Federal Census, Township #5, Silver Bow, Montana, enumeration district 90, page 5. Bullock's birth date is confirmed by his entries in the Social Security Death Index and the California Death ...

Scrappy Lambert Harold "Scrappy" Lambert (May 12, 1901 – November 30, 1987) was an American dance-band vocalist who appeared on hundreds of recordings from the 1920s to the 1940s. At Rutgers University, he was a cheerleader and played piano for a jazz gr ...

, Elmer Feldkamp, Paul Small and

Smith Ballew Sykes "Smith" Ballew (January 21, 1902 – May 2, 1984) was an American actor, sophisticated singer, orchestra leader, and a western singing star. He also was billed as Buddy Blue, Charles Roberts, and Billy Smith. Early years The son of Wil ...

) on scores of records from late 1928 through the mid 1930s. A series of records issued on Melotone/Perfect/Banner/Oriole/Romeo, Crown, Bluebird from 1930-1934 were issued under his name or are listed in the 2010 edition of ''"American Dance Bands on Record and Film (1915-1942)"'' by Richard J. Johnson and Bernard H. Shirley as being under his nominal leadership. His last recording session as a singer was in 1949. He also used the pseudonym Bob Richardson for some recordings on Mayfair Records. As a songwriter his biggest hit was "

We Three (My Echo, My Shadow and Me) "We Three (My Echo, My Shadow and Me)" is a ballad published in 1939 by Nelson Cogane ( Nelson Cogane Fonarow; 1902–1985), Sammy Mysels and Dick Robertson. It was a hit song in 1940 for both The Ink Spots on Decca and Frank Sinatra with the Tom ...

" in 1940.Warren W. Vaché The unsung songwriters: America's masters of melodies 2000 p403 "Anybody who bought popular records during the thirties and forties would be familiar with his voice. Besides performing as a vocalist, Robertson also doubled as a songwriter, collaborating on a number of very respectable entries in the popular field. His biggest hit was the wistful ballad We Three (My Echo, My Shadow, and Me), a 1940 " The Sinatra version of the song was re-released on '' The Song Is You (album)'' and again on '' Frank Sinatra & the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra''. Jukebox Ella: The Complete Verve Singles, Vol. 1

As songwriter

* "

I'd Do It All Over Again "I'd Do It All Over Again" is a hit 1945 song by Dick Robertson, Frank Weldon Frank Weldon (Lawrence, Massachusetts, -1970) was an American songwriter. He wrote, or co-wrote, many popular songs of the 1930s and 1940s.Don Tyler ''Hit songs, 1900-1 ...

", 1945, co-written with

Frank Weldon Frank Weldon (Lawrence, Massachusetts, -1970) was an American songwriter. He wrote, or co-wrote, many popular songs of the 1930s and 1940s.Don Tyler ''Hit songs, 1900-1955: American popular music of the pre-rock era'' 2007 "Frank Weldon - Frank We ...

and James Cavanaugh.

As singer

* "

Singin' in the Bathtub Melissa Manchester (born February 15, 1951) is an American singer-songwriter and actress. Since the 1970s, her songs have been played by adult contemporary radio stations. She has also appeared on television, in films, and on stage. Early lif ...

", 1929 * "Lazy Day", 1932 * "Lovable", 1932 * "If I Ever Get a Job Again", 1933 ith Gene Kardos and His Orchestra* "

All I Do Is Dream of You "All I Do Is Dream of You" is a popular song. The music was written by Nacio Herb Brown, the lyrics by Arthur Freed. The song was published in 1934. It was originally written for the Joan Crawford film '' Sadie McKee'' (1934) when it was played ...

", 1934 * "

She Had to Go and Lose It at the Astor "She Had to Go and Lose It at the Astor" is a 1939 comic song by Don Raye and Hughie Prince and was recorded by Dick Robertson, Pearl Bailey and the British bandleader and clarinetist Harry Roy. The original recording credits the writing and arra ...

", 1940 - banned by the BBC * "

Any Bonds Today? "Any Bonds Today?" is a song written by Irving Berlin, featured in a 1942 animated propaganda filmCohen (2004), p. 40 starring Bugs Bunny. Both were used to sell war bonds during World War II. Song "Any Bonds Today?" was based on Berlin's own "A ...

", 1940 * " Ferryboat Serenade", 1941 - Number 1 in Australia * "

My Dreams Are Getting Better All the Time "My Dreams Are Getting Better All the Time" is a 1945 popular song. The music was written by Vic Mizzy and the lyrics by Manny Curtis. The song was published in 1944 and was introduced in the 1944 film '' In Society'' by Marion Hutton. Notab ...

", 1945

References

External links

Dick Robertson recordings
at the

Discography of American Historical Recordings The Discography of American Historical Recordings (DAHR) is a database catalog of master recordings made by American record companies during the 78rpm era. The 78rpm era was the time period in which any flat disc records were being played at ...

.
1941 Dick Robertson-Under The Mistletoe
Songwriters from New York (state) 1903 births 1979 deaths 20th-century American singers 20th-century American composers 20th-century American male singers American male songwriters 20th-century American songwriters {{US-songwriter-stub