Paul Robeson

Paul Robeson was an American bass-baritone concert artist, actor, professional football player and activist. At Rutgers College, where he was the only African-American student, he was twice named a consensus All-American, and he took his law degree at Columbia while playing in the National Football League. His "Ol' Man River" in the London premiere of Show Boat in 1928 became the benchmark for the song, and he played Othello in London and on Broadway; between 1925 and 1961 he recorded about 270 songs. His support for the Spanish Republic and for the Soviet Union brought FBI scrutiny, and the State Department withdrew his passport until the Supreme Court's 1958 ruling in Kent v. Dulles.