Donald's Encyclopedia of Popular Music

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

ROBERTSON, Don

(b 5 Dec. '22, Peking, China) Singer, pianist, songwriter. Son of head of dept. of medicine at Peking Union Medical College; family returned to Chicago '27; mother taught him piano. Befriended by poet/folksinger Carl Sandburg at an early age; studied medicine and music in Chicago; worked in radio, becoming arr. at WGN. To LA mid-'40s, making demos for publishers; became rehearsal pianist at Capitol. Moved into songwriting; first hit 'I Really Don't Want To Know' for Eddy Arnold '54; then 'I Don't Hurt Anymore' for Hank Snow same year (with lyricist Jack Rollins); own hit 'The Happy Whistler' '56 (no. 6 USA pop chart '56). Provided more songs for Snow, Les Paul and Mary Ford, Carl Smith, Faron Young, Kitty Wells, Skeeter Davis, Nancy Wilson; Hank Locklin's 'Please Help Me I'm Fallin'' '60 a multi-million seller, reached top ten UK pop chart: Robertson's demo incl. device of using a whole tone as grace note instead of customary half- tone; 'slip note' hallmark of Nashville piano style also practised by Floyd Cramer (turned up same year on his hit 'Last Date'). Also wrote songs for Elvis Presley movies '61--3. Nashville Songwriters' Association Hall of Fame '72.