Don Robey facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Don Robey
Born	Don Deadric Robey (1903-11-01)November 1, 1903 Houston, Texas, United States
Died	June 16, 1975(1975-06-16) (aged 71) Houston, Texas
Other names	Deadric Malone
Occupation	Businessman, record company and nightclub owner, record producer, credited as songwriter
Known for	Peacock Records, Duke Records

Don Deadric Robey (born November 1, 1903 – died June 16, 1975) was an important American businessman in the music world. He was a record label owner, a producer, and sometimes wrote songs.

He started his own record company called Peacock Records. Later, he also owned Duke Records. Through these companies, he helped many rhythm and blues (R&B) artists become famous in the 1950s and 1960s. Don Robey was the first African American to own such a big record company. This was even before Berry Gordy started Motown Records.

Robey was known for his unique business ways. Some people said he used strong tactics to get things done. However, many musicians who worked with him respected him a lot. He was often listed as a songwriter for many songs released by his labels, sometimes using the name Deadric Malone. But often, he was more involved in publishing the songs than actually writing them. He was one of the few label owners who made it hard to know who the real songwriters were.

Don Robey's Early Life and Work

Don Robey was born in Fifth Ward, Houston, Texas, in the United States. His mother, Gertrude, was Jewish, and his father, Zeb Robey, was an African American chef. His grandfather, Franklin, had moved to Houston from South Carolina.

Don Robey left school when he was young. He said he wanted to work in gambling. Even though he mostly lived in Houston, he also spent time working on a cotton farm with his mother. Later, he worked at the docks in Galveston. He also lived in Los Angeles, where he opened his first nightclub. By the time he was 20, he was married and had a son.

After returning to Houston, Don Robey worked selling liquor. In the 1930s, he became well-known in Houston's Black business community. He started a taxi service first. Then, in 1933, he opened his first fun spot, the Sweet Dreams Cafe. In 1934, he opened the Lenox Club. Around that time, he changed the Sweet Dreams Cafe's name to Manhattan Club. He started bringing in bands from other states to perform. With his partner Morris Merritt, he opened the Harlem Grill. This was a large dance hall where famous musicians like Walter Barnes played. In 1941, he began working with a promoter from Indianapolis named Denver Ferguson.

How Don Robey Got Into the Music Business

In 1945, Don Robey opened the Bronze Peacock Dinner Club. This club quickly became a popular place for dances and shows. The Peacock hosted big stars like Ruth Brown, Louis Jordan, Lionel Hampton, and T-Bone Walker. It was known as one of the fanciest African American-owned clubs in the South during the 1940s and 1950s. It had great chefs and a wide menu. The club was for adults who enjoyed good music, food, and style.

In 1947, Robey became the manager for blues singer Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown. He also started the Buffalo Booking Agency with Morris Merritt and business manager Evelyn Johnson. Two years later, after Brown's songs on the Aladdin label weren't very successful, Robey started his own company, Peacock Records. Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown was his first artist. Even though Evelyn Johnson said Robey "didn't know a record from a hubcap," he found success. He had big hits with R&B artists, especially with Big Mama Thornton's number one hit song "Hound Dog". His label also signed Little Richard for his second recording contract.

In 1952, Robey combined his Peacock label with Duke Records from Memphis. This new company was called Duke-Peacock. Robey took full control of the company the next year. He closed the Bronze Peacock club and turned it into a studio for practice and recording. At first, Johnny Ace was the biggest star for Duke-Peacock. After Ace's death, other musicians like Junior Parker, Bobby Bland, and Johnny Otis became popular. Besides blues and R&B, Robey's company also released gospel music. They had successful gospel artists like the Dixie Hummingbirds and the Mighty Clouds of Joy. Robey also started another R&B label called Back Beat. This label had hits with O. V. Wright and Roy Head. He later bought other labels too, like Sure Shot and Song Bird.

Don Robey's Business Methods

Artists who signed with Don Robey's labels often had special contracts for booking and management. Robey often used the name Deadric Malone, which was made from his middle name and his wife's maiden name. He would give himself songwriting credits for many songs recorded on his labels. This allowed him to earn money from the song's publishing rights. He often bought the rights to songs written by musicians. Then, he would claim he wrote all or part of the song. This was a business practice that some people found unfair, though it wasn't unique to Robey.

For example, Robey is listed as a co-writer for "Farther Up the Road" with Joe Medwick Veasey. This song was a hit for Bobby "Blue" Bland in 1957. It later became a favorite song for Eric Clapton to play live. Robey also claimed credit for writing Bland's "I Pity the Fool" and "Turn On Your Love Light". "Turn On Your Love Light" became popular with Van Morrison and his band Them. It was also played by Bob Seger, the Grateful Dead, and the Blues Brothers.

In the 1950s, Don Robey owned what was considered the most successful Black-owned record business in America. He also owned a record store, a place to make records, a print shop, and another nightclub called the Continental Showcase. His business methods were sometimes debated. According to songwriter Jerry Leiber, Robey was a tough businessman who used strong tactics. His business partner, Evelyn Johnson, said Robey "always wore a gun." She thought he did it to make an impression.

Blues guitarist Pete Mayes said, "I have nothing but the best of things to say about Don Robey. He did so much for so many of us." Singer Roy Head said, "Singers loved him. Writers were the ones who got treated unfairly. He was bad about that. Most of those songs were written by other people. Don would give them 25 or 50 bucks and they'd let him have their songs." Gatemouth Brown said about him, "He achieved something in America that no one else ever achieved. We had the only world-renowned Black recording company."

Later Life and Death

Don Robey sold his record labels to ABC Dunhill Records in 1973. He continued to work as a consultant for a while. He passed away from a heart attack in Houston in June 1975.

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  Don Robey