Composers
Avery Robinson
1878 - 1965About
Avery Robinson (1878-1965) was born in Louisville, KY, and was educated at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He worked for his father for a time, and later for his father-in-law, W. E. Chess of Louisville. He was married to Mary Grace Chess in 1907. In 1920 he moved to England, studied composition with Norman O'Neill, and became treasurer of the Royal Philharmonic Society. He returned to the United States in 1930, worked for a stock brokerage firm, and was later vice-president of Mary Chess, Inc. He is best known for his composition Water Boy and his collaborations with Roland Hayes and Paul Robeson.