I've heard that Tennessee Ernie Ford never recorded this song which is too bad because it would have been interesting and pleasurable to hear him do it. Perhaps as a white
Southerner he would have felt awkward singing it, although he sang many hymns performed in both black and white churches. All that aside, this rendition by William Warfield is excellent.
Wonderful version, but still not the one I've been looking for. My Dad had me listen to this song ages ago, but the one I remember was a very low bass and sung slowly as is you are sitting in the Mississippi sun on a hot summer afternoon!
this was my father's favorite song ....and we aren't black. I'm a white Filipino but this song is eternal. Now, as i listen to this again, I know what my dad was trying to teach me.
@Dhruv1223 Guys like Gershwin, Porter, Rodgers, Kern, Berlin, Arlen, etc... would all probably spin in their graves if they heard what has happened to the music industry today ( Rap, Hip-hop, etc..). lol
@mattjackleroy So, your theory is that all the jazz-standards composers you mention would immediately decide to become DJs if we living people could somehow expose them to the latest rap recordings? It's an interesting idea, but a bit too fantastic.
@Cinchona No my thought was that if they were suddenly brought back to life and listened to what is called music today ( hip-hop, rap, ...), they would probably be
What a crime and a tragedy the way his own country treated him. No amount of revisionism will erase the tragedy and crime of his persecution for standing up to bigotry and racism.
The united States must hang its head in shame for the despicable treatment of this man- a champion of civil and human rights, and one of the great men of the 20th century.
@madasylum1 Thanks for your reply. With respect to decent people everywhere, it seems the civil war is not over for millions, that racism and bigotry are just below the surface, and that, when it comes to things like decent wages, benefits and working conditions and unions to protect them, universal health care that we all have here, and a committment to public service and the common good through progressive taxation, people would rather listen to Fox than think.
I encourage anyone to try to find a recording of Kevin Thompson singing this song. He's not really "popular," but he's an amazing basso profundo, and THAT is the best version of this song that I've ever heard.
Is this the same William warfield who worked with the Lyndon Larouche organisation? I've seen some of his poetry recitals and speeches; incredible man, and singer.
Absolutely the best version ever! His voice is so emotive, he really sings from his soul. Sinatra is an amazing singer of course, but William Warfield blows him out of the water with this song. Robeson was amazing too.
During the 1970's, I played violin every xmas season in an orchestra on the south side of Chicago. William Warfield would sing the bass solo parts of Handel's Messiah. He was one of the most wonderful singers I have every heard. Range, tone, technique, and feeling, he had it all. A wonderful gentleman.
A good friend of mine performed this song in Recital today. I wish I had my camera because he gets in the same baritone octave as the original composer. It was fantastic!
I only heard Mr. Warfield once. He did Porgy and Bess at Lake George Opera in the mid 1970s; a wonderful and fascinating performance. I had a chance to meet him after the show and will treasure our few minutes of conversation. I wish I could find samples of him singing from this role.
best performance of this I have heard was 2010 production of Showboat at the Muny. dont remember the guy's name, but damn he had one hell of a voice... literally, I heard friends of mine who were in forest park trying to finish a late round of golf said that they heard him. thats at least from a mile away
@Trojanman21c in case youre still wondering i looked up the reviews for that prodution of Showboat...the singers name is Michel Bell..you can see his performance by looking up Some Enchanted Evening V on youtube
@Trojanman21c I believe he's talking about Michel Bell, here's the best version I could find of Michel doing work on "Old man river" /watch?v=DN9__-gxXbc
@tucker386 I heard him perform in 2003 production of Showboat at the Muny, when I was 11. His voice has still stuck with me. I searched for article on the 2010 performance you were talking about and his name is Michel Bell. If it had not been for your post, I wouldn't have been able to find him. Thank you
@tucker386 Michael Bell sang the part at the Muny in 2010. I didn't see that performance, but was fortunate enough to see Howard Keel play Gaylord Ravenal back in the late 1980s or early 1990s. Even though he was about 70 at the time, that magnificent baritone voice was still incredible.
@Trojanman21c Since I studied with Warfield, I've loved this version for years, but find it curious that this clip uses his voice and pics of Robeson.
@Trojanman21c Oh thanks for replying. Either of those men would have been worth hearing. I remembered hearing both of their voices as a kid. Robeson my dad told me he was a Communist but I remember thinking I didn't care. His voice was magnificent. I didn't hear Warfield until I was in my 30s. Wow! Thanks for the post.
I was privileged to see William Warfield perform this song and others around 1963. He sang at the Rice Lake High School (WI). After this song, I turned around to see all the girls in the audience crying. I may have been crying myself. Such a magnificent singer!
I saw William Warfield in concert in the 1990's...even at his age then, WOW! Compared to Paul Robeson in this role and others, I've always preferred Warfield.
I have always enjoyed the song. I wish I was able to hear the original Broadway production with Jules Bledsoe as Joe. Bledsoe was from my hometown Waco, Texas, and I've heard that Jerome Kern wrote the music especially with Bledsoe's extreme vocal range in mind.
WOW !!!! Just shows what classical training can do. Mr. Warfield sang the ending of this song with such range for a baritone. It gave me chills. I wish I had a voice like his. Otherwise, I wouldn't be stuck here in Iraq with a camera around my neck. Anyway, great post. I listen to it every day I come back from an assignment. The song sort of speaks of everybody, though. We, as humans, are always expendable, but old man river keeps rolling along. LOL
@lovethediscogirls Actually any classically trained baritone needs to have a performable F and G to sing classical repertoire. We don't hang up there like tenors do, but we absolutely must have thoes notes. Warfield's instrument is so dark that you don't expect the top notes to come so easily as you would a lighter voice. I was hoping he would leap up to the A flat at the end to show off, but he's was to classy for that. He was true to the text and the meaning of the song without showing off.
This is arguably the best version of Old Man River on record. I believe this is from the 1962 cast album, but I'm not certain. Warfield was an exceptional singer, a fine man, and an excellent example to all of us African Americans. It is unfortunate that the accompanying photos are of the detestable Robeson, but the singing is so good I can overlook that lapse of taste. Five stars!
I just can't look at Ava Gardner in that dark-skinned make-up without laughing. Ava Gardner said, in an interview, she thought her casting in the role was stupid and she pushed for Lena Horne for the part. I guess the moguls realized no one would believe anyone leaving Lena Horne at the dock for some pasty-faced white woman. haha I'm a pasty-faced white woman, btw.
Is this Paul Robeson? I've never heard him sing this with such emotion, such passion. It's the best rendering of Ole Man River I've yet heard. Thanks for posting it!
Paul Robeson is a GREAT singer, but so far I haven't heard any recordings of his voice that do his genius full justice. THIS singer is William Warfield (I guess you probably thought that Warfield was the composer?). I totally agree that considering the state of the recording industry back then -- the technology is just SO much more sophisticated today -- this recording captures a breathtakingly perfect performance. Really enriches your life just to know about it, doesn't it?
@lakshmiluvsvishnu Hahah No, I knew that the Gershwin brothers wrote "Ole Man River". What confused me was all the Robeson visuals in this posting while the singer is identifie din the title as William Warfield. You refer to the change in quality of recording equipment. Did Warfield record at a much later date than Robeson? Thanks. Ira Gershwin really wrote some lyrics that resonated with a lot of people. This is one instance where George's music supports his brother's lyrics.
The Gershwins did not write Ole Man River. Ole Man River is from Showboat -- from the book by Edna Ferber. The music was written by Oscar Hammerstein II and Jerome Kern. The Gershwins wrote Porgy and Bess. All great composers.
@GirlandBird Yeah, I found that out not log after posting. Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein II wrote Showboat (and "Ole Man River"). Thanks for the correction, lest some might have been misled by my misinformation. :)
@MsTruNorth It's William Warfield, from the 1966 Lincoln Center revival of "Show Boat". It's a different recording than the one from the 1951 movie soundtrack; Warfield's voice is much deeper here, probably because he was fifteen years older than he was when he did the film.
@al1936ful Thanks. So, it was William Warfield who appeared in and sang in the 1951 film version of "Showboat"? Who are the images of in this video? Are they Warfield or Robeson? Whichever it is, he was really a handsome and engaging looking young man. Quite a broad chest for a singer too (from the toting a bale of cotton photo)
@MsTruNorth The one toting the bale of cotton is Robeson. We never see Warfield carrying anything in the 1951 movie. I think practically all of the images in that video are of Robeson.
William Warfield was a wonderful artist and a great human being. What an artist!! He studied with Rosa Ponselle and it shows. There is some much emotion in his singing. He sings from his soul. I was fortunate to know him and heard him sing Ol Man River in performance. I will never forget
Warfield was a student of Frederick Wilkerson who always ridiculed him, calling him "Wobbling Warfield". Not nice and not fair. Warfield did develop a wobble late in his career. Oddly a couple of the best versions of this song are by whites - George London and Sam Ramey.
All operatic basses should have a good high F. I have a couple YouTube postings that make that point.
Even though this is generally a song sung by males some women have done it. Aretha Franklin once said that Judy Garlands version was the best she had ever heard and i do agree. Judy was a tortured soul and intense talent with the heavy vibrato, these are the ingredients required to nail this song. Check it out
If I may voice my view on the debate, I prefer the key, tempo and arrangement of this version, which feels more natural, but I like Robeson's voice more.
i think the best version of the song personally that puts shivers dowm my spine is frank sinatras one. Its as if when he sings it, its an apology on behalf of the whites from being utterly terrible
Actually, I really think it depends on what version is established in your mind first. I grew up hearing this one on a CD of collected stage songs, and now when I try to listen to the Robeson one, it sounds odd and off-tempo, like someone's sped it up as a joke. In the ear of the listener, I guess...
This is much technically better than the Robeson versions... but I can see how people would prefer the Robeson version because of their ideas of the man.
I agreee with the futility of comaparisons. There is only a few occasions when and artist can pull his or her life into a sanog and draw it out like an anthem.
Paul Robeson was a man who was like a river, and found his river and lived it as true as anyone could.
Bravo Man it would be worth being religious to listen to him in some afterlife.
But no version can be the best and NOT be a Paul Robeson...
He just IS that song, just as much as Sinatra is "New York, New York" or the Beatles are "Hey Jude."
Other performers can sing and play those songs, but really- can you imagine the FEEL of the song better without Robeson? Or the swing of the tune quite as right sounding without Sinatra? Or "Hey Jude" done better by a band not made up of John, Paul, George, and Ringo? (Take that, Jonas Brothers!)
@obiwanobiwan13 I think it just doesn't get better than this version of the song. The singer is extremely evocative and passionate about an extremely prevalent and horrible subject, even more so than Paul Robeson.
Isn't there a version with someone that has a even deeper voice then this? been trying to find it for ages now but i just keep getting hits by Warfield :(
This is a beautiful recording, William Warfield has a beautiful voice. However, I wouldn't agree that broadway voices aren't what they used to be. Broadway today is still full of rich, moving, intellectual and inspirational voices.
i know what you mean i got a Recording with him reciting a religious peace he really makes you feel like you are there. Were you there i think the song is called but there is a poem before i say these old guys knew something that todays singers don't.
i agree with that modern singers dont know anything only Classically trained voices can portray a real idea. But i think that guys like William Warfield has an idea of his self identity witch is on sublime level that is why he i think. so i think due to their sense of identity their voices becomes immortal in the fact that they can communicate sublime ideas to other humans. Its to bad that there is only a hand full of people that can think in these terms today
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walterGT4 5 days ago
BEAUTIFUL
charlotte946 1 week ago
very moving
melodyworks 1 week ago
I've heard that Tennessee Ernie Ford never recorded this song which is too bad because it would have been interesting and pleasurable to hear him do it. Perhaps as a white
Southerner he would have felt awkward singing it, although he sang many hymns performed in both black and white churches. All that aside, this rendition by William Warfield is excellent.
larrydonguy 2 weeks ago
Such a wonderful song, and if you have a deep voice, this is, the, song to sing.
magigutt 3 weeks ago
2.04 onwards with the choir...pure magic.
spot5 3 weeks ago
It took me forever to find this one. There are so many different versions of this song. :<
HaloGnerd 4 weeks ago
Wonderful version, but still not the one I've been looking for. My Dad had me listen to this song ages ago, but the one I remember was a very low bass and sung slowly as is you are sitting in the Mississippi sun on a hot summer afternoon!
Nevermore1953 1 month ago
My favorite version of this song is the Temptations when Melvin Franklin sang it with that powerful bass voice. Like the song was made just for him.
chauncy817 1 month ago
This comment has received too many negative votes show
Robeson was an activist/trouble maker. He was also a racist. Piss on him
DickCabeza123 1 month ago
@DickCabeza123 hes activist, troublemaker and a Racist to his fellow black men
MrShaneo65 3 weeks ago
@MrShaneo65 Right on Bruddah
DickCabeza123 3 weeks ago
@DickCabeza123 yeah right
MrShaneo65 3 weeks ago
@MrShaneo65 What the Fuck?
DickCabeza123 3 weeks ago
@DickCabeza123 You really are sad. You need help, or some good meds.
baghend 3 weeks ago in playlist 30's
@baghend Afraid of the truth, my friend, or are u just fucking ignorant???............Fuck You
DickCabeza123 3 weeks ago
@DickCabeza123 Very clever and original. Southern U.S.?
Thanks for making my case.
baghend 3 weeks ago
this was my father's favorite song ....and we aren't black. I'm a white Filipino but this song is eternal. Now, as i listen to this again, I know what my dad was trying to teach me.
MsSniffer2 1 month ago
You're a mean one, Mr. Grinch!
tromuniapp 1 month ago
It is from the 1951 movie Showboat.
dhj236 2 months ago
estraordinaria version
silvyyta 3 months ago
HAPPY BIRTHDAY GEORGIE!!
MrKenndawg 3 months ago
totally well done
guido1365 4 months ago
I hear songs like this and I think, How the F*** did HIP HOP Happen? It's like a complete 180.
Dhruv1223 5 months ago
@Dhruv1223 Guys like Gershwin, Porter, Rodgers, Kern, Berlin, Arlen, etc... would all probably spin in their graves if they heard what has happened to the music industry today ( Rap, Hip-hop, etc..). lol
mattjackleroy 4 months ago
@mattjackleroy So, your theory is that all the jazz-standards composers you mention would immediately decide to become DJs if we living people could somehow expose them to the latest rap recordings? It's an interesting idea, but a bit too fantastic.
Cinchona 4 days ago
@Cinchona No my thought was that if they were suddenly brought back to life and listened to what is called music today ( hip-hop, rap, ...), they would probably be
amazed at what garbage it is.
mattjackleroy 4 days ago
@Dhruv1223 sex appeal, that's how...
PaperGrape 4 months ago
@PaperGrape
Yeah, people have really reverted back to animal instincts. Everyone's becoming an APE.
Dhruv1223 4 months ago
Oh my gosh... the backup choir on the last verse is just haunting... **SHIVER**
PaperGrape 4 months ago
i like this version because my highest note if an f natural... just, my current version is Eb
WTFisJamieUp2 5 months ago
This song is and forever will be Robson.
What a crime and a tragedy the way his own country treated him. No amount of revisionism will erase the tragedy and crime of his persecution for standing up to bigotry and racism.
The united States must hang its head in shame for the despicable treatment of this man- a champion of civil and human rights, and one of the great men of the 20th century.
And a wonderful voice and presence.
-Bill in Canada
baghend 6 months ago
@baghend blame our south the former csa
madasylum1 6 months ago
@madasylum1 Thanks for your reply. With respect to decent people everywhere, it seems the civil war is not over for millions, that racism and bigotry are just below the surface, and that, when it comes to things like decent wages, benefits and working conditions and unions to protect them, universal health care that we all have here, and a committment to public service and the common good through progressive taxation, people would rather listen to Fox than think.
Good luck-you deserve better
baghend 6 months ago
This is a good rendition of Old Man River, but the best one that I've heard so far is by Sir Willard White.
pagalley1 6 months ago
Family Guy!
perdedoronline 6 months ago
Chill bumps EVERYWHERE on my body right now.
benz981 7 months ago
15 people don't plant taters or cotton
TheWalker365 7 months ago
William Warfield is his name, and when did we start using the N word again are you ignorant or are you Black
MultiDannyboy57 7 months ago
best version I've heard by far the sound of his voice just makes you stop and listen
BirDPoOpGLiTcHS360 7 months ago
Good version but the best, in my opinion, is by Mr. James Hyter in Memphis. He is no longer with us but his voice certainly is.
stephlbruce 7 months ago
TELEFONMAST
ZiutZiut 8 months ago
I encourage anyone to try to find a recording of Kevin Thompson singing this song. He's not really "popular," but he's an amazing basso profundo, and THAT is the best version of this song that I've ever heard.
nr1341 10 months ago
This is probably the only song I can sing without sounding like a dying horse.
rimidalv47 11 months ago
I don't know I kind of like Frank Sinatra but this is pretty sweet
1992Ignorance 11 months ago
Is this the same William warfield who worked with the Lyndon Larouche organisation? I've seen some of his poetry recitals and speeches; incredible man, and singer.
528hertz 11 months ago
Talk about magic. Makes me want to help someone!
pvtpstr 11 months ago
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deonnamalbroughkgh 1 year ago
this truly is the best version ive ever heard of this song...
dudddis 1 year ago
Saw Showboat in Toronto in the mid-90s with Yaphet Koto - all I can say is WOW!
jimwrightful 1 year ago
@jimwrightful But can Yaphet Kotto sing?
al1936ful 11 months ago
Absolutely the best version ever! His voice is so emotive, he really sings from his soul. Sinatra is an amazing singer of course, but William Warfield blows him out of the water with this song. Robeson was amazing too.
Mike98861 1 year ago
What a great old song, so very well done. RN
Angryrnmedic 1 year ago
i have heard many versions of this great song in my opinion not the best or anywhere near it but that is just my opinion
kern39743 1 year ago
All of the images are of Paul Robeson.
aatvnetworks 1 year ago
I love this version but nobody can sing this like Melvin Franklin. The deepest and most powerful bass ever and he blow this song away.
killahoe62 1 year ago
During the 1970's, I played violin every xmas season in an orchestra on the south side of Chicago. William Warfield would sing the bass solo parts of Handel's Messiah. He was one of the most wonderful singers I have every heard. Range, tone, technique, and feeling, he had it all. A wonderful gentleman.
Karlcarl 1 year ago
thank you
moonlighteleven 1 year ago
robeson pwns this song
bettydaw1970 1 year ago
@tucker386
that was Michel Bell, incredible voice indeed
zu1tje5 1 year ago
A good friend of mine performed this song in Recital today. I wish I had my camera because he gets in the same baritone octave as the original composer. It was fantastic!
datKidwilliaM 1 year ago
I only heard Mr. Warfield once. He did Porgy and Bess at Lake George Opera in the mid 1970s; a wonderful and fascinating performance. I had a chance to meet him after the show and will treasure our few minutes of conversation. I wish I could find samples of him singing from this role.
pfritz5976 1 year ago
best performance of this I have heard was 2010 production of Showboat at the Muny. dont remember the guy's name, but damn he had one hell of a voice... literally, I heard friends of mine who were in forest park trying to finish a late round of golf said that they heard him. thats at least from a mile away
tucker386 1 year ago
@tucker386 That's pretty incredible. I would love to know the person's name.
Trojanman21c 1 year ago 2
paul robeson
leevonk 1 year ago
@Trojanman21c in case youre still wondering i looked up the reviews for that prodution of Showboat...the singers name is Michel Bell..you can see his performance by looking up Some Enchanted Evening V on youtube
dramakid4ever 1 year ago
@Trojanman21c I believe he's talking about Michel Bell, here's the best version I could find of Michel doing work on "Old man river" /watch?v=DN9__-gxXbc
89villalobos 1 year ago
@Trojanman21c Michel Bell
MrFvasconcellos 1 year ago
@tucker386 I saw that! It was absolutely amazing! His name is Michel Bell, and I agree, and amazingly beautiful voice!
QuantumFart2 1 year ago
@tucker386 This is clearly not the best version. Paul Robeson version from Showboat 1936 is the definitive version.
crapfacejoe 1 year ago
@tucker386 I saw the performance at the Muny to and it was the best version i have seen also. And i am pretty sure the man's name was Michel Bell.
hershey1210 1 year ago
@tucker386 I heard him perform in 2003 production of Showboat at the Muny, when I was 11. His voice has still stuck with me. I searched for article on the 2010 performance you were talking about and his name is Michel Bell. If it had not been for your post, I wouldn't have been able to find him. Thank you
azulskyranger 10 months ago
@tucker386 did he have a micro phone?
fuitbag 9 months ago
@tucker386 Michael Bell sang the part at the Muny in 2010. I didn't see that performance, but was fortunate enough to see Howard Keel play Gaylord Ravenal back in the late 1980s or early 1990s. Even though he was about 70 at the time, that magnificent baritone voice was still incredible.
Bim310 8 months ago
@tucker386 Sung by Ken Page. Great Show.
STLTexan 2 months ago
@tucker386
I was at that show! It was absolutely amazing! It was like listening to thunder sing!
QuantumFart2 3 weeks ago
Magnifique interprétation , quelle voix splendide..
Merci au post
alain451 1 year ago
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examinationboard 1 year ago
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examinationboard 1 year ago
In my opinion Sinatra's version is better. More Emotion.
Jefferson1942 1 year ago
Glad that this version was finally posted. It's the best out of all the rest and i've been looking for it for ages.
1000 times thanks.
BleedingxWords 1 year ago 14
@BleedingxWords No problem man.
Trojanman21c 1 year ago
@Trojanman21c Since I studied with Warfield, I've loved this version for years, but find it curious that this clip uses his voice and pics of Robeson.
shycuteguy35 1 year ago
Why Warfield and the visuals are Robeson?
eotto2001 1 year ago
@eotto2001 It's because I originally thought it was Robeson.
Trojanman21c 1 year ago
@Trojanman21c Oh thanks for replying. Either of those men would have been worth hearing. I remembered hearing both of their voices as a kid. Robeson my dad told me he was a Communist but I remember thinking I didn't care. His voice was magnificent. I didn't hear Warfield until I was in my 30s. Wow! Thanks for the post.
eotto2001 1 year ago
@eotto2001 Anytime man. It is truly a gem. Can't get enough of this voice.
Trojanman21c 1 year ago
This is wonderful
GrissomLovesSara 1 year ago
@GrissomLovesSara Absolutely.
Trojanman21c 1 year ago
I was privileged to see William Warfield perform this song and others around 1963. He sang at the Rice Lake High School (WI). After this song, I turned around to see all the girls in the audience crying. I may have been crying myself. Such a magnificent singer!
Nanofigleaf 1 year ago
@Nanofigleaf Yea he's really amazing. So expressive and willing to give the fullness of his voice. Generous singer and good actor.
Trojanman21c 1 year ago
Original key was Eb Major but I supouse it's very higt for a bariton also for a bass
edmund672 1 year ago
That was awesome!! And what's cool is that my last name is Warfield too and I'm a baritone/bass singer too:) coincidence?? I think not!
elimarwar 1 year ago
@elimarwar Haha yea that's awesome.
Trojanman21c 1 year ago
I saw William Warfield in concert in the 1990's...even at his age then, WOW! Compared to Paul Robeson in this role and others, I've always preferred Warfield.
Hammstah 1 year ago
I have always enjoyed the song. I wish I was able to hear the original Broadway production with Jules Bledsoe as Joe. Bledsoe was from my hometown Waco, Texas, and I've heard that Jerome Kern wrote the music especially with Bledsoe's extreme vocal range in mind.
cubnwaco 1 year ago
WOW !!!! Just shows what classical training can do. Mr. Warfield sang the ending of this song with such range for a baritone. It gave me chills. I wish I had a voice like his. Otherwise, I wouldn't be stuck here in Iraq with a camera around my neck. Anyway, great post. I listen to it every day I come back from an assignment. The song sort of speaks of everybody, though. We, as humans, are always expendable, but old man river keeps rolling along. LOL
lovethediscogirls 1 year ago
@lovethediscogirls Actually any classically trained baritone needs to have a performable F and G to sing classical repertoire. We don't hang up there like tenors do, but we absolutely must have thoes notes. Warfield's instrument is so dark that you don't expect the top notes to come so easily as you would a lighter voice. I was hoping he would leap up to the A flat at the end to show off, but he's was to classy for that. He was true to the text and the meaning of the song without showing off.
baritonebynight 1 year ago
Good version, but I'd still take Robeson by preference.
patrickbeverley 1 year ago
This is so beautiful. It made me tear up a bit.
3erooney 1 year ago 2
Gosh, I love this guy.
justsid 1 year ago
American classic.
PetrossDelta 1 year ago
A wonderful version and performance!
Puzzler4879 1 year ago
As good as any version ever recorded.
paulostroff99 1 year ago
@antihussein How can you say Robeson was detestable?
vols4567 1 year ago
This is arguably the best version of Old Man River on record. I believe this is from the 1962 cast album, but I'm not certain. Warfield was an exceptional singer, a fine man, and an excellent example to all of us African Americans. It is unfortunate that the accompanying photos are of the detestable Robeson, but the singing is so good I can overlook that lapse of taste. Five stars!
antihussein 1 year ago
@antihussein why is he detestable?
loko2468 1 year ago
@antihussein Explain why you think Robeson is "detestable." His work toward establishing equality for African Americans was considerable.
madamerotten 1 year ago
Get the video of Showboat with Ava Gardner and Howard Keel. William Warfield sings this song the best!
wheelnut059 2 years ago
I just can't look at Ava Gardner in that dark-skinned make-up without laughing. Ava Gardner said, in an interview, she thought her casting in the role was stupid and she pushed for Lena Horne for the part. I guess the moguls realized no one would believe anyone leaving Lena Horne at the dock for some pasty-faced white woman. haha I'm a pasty-faced white woman, btw.
MsTruNorth 1 year ago
Good art doesn't gets older. I live in Brazil.
daltonagre 2 years ago
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SuperElBorba 2 years ago
Is this Paul Robeson? I've never heard him sing this with such emotion, such passion. It's the best rendering of Ole Man River I've yet heard. Thanks for posting it!
MsTruNorth 2 years ago
Paul Robeson is a GREAT singer, but so far I haven't heard any recordings of his voice that do his genius full justice. THIS singer is William Warfield (I guess you probably thought that Warfield was the composer?). I totally agree that considering the state of the recording industry back then -- the technology is just SO much more sophisticated today -- this recording captures a breathtakingly perfect performance. Really enriches your life just to know about it, doesn't it?
lakshmiluvsvishnu 2 years ago
@lakshmiluvsvishnu Hahah No, I knew that the Gershwin brothers wrote "Ole Man River". What confused me was all the Robeson visuals in this posting while the singer is identifie din the title as William Warfield. You refer to the change in quality of recording equipment. Did Warfield record at a much later date than Robeson? Thanks. Ira Gershwin really wrote some lyrics that resonated with a lot of people. This is one instance where George's music supports his brother's lyrics.
MsTruNorth 2 years ago
The Gershwins did not write Ole Man River. Ole Man River is from Showboat -- from the book by Edna Ferber. The music was written by Oscar Hammerstein II and Jerome Kern. The Gershwins wrote Porgy and Bess. All great composers.
GirlandBird 2 years ago
@GirlandBird Yeah, I found that out not log after posting. Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein II wrote Showboat (and "Ole Man River"). Thanks for the correction, lest some might have been misled by my misinformation. :)
MsTruNorth 2 years ago
This is (Prof) William Warfield.- Wiki him - he was a fascinating musician with an astounding talent for music and teaching.
SuperElBorba 1 year ago
@MsTruNorth It's William Warfield, from the 1966 Lincoln Center revival of "Show Boat". It's a different recording than the one from the 1951 movie soundtrack; Warfield's voice is much deeper here, probably because he was fifteen years older than he was when he did the film.
al1936ful 1 year ago
@al1936ful Thanks. So, it was William Warfield who appeared in and sang in the 1951 film version of "Showboat"? Who are the images of in this video? Are they Warfield or Robeson? Whichever it is, he was really a handsome and engaging looking young man. Quite a broad chest for a singer too (from the toting a bale of cotton photo)
MsTruNorth 1 year ago
@MsTruNorth The one toting the bale of cotton is Robeson. We never see Warfield carrying anything in the 1951 movie. I think practically all of the images in that video are of Robeson.
al1936ful 1 year ago
This version really speaks to me and is so full of so much emotion.
prine234 2 years ago 2
Comment removed
marmaduke9 2 years ago
i like this video its an awesome song
MultiDamian101 2 years ago 2
I is a great song,sung by a great artist,I agree.
jlescelius 2 years ago
@MultiDamian101 Not sure actually. I'm sure I could google it.
Trojanman21c 2 years ago
He was a great member of Phi Beta Sigma GOMAB!
lordmenace 2 years ago
William Warfield was a wonderful artist and a great human being. What an artist!! He studied with Rosa Ponselle and it shows. There is some much emotion in his singing. He sings from his soul. I was fortunate to know him and heard him sing Ol Man River in performance. I will never forget
Giovannifabuloso 2 years ago 3
Warfield was a student of Frederick Wilkerson who always ridiculed him, calling him "Wobbling Warfield". Not nice and not fair. Warfield did develop a wobble late in his career. Oddly a couple of the best versions of this song are by whites - George London and Sam Ramey.
All operatic basses should have a good high F. I have a couple YouTube postings that make that point.
Agorante 2 years ago
I've always loved the movie Show Boat. Just watching the emotion he puts into singing this makes me cry.
08lynne 2 years ago 14
@08lynne me too...
Popoldabboy 1 year ago
o'l man river!!!!
stevekach 2 years ago
this is a hard song for a bass to sing. especially the end, and especially in this key.
mrtyles 2 years ago
i can agree on that one
ive sung bass for a while now and i have difficulty with the end
AECEntertainment 2 years ago
Even though this is generally a song sung by males some women have done it. Aretha Franklin once said that Judy Garlands version was the best she had ever heard and i do agree. Judy was a tortured soul and intense talent with the heavy vibrato, these are the ingredients required to nail this song. Check it out
gfdsaasdfg1 2 years ago
What's with the Robeson pix, if this is Warfield singing?
DeeMonkey999 2 years ago
he explains that in the description.
LordZarathos 2 years ago
Sospello m'a fait connaitre cette interprétation. Superbe
titaruffo2 2 years ago
RESPECT!!!
merci à vous
alain451 2 years ago
If I may voice my view on the debate, I prefer the key, tempo and arrangement of this version, which feels more natural, but I like Robeson's voice more.
BrianApocalypse 2 years ago
i think the best version of the song personally that puts shivers dowm my spine is frank sinatras one. Its as if when he sings it, its an apology on behalf of the whites from being utterly terrible
Kaneoism 2 years ago
lololol. I laughed.
Frank always had to make everything into some swoony song for the ladies. This version seems genuine though.
VivaLaTrumpet 2 years ago
' William Warfield was the one singing the original soundtrack of the film.But Paul Robeson is known of owning this.
daphnebeloved 2 years ago
Actually, I really think it depends on what version is established in your mind first. I grew up hearing this one on a CD of collected stage songs, and now when I try to listen to the Robeson one, it sounds odd and off-tempo, like someone's sped it up as a joke. In the ear of the listener, I guess...
TaliesinKyte 2 years ago
This is much technically better than the Robeson versions... but I can see how people would prefer the Robeson version because of their ideas of the man.
notoriousspb 2 years ago
I agreee with the futility of comaparisons. There is only a few occasions when and artist can pull his or her life into a sanog and draw it out like an anthem.
Paul Robeson was a man who was like a river, and found his river and lived it as true as anyone could.
Bravo Man it would be worth being religious to listen to him in some afterlife.
SableMaster 2 years ago 2
This version is nice and all-
But no version can be the best and NOT be a Paul Robeson...
He just IS that song, just as much as Sinatra is "New York, New York" or the Beatles are "Hey Jude."
Other performers can sing and play those songs, but really- can you imagine the FEEL of the song better without Robeson? Or the swing of the tune quite as right sounding without Sinatra? Or "Hey Jude" done better by a band not made up of John, Paul, George, and Ringo? (Take that, Jonas Brothers!)
obiwanobiwan13 2 years ago 22
@obiwanobiwan13 Well said. Still a beautiful version, but Robeson embodies it.
AislinKageno 2 years ago
@obiwanobiwan13 That's like saying Chet Baker couldn't do Gershwin. Appreciate the song for the performance and not some false idea of originality.
prawn0star 1 year ago
@obiwanobiwan13 I think it just doesn't get better than this version of the song. The singer is extremely evocative and passionate about an extremely prevalent and horrible subject, even more so than Paul Robeson.
nickcullingham 1 year ago
Paul Robeson's version is much better
JugiterpetoVerum 2 years ago
merveilleux!
mariepaix7 2 years ago
Wasn't there a movie segment with Warfield singing the same song? I can't find it now.
torisefromashes 2 years ago
There were several on here. The only one left is the "Can't help lovin..." song. Whoever owns the rights must have gone on a spree.
ewd76 2 years ago
Ctuchic; I have the original soundtrack version ona digitally remastered cd by EMI, titled "The M.G.M. Musicals"
revelations5 2 years ago
if you can find the original soundtrack for the 1951 musical version you might be able to get an mp3 (i've only found it on vinal however)
RaiGrabski 2 years ago
Ctuchic; I think that you must be referring to the soundtrack version from `Showboat`, where indeed W.W. is much deeper, and powerful.
It`s truly a joy to listen to that version, and I refer to it, as a bass Mario Lanza.
Alan
revelations5 2 years ago
So what's with the photo montage with Paul Robeson to go with William Warfield's version?
SuperDaveOkie 2 years ago
Isn't there a version with someone that has a even deeper voice then this? been trying to find it for ages now but i just keep getting hits by Warfield :(
Ctuchik 2 years ago
This comment has received too many negative votes show
rofl old man river oooooooooooooold hahahhahahhah crack up
dannycool59x 2 years ago
This is a beautiful recording, William Warfield has a beautiful voice. However, I wouldn't agree that broadway voices aren't what they used to be. Broadway today is still full of rich, moving, intellectual and inspirational voices.
Javaisreve 2 years ago
Beyond words.
libra61060 2 years ago
how can i get this version as mp3??
i just love the song!
lmsbel 2 years ago
just get a download agent such as a tube catcher (freeware) and that´s it.
good downloads!
BAKERAGUSTINIANO 2 years ago
This has been flagged as spam show
You can use a website called zamzar, you just enter the url and it converts the vid and sends to your email :) zamzar (dot) com
And please dont mark this as spam... im just helping
Zachiiee 2 years ago
This is real culture.
higgolini 2 years ago 3
Old man river!
That Old man river!
He must know somethin'
But don't say nothin'
He just keeps rollin'
He keeps on rollin ALONG...
^Best Part in the Song
DunStalk 2 years ago 2
William Warfield is god in human form.
Prove me wrong.
Dillrod90 2 years ago 3
i know what you mean i got a Recording with him reciting a religious peace he really makes you feel like you are there. Were you there i think the song is called but there is a poem before i say these old guys knew something that todays singers don't.
Brachiale 2 years ago
They knew how to sing, for one.
Today's stuff is ridiculous.
Dillrod90 2 years ago 4
i agree with that modern singers dont know anything only Classically trained voices can portray a real idea. But i think that guys like William Warfield has an idea of his self identity witch is on sublime level that is why he i think. so i think due to their sense of identity their voices becomes immortal in the fact that they can communicate sublime ideas to other humans. Its to bad that there is only a hand full of people that can think in these terms today
Brachiale 2 years ago 2
family guy.
xXcomputernerdx 2 years ago