Harold "Jukebox" Robinson is a native of Tuskegee, Alabama and has been performing professionally since the age of fifteen. While playing with the "Corvettes", Jukebox backed up such names as Tom Joyner and the Duponts on the campus of Tuskegee University on numerous occasions. He also played on the same show with Tyrone Davis and Peggy Scott & Jo Jo Benson. He went on to earn his B.A. Degree from Alabama State University and later completing his Masters of Music from The University of Miami. While in Miami he jammed with several music ledgends including Ben Vereen, Connie Francis, Kirk Whalum, Howard Hewette & Stevie Wonder, just to name a few. Jukebox was also a member of the U.S. Navy Band for four years and was stationed at Pearl Harbor, HI.
After serving as an Asistant Band Director for the Marching Hornets of ASU for three years, he moved to Bessemer, Alabama where he taught instrumental band for the school system for six years. He resigned from teaching elementary band in the Birmingham City School System after three years to launch his professional career in earnest. He has played for Dr. Frank Adams, Jim Bell, Robert Moore, and most recently Ona Watson who are all in the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame. Jukebox played drums with the Birmingham Heritage Jazz Band under the direction of Dr. Tolton Rosser, Birmingham, AL.
Robinson is a Part-time Professor of Music Recording & Industry at Alabama State University in Montgomery, AL. He is also performing solo at venues in central Alabama and Georgia doing his One Man Band Act and is now selecting tunes for his next project. He plays drums with the Montgomery Jazz Combo under the direction of Dr.T. Lyle, Director of Stillman College Band, Tuscaloosa, AL.
Excluding the one cover tune on the album, Jukebox wrote all the songs featured on LOVE IS AS LOVE DOES. He played drums, keyboards and sang lead & background vocals on this project. He was accompained by Don Jones (Bass) and Thomas Wolfe (Guitar), and daughter Tracie Robinson (Vocals). Sound was recorded and mixed by Vic Bell. Cover graphics done by Melonie Robinson. LOVE IS AS LOVE DOES was released on January 20, 2002 at "The 22nd Street Jazz Cafe", Birmingham, AL, where over a hundred people showed up for the CD release party. Since the release, Jukebox has appeared on Radio(WVAS Montgomery,AL) T.V.(Channel 6, Tuskegee,AL; Channel 42, Birmingham,AL)and newspapers,(ASU Today February,2002 issue & the Auburn/Opelika News, May 24, 2002). LOVE IS AS LOVE DOES is selling in Japan, Germany, London, Italy and the UK as well as in the U.S. thanks to cdbaby.com. LOVE IS AS LOVE DOES has been selected for promotional representation at the 2003 MIDEM event in Cannes, France by Amethyst Entertainment, Inc. in Texas. The event will take place from January 19th - 23rd and will host some 10,000 music industry professionals from the US and 30 countries around the world. This event launched the careers of such great artist as Elton John and Sonny & Cher.
Jukebox was featured on the cover of the Montgomery Advertiser's Entertainment Weekly GO! Magazine on October 24, 2004 when he performed at River Walk Amphitheater.
He competed for a spot on the Jubilee Festival and his
composition "Party" was selected to be placed in the 2004
CD Compilation and distributed to over 5000 vendors.
LOVE IS AS LOVE DOES has won the Directors Award in the 2005 Nashville International Spring Song & Lyric Contest. Paramount Group's Norman Daniels states that Robinson shows very promising talent. He has excellent possibilites for success, and should pursue his career to the fullest extent. Jukebox was also awarded a Songwriter Contract from Paramount Group.
LOVE IS AS LOVE DOES is being played in rotation on CELEBRATE RADIO which is on-the-air on satellite across Europe and the Middle East via satellite, on shortwave to Central and South America, North Africa and Southeast Asia via shortwave radio and everywhere else in 24/7 stream on the web. Don Fass of CELEBRATE RADIO says they love the music and want to promote and feature Jukebox and his music on the radio.
Jukebox performed on drums at Alabama State University School of Music Recital Hall on November 28, 2005 along with Dr. Douglas Bristol, trombone, Bo Berry, trumpet, Sam Williams, flute and sax, Tim Payton, bass and Coleman Woodson III, piano, for An Evening of Jazz Concert. Coleman plays piano for the former American Idol Ruben Studdard & Just a Few Cats. He has a classical piano degree from UAB in Birmingham, AL and has released a CD with Just a Few Cats on sale now. Sam Williams retired from the U.S. Air Force Band and is the leader of the local band Tapestry. A DVD of the concert is available for viewing on the web at www.haroldjukeboxrobinson.com.
Robinson performed on drums/vocals with KB and The Kool Kats at Bogy's in Montgomery,AL 01/20/06. A DVD of the performance is available for viewing on the web at www.haroldjukeboxrobinson.com. Just click on videos and check it out.
Jukebox just recorded a ONE MAN BAND DVD, June 16, 2006 to be viewed by all Agents, Club Owners, Activity Directors, Entertainment Directors, etc. as an audition tape for your business. Please get in touch for GREAT entertainment for your upcoming event, festival, wedding reception, club date, party.
Love Is As Love Does will be featured on Mere Music International/Fame Games Radio Station in Spain in January, 2007. The song will air on the 10th-17th of the month. Fame Games has over a million listeners in Spain.This will be edition #117. Please tune in and listen to the music.
Thang Called Love was rated 13 in Mere Music International/ Fame Games Edition #103 in the top 20 songs for November, 06. These songs were rated on their cross over music appeal and judged before being placed in the compettition. Here is a copy of the review from Mere Music International.
We really liked the down-to-Earth, solid values of this performance and song. All the right elements are here - good vocal, nice melody, good rhythm and vibe... There's just one thing, though: it sounds like it could have been written and produced in the 70's. This, in and of itself, is not a problem, but if you're seeking feedback for how a song like that might go down in today's market - you'd need to make a number of adjustments. Firstly, the song itself - everything is very much on one level - the chorus should have more of a lift, perhaps by revising its melody, or perhaps just by arranging it differently. Next, very importantly, the arrangement needs to fast-forward 30 years. It's not what instruments are playing, but how they're playing. The groove of the song should be more prominent, the instrumental performances more bold and distinct. There need to be some additional instrumental flavors, something like a warm and fat Rhodes, coming in and out in just the right places, for example... You'll find that just by changing or improving the instrumentation, you'll transform the song - and that in turn will give you new ideas for how to make the melodic structure work even better. Nitpicking aside, however, this is a very credible demo of a seasoned performer and writer.
The scores were:
(Minimum 0, Max 15 points)
Song: 12.5
Production: 12.0
Performance: 14.0
FINAL SCORE: 12.8
The Fame Games Verdict:
A very credible demo of what this performer and writer can do. But - it's clearly still a work in progress, at least seen from the perspective of what we believe the popular market is all about these days
Jukebox is in the studio putting the final touches on his next cd. He is also working on videos of single tracks on Love Is As Love Does. These videos will be placed on the web for view in the near future so stay tuned. Robinson plans on releasing a single from the upcoming CD/DVD in the next few weeks. This project has new music written and performed by Robinson with the assistance of Darryl(DJ)Jones, singer/songwriter/producer/performer who played guitar for the Commodores, Lionel Richie, and others and is now performing/producing with Robinson.
Love Is As Love Does the cd was selected as one of the albums of the month by Celebrate Radio. Love Is As Love Does the single along with Best Part of Me and Thang Called Love were chosen to be played in rotation in St. Louis, Mo. and also in Canada. Robinson will be performing Christmas Parties in Tallassee, Wetumpka, and Tuskegee and wishes his fans the best this Holiday Season. A single track from his upcoming cd will be featured soon so be on the look out.
THANG CALLED LOVE is being featured by Mere Music International's Fame Games. It's current "plays" (all-time) record stands at 1,509 with a daily *average* of 4.43 plays. To see the feature go to www.meremusic.com, bottom of page, but hurry cause it will only be there for a week.
Jukebox has just uploaded new video's. Please be sure to check out ONE DAY, a video of a track on the new CD " Chapter II" soon to be released. There is a video of Party, Love Is As Love Does, and Thang Called Love. The video's were recoreded at his home in Tuskegee, Alabama.
CHAPTER TWO the latest project by Robinson is on CDBABY for sale and Digital Distribution. There are six original tunes on this cd.The tracks are mostly up beat dance tunes that everyone can enjoy. Darrel "DJ" Jones produced, recorded and played guitar and keyboards on all selections. His lead and background vocals can also be heard on DOING MY THANG. TREASURE HOUSE STUDIOS, Montgomery, Alabama mastered the cd. ONE DAY and STAND are already being played on internet radio. TUSKEGEE is a tribute to Robinson's home town. GROWNFOLKS PARTAE is a Latin dance tune getting lots of exposure and U & I is a ballad. The lyrics to U & I were written by Theada Samuels, a native of Montgomery, Alabama and a Tuskegee University graduate now working for the Department of Human Resources in Tuskegee, Alabama.
There is also a dvd JAZZ AT THE KELLOGG CENTER, Tuskegee University, recorded June 16, 2007 that will be uploaded on the site. This dvd features Coleman Woodson, Jr., Alto Sax, D.C. Conyers, Vocals, Kermit Orr, Keyboards, Darrel Jones, Bass and Jukebox on Drums. This dvd is a Jazz concert of tunes from the 40's 50's and a few of the 70's hits that Baby Boomers will enjoy.Look for a few tunes from this dvd on Youtube, Myspace and Garage Band coming soon.
Jukebox is being featured on the website www.newmusicpromote.com for May, 2008. Two single tracks from the cd, LOVE IS AS LOVE DOES, BEST PART OF ME and EASY are in the top 5 new song list for the month of May 2008. OOH CHILD, the video by Robinson is also featured.
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