Ikey Robinson, a great banjoist and singer, was versatile enough for both blues and jazz recordings from the late 1920s to the early 1930s. He was not well-known because he spent too much time off the records during the swing era. Robinson, who had been working in the area, moved to Chicago in 1926. He played and recorded with Jelly Roll Morton and Clarence Williams during 1928-1929. Robinson led his own recordings sessions in 1929-1931, 1933-1933, and 1935. All of these have been reissued by the Austrian label RST. Robinson recorded with Clarence Williams in the 1930s and was a member of small groups. He also played with Noble Sissle and Robinson. He was in the early 1960s with Franz Jackson. In the 1970s, when he was rediscovered, he had the opportunity to tour Europe with Jabbo Smith. Allmusic
