Popsie Randolph
Encyclopedia
William “PoPsie” Randolph (19, 1920 – October 1, 1978) was an US photographer of Greek descent. The son of Greek immigrants, Randolph capitalized on his early success in music photography of the New York music scene from the 1940s by continuing to photograph many of the music industry's greats but also movie stars, athletes and politicians including Robert F Kennedy during the release of the "Kennedy Years" recordings.
to the rhythms of Rock and Roll and the uptown sounds of rhythm & blues into the soul that laid much of the foundation of contemporary music. The 100,000 negatives and prints left behind after Randolph's death in 1978 constitute a vast collection. The range of the material includes: When Frank Sinatra was named "King of the Singers" at The Copa during a broadcast on WINS with comic Phil Silvers
officiating. When Elvis Presley came to New York to cut his first records for RCA Victor.Bobby Darin
signing with Atlantic Records
(for the string of hits that included the smash "Mack the Knife"). When Harry Belafonte
entered a New York studio to launch the mid-50's calypso craze. He also photographed all of the major teen idols through the years from Eddie Fisher
and Tab Hunter to Frankie Avalon, Jimmy Clanton and Fabian.
jamming with Trini Lopez
("If I had a Hammer"); Perry Como at the piano with Brenda Lee
; Alan Freed
trading one-liners with Salvador Dalí; Count Basie backing up Pat Boone, of all people, on a TV special; Dr. Joyce Brothers interviewing the Beatles; Welsh singer Tom Jones
hanging out with the Rolling Stones during their first visit to America at the New York Playboy Club; Nat "King" Cole meeting composer W. C. Handy
("St. Louis Blues); Ella Fitzgerald
nightclubbing with Billie Holiday
. "PoPsie" also captured the times when the music world carried over to other areas like sports and politics. He photographed Jackie Robinson
and Buddy Johnson
when they collaborated on the single "Did you see Jackie Robinson hit that Ball".
and published by Hal Leonard Corporation. Additionally, “PoPsie” photos and book are on exhibit at Chartwell Booksellers 55 East 52nd Street NYC; the Smithsonian - National Museum of American History Washington, D.C.; the Grammy Museum Live in Los Angeles, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland; the Brooklyn Museum (Fall 2009); and the White House has repeatedly requested and been provided prints from his voluminous collection.
Photography career
“PoPsie” was there for the jump from the studio crafted pop of Tin Pan AlleyTin Pan Alley
Tin Pan Alley is the name given to the collection of New York City music publishers and songwriters who dominated the popular music of the United States in the late 19th century and early 20th century...
to the rhythms of Rock and Roll and the uptown sounds of rhythm & blues into the soul that laid much of the foundation of contemporary music. The 100,000 negatives and prints left behind after Randolph's death in 1978 constitute a vast collection. The range of the material includes: When Frank Sinatra was named "King of the Singers" at The Copa during a broadcast on WINS with comic Phil Silvers
Phil Silvers
Phil Silvers was an American entertainer and comedy actor, known as "The King of Chutzpah." He is best known for starring in The Phil Silvers Show, a 1950s sitcom set on a U.S...
officiating. When Elvis Presley came to New York to cut his first records for RCA Victor.Bobby Darin
Bobby Darin
Bobby Darin , born Walden Robert Cassotto, was an American singer, actor and musician.Darin performed in a range of music genres, including pop, rock, jazz, folk and country...
signing with Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records is an American record label best known for its many recordings of rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and jazz...
(for the string of hits that included the smash "Mack the Knife"). When Harry Belafonte
Harry Belafonte
Harold George "Harry" Belafonte, Jr. is an American singer, songwriter, actor and social activist. He was dubbed the "King of Calypso" for popularizing the Caribbean musical style with an international audience in the 1950s...
entered a New York studio to launch the mid-50's calypso craze. He also photographed all of the major teen idols through the years from Eddie Fisher
Eddie Fisher (singer)
Edwin Jack "Eddie" Fisher , was an American entertainer. He was one of the world's most famous and successful singers in the 1950s, selling millions of records and hosting his own TV show. His divorce from his first wife, Debbie Reynolds, to marry his best friend's widow, Elizabeth Taylor, garnered...
and Tab Hunter to Frankie Avalon, Jimmy Clanton and Fabian.
Funny Pairings
Another facet of the "PoPsie" style and collection was his affinity for odd couples: Chuck BerryChuck Berry
Charles Edward Anderson "Chuck" Berry is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter, and one of the pioneers of rock and roll music. With songs such as "Maybellene" , "Roll Over Beethoven" , "Rock and Roll Music" and "Johnny B...
jamming with Trini Lopez
Trini Lopez
Trini Lopez is an American singer, guitarist and actor.-Career:Lopez was born in Dallas, Texas, on Ashland Street in the Little Mexico neighborhood. He began his entertainment career in Dallas playing at the Vegas Club, a nightclub owned by Jack Ruby...
("If I had a Hammer"); Perry Como at the piano with Brenda Lee
Brenda Lee
Brenda Mae Tarpley , known as Brenda Lee, is an American performer who sang rockabilly, pop and country music, and had 37 US chart hits during the 1960s, a number surpassed only by Elvis Presley, The Beatles, Ray Charles and Connie Francis...
; Alan Freed
Alan Freed
Albert James "Alan" Freed , also known as Moondog, was an American disc-jockey. He became internationally known for promoting the mix of blues, country and rhythm and blues music on the radio in the United States and Europe under the name of rock and roll...
trading one-liners with Salvador Dalí; Count Basie backing up Pat Boone, of all people, on a TV special; Dr. Joyce Brothers interviewing the Beatles; Welsh singer Tom Jones
Tom Jones (singer)
Sir Thomas John Woodward, OBE , known by his stage name Tom Jones, is a Welsh singer.Since the mid 1960s, Jones has sung many styles of popular music – pop, rock, R&B, show tunes, country, dance, techno, soul and gospel – and sold over 100 million records...
hanging out with the Rolling Stones during their first visit to America at the New York Playboy Club; Nat "King" Cole meeting composer W. C. Handy
W. C. Handy
William Christopher Handy was a blues composer and musician. He was widely known as the "Father of the Blues"....
("St. Louis Blues); Ella Fitzgerald
Ella Fitzgerald
Ella Jane Fitzgerald , also known as the "First Lady of Song" and "Lady Ella," was an American jazz and song vocalist...
nightclubbing with Billie Holiday
Billie Holiday
Billie Holiday was an American jazz singer and songwriter. Nicknamed "Lady Day" by her friend and musical partner Lester Young, Holiday had a seminal influence on jazz and pop singing...
. "PoPsie" also captured the times when the music world carried over to other areas like sports and politics. He photographed Jackie Robinson
Jackie Robinson
Jack Roosevelt "Jackie" Robinson was the first black Major League Baseball player of the modern era. Robinson broke the baseball color line when he debuted with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947...
and Buddy Johnson
Buddy Johnson
Not to be confused with Budd Johnson.Buddy Johnson was an American jazz and New York blues pianist and bandleader, active from the 1930s through the 1960s...
when they collaborated on the single "Did you see Jackie Robinson hit that Ball".
Well known photographs
- Miles DavisMiles DavisMiles Dewey Davis III was an American jazz musician, trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. Widely considered one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Miles Davis was, with his musical groups, at the forefront of several major developments in jazz music, including bebop, cool jazz,...
, Jazz Trumpeter, 1953 - Elvis PresleyElvis PresleyElvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
, First album, 1956 - Brill BuildingBrill BuildingThe Brill Building is an office building located at 1619 Broadway on 49th Street in the New York City borough of Manhattan, just north of Times Square and further uptown from the historic musical Tin Pan Alley neighborhood...
, Portraits, 1945–1973
Books about Popsie
Most recently, “PoPsie’s” work was featured in the highly acclaimed book “PoPsie” NY by Michael Randolph foreword by Quincy JonesQuincy Jones
Quincy Delightt Jones, Jr. is an American record producer and musician. A conductor, musical arranger, film composer, television producer, and trumpeter. His career spans five decades in the entertainment industry and a record 79 Grammy Award nominations, 27 Grammys, including a Grammy Legend...
and published by Hal Leonard Corporation. Additionally, “PoPsie” photos and book are on exhibit at Chartwell Booksellers 55 East 52nd Street NYC; the Smithsonian - National Museum of American History Washington, D.C.; the Grammy Museum Live in Los Angeles, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland; the Brooklyn Museum (Fall 2009); and the White House has repeatedly requested and been provided prints from his voluminous collection.