Robert mcgimsey biography

Due to their influence he wrote in an "African American" style,.
Robert Hunter MacGimsey was an American composer.
American composer, singer, pianist & multi-tone whistler.

•

Robert Hunter Mcgimsey

When Robert Hunter Mcgimsey was born on 12 December 1860, in Baton Rouge, East Baton Rouge, Louisiana, United States, his father, Robert Vance McGimsey, was 32 and his mother, Eliza Louisa Hunter, was 24. He married Alice Edna Matthews on 6 October 1887, in Mansfield, De Soto, Louisiana, United States. They were the parents of at least 4 sons and 2 daughters. He lived in Ward Ten, Rapides, Louisiana, United States in 1900 and Rapides, Louisiana, United States in 1920. He died on 22 January 1920, in Pineville, Rapides, Louisiana, United States, at the age of 59, and was buried in Forest Park Cemetery, Shreveport, Caddo, Louisiana, United States.

•

SWEET LITTLE JESUS BOY written in 1932

The Story

Most people think of this song as a Negro spiritual from the south in the mid-1800s. The lyrics would certainly make one think of America at the time of the Civil War… and I’ve most often heard this song sung as a spiritual. But, this song was actually written by Robert MacGimsey (1898-1979) in 1932.

On Christmas Eve 1932, Robert McGimsey attended a midnight church service in New York City and then headed back to his one-room apartment. As he walked the final blocks, he passed the open doors of private clubs where people were shouting and swearing and singing. Others were so drunk they had passed out on the sidewalk.

What a strange way to celebrate the birth of the most perfect Person who ever lived on this earth, McGimsey thought. We seem to have missed the whole significance of His life.

That night McGimsey wrote his thoughts on the back of an envelope. These words, which were written like the spirituals he had loved growing up in the southern United S

•

Robert MacGimsey

Robert Hunter MacGimsey (1898 – 1979) was an American composer. His most famous song was "Sweet Little Jesus Boy" (1934), a well-known Christmas carol written in the style of an African-American spiritual.

Early years

Born Robert Hunter MacGimsey^[1] in Pineville, Louisiana, of white parents, MacGimsey spent most of his formative years in the company of blacks who lived with and worked for and with his family. Due to their influence he wrote in an "African American" style,.^[2] and he is often mistakenly assumed to be a black composer.^{[citation needed]}

When he was young, MacGimsey sang in the church choir that his mother directed. She ensured that he received training in music, eventually studying under Frank Damrosch at the Institute of Musical Art in New York.^[3]

Law and politics

Before he became known for his musical accomplishments, MacGimsey was an attorney in Lake Providence, Louisiana,^[4] in addition to being an adviser to United States Senator Joseph E. Ransdell^[3] from