The 1927 Broadway play, Show Boat featured this classic American song with bass-baritone Paul Robeson signing the lead. In a day when racism and Jim Crow laws were the largely unquestioned way of the land, the book the show was adapted from, Edna Faber’s 1926 novel of the same name, the play, and the song “Ol’ Man River” squarely confronted the ugly unfairness of racism. At a deeper level, the song looks at the ephemeral quality and the pain of human life (“I’m tired of livin, and scared of dying”), and it juxtaposes them against the seemingly eternal river (“Ol’ Man River, he jus keep rollin along.”) IMHO, It is truly one of the greatest of American songs. The book, play, movie and song helped launch the civil rights movement that eventually ended Jim Crow laws and segregation. I’d be glad to take alternative ideas for top song nominations, but “Ol’ Man River” is mine.

Because the show and the song were so popular, it has been performed by a huge collection of artists and in many different versions and styles. Which do you think is best? Below are links, including the original by the show’s star, Paul Robeson (due to a scheduling conflict, Jules Bledsoe actually sang Joe’s part in the Broadway opening, but Robeson starred in the subsequent productions and in the film version). The YouTube clip is from the 1936 film version of the play the play, and features Paul Robeson as Joe.

Paul Robeson & Original Show Boat film cast
Judy Garland
Paul Gerimon
Gregg Baker
William Clarence Marshall
William Warfield
Frank Sinatra