Bill bojangles robinson 1942

Bill "Bojangles" Robinson

By KeySmith

  • Birth

    Born In Richmond Virginia
  • Period: to

    Age 1-5

  • Inspiration

    Bill Robinson began dancing for small change at bars and local dives

  • Discovery

    A local show host noticed how well Bill could dance and offered him a spot as a pickaninny in a local show

  • Escape

    In 1890 Bojangles ran away from his hoe in Virginia to Washington DC where he began to work odd ball jobs looking for work.

  • Hired

    In 1891 he was hired by a performance company and travelled around doing different shows.

  • Army

    In 1898 Robinson returned home to Richmond Virginia and joined the United States Army

  • Buck and Wing

    In 1900 Bojangles entered a buck and wing dancing contest winning a gold medal and defeating then famous dancer Harry Swinton

  • Vaudeville

    In 1905 robinson worked with George W. Copper as a side by side vaudeville team

  • Full time

    By 1912 Robinson had been signed as a partner to a world renowned vaudeville team and began to make an estimated 3500 a week.