Bluesman Jimmie Lee Robinson Dead at 71
Blues legend Jimmie Lee Robinson, known to fans as The Lonely Traveller,
died July 6 in Chicago following his battle with cancer. He was 71.
Robinson, a Chicago native and lifelong resident whose legal and Muslim
name was JL Latif Aliomar, began playing guitar in Chicago's famed
open-air market on Maxwell Street in 1942 along with the likes 
of Big Bill Broonzy and Robert Nighthawk. In 1952 he and Freddie King
teamed for a four-year performance partnership, and King later credited
Robinson as being one of his earliest and most-influential guitar
teachers. Robinson went on to play guitar and bass with Little Walter,
Shakey Jake, Howlin' Wolf, Eddie Taylor, Elmore James, Jimmy Rogers,
Jimmy Reed and Magic Sam to name but a few. He made his bandleader
recording debut with Bandera Records in the late 1950s, recording such
hits as "Lonely Traveller" and "All My Life," which was a successful
cover for John Mayall in the '60s and again in the '80s. In 1965
Robinson was part of the American Folk Blues Festival that toured Europe
to rave reviews and featured other legends like John Lee Hooker, Buddy
Guy and Big Mama Thornton. Robinson's music career slowed in the 1970s,
and he went to work at various jobs including for the Chicago Board of
Education and as a carpenter, cab driver and storeowner. He slowly began
to perform again after a group of dedicated fans and musicians calling
themselves The Ice Cream Men urged Robinson to join their shows in the
late 1980s. Delmark Records revived Robinson's recording career in 1994
with the record Lonely Traveller, and Robinson again began to perform
regularly, taking gigs worldwide. He then recorded two self-produced
albums for his Amina Records label, Guns, Gangs and Drugs (1996) and
Maxwell Street Blues (1998), and he added guitar work and two solo
performances to The Lost American Bluesmen release on the Midnight
Creeper label in 1998 before signing with APO Records later that year.
For APO, Robinson recorded Remember Me (1998) and All My Life (2001).
Both releases met with extensive acclaim, and All My Life hit the Living
Blues radio charts, providing Robinson the recognition he long
deserved. He was also recognized with the 2001 Blues Trust Lifetime
Achievement Award from Boston-based Blues Trust Productions. Robinson
was APO Records' chief ambassador, and well beyond being a roster
musician he was a family member. He will forever be the label's
Godfather. In addition to his recording career, Robinson was a dedicated
activist and committed steward for blues preservation. His chief cause
was the preservation of the Maxwell Street Market on Chicago's south
side. That area, where Robinson got his start, has been razed in favor
of modern buildings and parking lots in recent years. Robinson once
fasted for 81 straight days in protest of the destruction. His efforts
were documented extensively, including by the Discovery Channel, the New
York Times, the Chicago Sun-Times and the Chicago Tribune. Robinson was
also very conscious of his health. While many bluesmen could tell you
where to find the best ribs or booze, Robinson was more apt to explain
the virtues of vegetarianism and the importance of exercise. His
discipline was unflappable, making his contraction of cancer a tragic
irony. Fans and friends will remember Robinson as a truly unique
bluesman, a man of unmatched dedication, sincerity and philosophy.