The Resume

(December 16, 1895-February 3, 1973)
Born in Washington, District of Columbia
Birth name was Andriamanantena Paul Razafinkarefo
Lyricist for 'Ain't Misbehavin',' Honeysuckle Rose,' 'In the Mood,' 'Gee, Baby, Ain't I Good to You,' 'Stompin' at the Savoy,' '12th Street Rag,' 'The Joint Is Jumpin',' 'Knock Me a Kiss,' 'That's What I Like About the South,' and '(What Did I Do to Be So) Black and Blue'
Inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame (1972)

Why he might be annoying:

He left school at age sixteen to work as an elevator operator.
Before his songwriting took off, he would sleep in the Greyhound bus station in Times Square.
'Honeysuckle Rose' was featured in the film 'Tin Pan Alley' (1940) -- with two white actors depicting the songwriters.
He contracted syphilis, the effects of which left him confined to a wheelchair for the last two decades of his life.

Why he might not be annoying:

He edited 'Negro World,' the official newspaper of Marcus Garvey's Universal Negro Improvement Association.
He had poems published in 'The Voice,' the leading newspaper of the Harlem Rennaissance.
He composed jingles for the Treasury Department's war bond drives during World War I.
He collaborated with Fats Waller, Eubie Blake, and James P. Johnson.
His '(What Did I Do to Be So) Black and Blue' was one of the first popular songs to address racial injustice.

Credit: C. Fishel

Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

• 20th Century Poets
• C. Fishel's Profiles [Series 87]
• I am Confined to a Wheelchair
• I Contracted Syphilis [Some Rumored]
• I Did Not Graduate High School [N-S]
• I Died in 1973 (Ranked: 77)
• I Had a Stroke [Cerebral Vascular Accident]
• I Played Negro League Baseball
• I'm Buried at Angelus-Rosedale Cemetery [Los Angeles]
• Look at My Keyboard
• Newspaper Journalists/Editors/Publishers
• Poets
• Profiles 54001-54250 (Ranked: 54236)

Year In Review:

In 2023, Out of 2 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
In 2022, Out of 2 Votes: 0% Annoying