On the evening of Feb. 4, 1932, an eager crowd gathered at the Hoyt Sherman Place auditorium for a recital of spirituals by a man whose bass-baritone voice was already legendary. Paul Robeson was an all-American football player, Columbia-educated lawyer, and star of both a hit musical and a West End Shakespeare production. A Des … Continue reading Athlete and lawyer Paul Robeson was a renowned singer of spirituals, Broadway hits and patriotic tunes. By 1950, the U.S. government flagged him as a radical.