Collection: Roscoe Robinson

Not everyone is lucky enough to keep kicking into their ‘90s, and even fewer still continue to produce music as nonagenarians. At 93 and on the verge of releasing his new single “Who’s Been Warming My Oven” (due 9/15 via Earth Libraries), soul and R&B legend Roscoe Robinson stands proudly in that short list. But if you listen to Robinson, luck has nothing to do with it. “It’s all because of the big boss man upstairs,” he laughs. “He’s been watching over me for a long time.” 

On the rollicking new track, Robinson retains the zeal and joy that have made him a beloved figure in the soul scene for decades. The Arkansas-born singer has recorded and performed since the 1950s, both solo and in groups including the Blind Boys of Alabama and the Blind Boys of Mississippi--not to mention sharing time in the Highway QC’s with Sam Cooke. After a long string of singles in the gospel world, Robinson crossed over into secular music in the mid-’60s, hitting the R&B charts with songs like “That’s Enough” and “Oo Wee Baby, I Love You”. 

And as the years went by, Robinson found himself continuously enthusiastic about music, inspired by his faith, and eager to connect with the world. “God gave me what I have to produce and perform music, so I want to keep on doing it as long as I can,” he says. “It’s very exciting to meet each new generation, to be 93 and still able to sing.”

The latest iteration of that soulful offering to the world is “Who’s Been Warming My Oven”, a swank and swaggering track decidedly off the gospel path in which Robinson wonders what his partner’s been up to while he’s gone. But then again, no one’s quite so innocent in this relationship. “While I was out partaking of another man’s bread, my woman was doing a little cookin’ of her own,” he sings over the snap-pop bass, organ churn, and shimmering percussion. 

“I wouldn’t say that the people in the song don’t love one another, but they slipped up and stepped out when they should have stayed in,” Robinson laughs. That good natured acceptance and warmth has powered his career and can even make a song about cheating into a jam ready for the dance floor.

As might be expected from a 93-year-old singer, the song’s vintage charm comes naturally, as Robinson first recorded it decades ago, only to be told by the Blind Boys that it wouldn’t be a good fit. “They didn’t think it was the right type of song for me to release,”  he laughs. But after years of waiting, Robinson was finally ready to share the song with the world. “I’m so proud that I’ve been able to share music that helps people learn to love one another even in tough times,” he says.