Wesley Robinson
Wesley K. Robinson, Bay Area jazz and punk promoter, is dead at the age of 80.
Mr. Robinson had quite the life. He was a standout basketball player at Alameda High and later played for the Wizard of Westwood - Mr. John Wooden - at UCLA where he was the only black player on the team.
He spent time in New York involving himself in the jazz scene by way of a jazz cafe. After his return to the Bay Area he started a speakeasy in Oakland, but as was typical of such a joint he was constantly afoul with city officials.
Following his speakeasy days he promoted events throughout the area at a variety of venues including the Jazz Symposium. In 1975, apparently frustrated that jazz was becoming every more commercial, Mr. Robinson veered off into the land of punk and eventually discovered Ruthie’s Inn. Ruthie’s would become ground zero for the east Bay Area punk scene from about 1983 to 1987. Some of our favorite thrashers played at Ruthie’s including the Dead Kennedy’s and Social Distortion.
As per the Berkeley Daily Planet a memorial service, to which all are invited, will be held on Saturday, Jan. 13, 2007 at 3 p.m., at Geoffrey’s Inner Circle located at 410 14th St. in Oakland. For more information dial (510) 839-4644 or (510) 384-4988.
~~The ODDones for OurDailyDead.com
Technorati tags: Wesley K. Robinson, Bay Area, jazz, punk, dead, Wizard of Westwood, John Wooden, speakeasy, Oakland, Jazz Symposium, Ruthie’s Inn, Dead Kennedy’s, Social Distortion, Berkeley Daily Planet
