Songwriter
Although he never knew his mother and father, he – an African American foster child – refused to be a victim and vowed to build his own family, eventually pursuing two different career paths concurrently (at the same time).
FAMILY BACKGROUND
RR lived with one set of foster parents in a city until he was 8 years old, when he was assigned by the foster care agency to live with a different set of parents, who soon moved to a less populated area of the same city.
With his first foster family, RR went to church, collected vegetables from a community garden and helped to clean the house. With his second foster family, RR was encouraged to study and read and, in what may have influenced his future career, he liked to build with toy construction sets.
CHILDHOOD THOUGHTS OF AN ADULT CAREER
As a child, RR realized three things about his future: 1. He would have to support himself; 2. Some of his schoolmates would proceed to work eventually within their family businesses – but without a permanent family, there could be no family business; and 3. Some friends would attend college, but he had no family to pay that cost.
Despite understanding some of the things he couldn’t do later as an adult, RR was always an optimist who liked to be busy and assumed he would eventually find interesting work to support himself.
EDUCATION
RR was eager to start earning money, so he dropped out of high school when he was 16. He knew that education was important, but he wanted to combine it with work. (Editor’s note – Pursuing these concurrent goals was an unintended preview of his adult decisions and energy to pursue two different careers at the same time.) RR enrolled in a shipbuilding program at the local Naval Shipyard and later in his 30s, studied for and passed the general education development (GED) test – the equivalent of a high school diploma – at age 39.
RR’s family said, in their tribute after he died at age 77: “He was always a student, striving to learn more.”
STARTING HIS OWN BUSINESS
Always a learner, RR studied and mastered carpentry, plumbing and electrical work. He started his own business in his late 20s. He didn’t drive (neither car nor truck) so RR carried his tools and traveled back and forth to job sites on buses. RR liked to meet and talk with people, so he usually arrived early at each job site and left late, was often entrusted with the owner’s house keys and always responded promptly when problems popped up.
Commenting on RR as a remodeling contractor, one client said: “He was a craftsman who worked with you on your house as a partner.” Another client said: “He had an incredible work ethic. He worked diligently and efficiently to complete every job he started.”
A SECOND CAREER – SONGWRITER – DEVELOPS FROM A PASS-TIME
RR was always dreaming up lyrics for songs and performing them with other singers on city street corners. He eventually met and impressed a group of music and nightclub promoters, who introduced him to other songwriters in the area. This network led to teaming with other songwriters who wrote the music for his words. One song (“Who Can I Run To” reached number 8 on a top 100 list and number 58 on Billboard’s top 100 greatest girl group songs of all time. His words for “When Am I Gonna Find True Love” were sung by famous singer Patti LaBelle, which earned her a Gold Record.
RR’s son said about his father’s songwriting: “I think his writing was therapeutic. It was a chance for him to communicate what he felt. It was his outlet.”
CAREER SATISFACTION
By combining his work as a remodeling contractor and his passion to compose song lyrics, RR met his goals to support himself while doing something interesting. At the same time, a third (unpaid) activity (which could not be called a “career” because it earned no income) was on-going: mentoring younger and inexperienced songwriters and contractors.
RR was known for his infectious laugh, wide smile, and love of a good joke. “He knew, as the proverbial phrase goes, that laughter is food for the soul” his family said. “He fed his family well.”
This career story is based upon an obituary written by Gary Miles of the Philadelphia Inquirer, published 11/11/22.
