Did You See Jackie Robinson Hit that Ball?

Today is Jackie Robinson Day in major league baseball. It’s the day that commemorates when Jackie Robinson played his first regular season baseball game with the Brooklyn Dodgers, thus becoming the first black baseball player to play in the major leagues since Moses “Fleetwood” Walker in 1884. This year is particularly significant because it’s the 75th anniversary of that game.

Robinson has been celebrated musically in various ways over the past 75 years, though perhaps the most famous is the song “Did You See Jackie Robinson Hit That Ball?” which was written and originally recorded by Buddy Johnson.