Andy Razaf (birth name, Andriamanantena Paul Razafinkarefo) was born in Washington, D.C. in 1895 to Jennie and Henri Razafinkarefo. His father was the nephew of Queen Ranavalona III, the queen of Madagascar’s kingdom of Imerina. His mother was the daughter of John L. Waller, the first African American consul of the kingdom. Following the French invasion of Madagascar, Henri was killed, and Jennie at the age of fifteen, fled to America.

Razaf was raised in Harlem, quitting school as a teen to be an elevator operator in Tin Pan Alley. During this time he wrote his first song text, beginning his journey as a lyricist. Razaf’s early poems were published in the Voice newspaper. The paper was the first publication of the “New Negro Movement” and was lead by editor Hubert Harrison. Razaf would go on to collaborate with many composers including Fats Waller, Harry Brooks, Don Redman, James P. Johnson, and Eubie Blake. Razaf and Waller wrote many notable songs together, such as “Ain’t Misbehavin'”, “Honeysuckle Rose”, “The Joint is Jumpin'”, and “The Willow Tree”.

Beyond his work as a lyricist, Razaf contributed to the the Universal Negro Improvement Association and African Communities League’s Negro World newspaper. In 1972 he was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.

Razaf passed away at the age of seventy-seven in North Hollywood, California.

-Lucy Koukoudian

This profile was created during the 2023-2024 academic year as part of the Song of America Fellowship Program, a project of the Classic Song Research Initiative between the Hampsong Foundation and the University of Michigan, School of Music, Theatre, and Dance.