Bill "Bojangles" Robinson was born Luther Robinson in Richmond, Virginia, on May 25, 1878. His mother, Maria, sung in the choir while his father, Maxwell, worked in a machine shop. Both of his parents died in 1885, he was raised by his grandmother, Bedilia, who was a former slave. He used physical force to get his brother, Bill, to switch names with him. Additionally, as a young man, he earned the nickname "Bojangles" for his contentious tendencies.