Randall Roberts

Background

About Randall Roberts

Award-winning writer, editor, journalist, music freak for outlets including the Los Angeles Times, the Guardian, Village Voice, LA Weekly and, currently, Mizzou Magazine. I get a kick out of celebrating the work and lives of creators both past and present. I've been honored for my writing and multimedia journalism by the LA Press Club, the National Association of Black Journalists, James Beard Foundation, Assn. of Food Journalists and more. My feature on Ozomatli, the US State Dept. and Burma appeared in the 2010 Best Music Writing, and my piece for the LA Times on karaoke in L.A.'s Skid Row appears in "Words Matter: Writing to Make a Difference" anthology of creative nonfiction from the University of Missouri Press. An expert on reporting, writing, story construction, execution and line editing, my recent work at the Los Angeles Times has focused on music and a sense of place: I've envisioned, pitched and helped produce multimedia projects on the history of music along Sunset Boulevard; the ways in which South L.A. thoroughfare Rosecrans Ave. has served as rap's thematic Main Street; and an updated celebration of Los Angeles songs that aimed to reframe the conversation about music about Southern California. In late 2020, I helped identify the first-ever commercial recordings made in Los Angeles: two wax cylinders issued by the Los Angeles Phonograph Company, circa 1896. The story rewrote the history of the L.A. music business.