Razaf, Andy (1895–1973), born Andrea Razafkeriefo, was one of the most prolific and influential lyricists in American music history. Over the course of his career, he wrote the words to hundreds—by many contemporary counts, thousands—of songs, shaping the emotional vocabulary of American jazz, swing, and popular music. His lyrics—by turns witty, tender, satirical, and politically alert—were performed and recorded by many of the most important musicians of the twentieth century. Yet during the 1940s, Razaf also became something far less expected: a local political insurgent in Englewood, New Jersey, where national cultural prestige collided with suburban machine politics.

Razaf’s musical reputation was already firmly established by the time he settled in Englewood. A major figure of the Harlem Renaissance generation, he collaborated with leading composers and performers and was widely respected within Tin Pan Alley and the jazz world for both his productivity and his intellectual range. His work extended beyond entertainment into social commentary and spiritual expression, and he was recognized nationally as a writer whose lyrics carried both popular appeal and moral weight.

In 194o, Razaf made Englewood his permanent home, residing at 332 Englewood Avenue. That house functioned not only as a residence but as an active creative site. Razaf continued to compose there, working at his piano and collaborating directly with visiting musicians. Among them was Fats Waller, his longtime collaborator and one of the defining figures of American jazz. Songs associated with the Harlem jazz tradition were, in this period, worked out at Razaf’s piano in Englewood, collapsing the distance between a quiet New Jersey street and the center of American musical innovation.

At the same time, Razaf emerged as a visible civic figure in Englewood. Local newspapers routinely identified him as an “Englewood song writer,” reflecting how fully he had become associated with the city. He spoke at schools, churches, and civic gatherings, and appeared at political meetings where music and public life intersected. His belief that culture could mobilize people carried directly into his political organizing.

That fusion became unmistakable during his 1946 Independent campaign for the Englewood Common Council from the Fourth Ward. The Fourth Ward, home to a large Black population, had long been governed through entrenched political arrangements that limited meaningful representation. Razaf’s candidacy was historically significant: it marked the first appearance in more than twenty years, and only the second time in Englewood’s history, that a candidate of African ancestry appeared on the ballot in a November general election.

The campaign reached its high point at a major rally held in Englewood, staged as a full-scale cultural and political event. Far from a routine ward meeting, the rally drew hundreds of attendees and featured a parade of nationally known Black artists, musicians, and public figures, transforming the campaign into a kind of variety show fused with civic mobilization. The program included celebrated performers and songwriters, with Razaf himself taking the stage—blending entertainment, political speech, and communal singing. The event demonstrated both his deep connections within Black cultural networks and his belief that political participation should be participatory, expressive, and collective.

Razaf paired this cultural visibility with a serious policy agenda. His 11-point platform called for proportional Black representation on city boards and commissions; an end to discriminatory school zoning and transfer practices; fair hiring and promotion in municipal employment; enforcement of housing standards; low-cost housing development; infrastructure improvements in the Fourth Ward; and the elimination of racial discrimination across city institutions. He also emerged as the only local candidate willing to oppose the proposed Palisades Parkway, arguing that Englewood’s resources should be directed toward immediate neighborhood needs—such as bus shelters, benches, and improved public transportation—rather than large projects offering little benefit to residents.

At public forums, including one sponsored by the Englewood League of Women Voters, Razaf’s independence set him apart from both Republican and Democratic candidates. His refusal to align automatically with party positions drew sharp backlash. Republican leaders publicly questioned his legitimacy as a representative, casting doubt on his voting record and community standing despite his years of residence in Englewood and his visible local engagement. Coverage of the campaign makes clear that Razaf was confronting not just an opponent, but a political machine accustomed to predictable outcomes.

These local battles mirrored conflicts Razaf was naming nationally. During the same period, he spoke out at the annual meeting of the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP), identifying himself pointedly as “Andy Razaf of Englewood,” a seventeen-year member of the organization. He publicly noted that no Black member had ever been nominated to office within ASCAP, criticizing its undemocratic election practices and exposing the parallels between cultural and municipal exclusion.

Razaf ultimately lost the 1946 council race, but the campaign itself was transformative. It disrupted entrenched political routines, mobilized voters who had long been marginalized, and forced questions of representation, planning, and equity into the public record. Even in defeat, Razaf remained a prominent public figure in Englewood, continuing to write, speak, and advocate from his home on Englewood Avenue.

Andy Razaf’s Englewood years reveal a figure too often confined to music history alone. Here was a nationally celebrated songwriter composing at his piano with Fats Waller, organizing a celebrity-filled political rally in Englewood, and simultaneously challenging exclusion in City Hall and in America’s most powerful music institutions. His legacy in the city is not defined by electoral victory, but by democratic insistence—a refusal to separate art from citizenship, or cultural achievement from the struggle for representation.

“New York Stars at Rally Here: Hazel Scott and Handy at Razaf Meeting.” The Record (Hackensack, NJ), 1946.
Coverage of Andy Razaf’s Fourth Ward campaign rally at Lincoln School auditorium, attended by more than 450 people and featuring nationally known performers and public figures including Hazel Scott, W. C. Handy, and Congressman Adam Clayton Powell Jr.

“Englewood’s ‘Texas’ Ready for Election; Council Contest Dominates City Balloting.” The Record (Hackensack, NJ), 1946.
Reports on the three-candidate Fourth Ward council race, highlighting Andy Razaf’s independent candidacy, the political significance of the ward, and the prominence of Razaf’s campaign rally emphasizing representation for the ward’s Black residents.

“Andy Razaf, N.J. Council Candidate, Long Active in Making Music History.” The Record (Hackensack, NJ), 1946.
Profile of Razaf as author of more than 2,000 songs, detailing his national musical reputation, leadership credentials, and transition from cultural prominence to independent municipal politics in Englewood.

“Group Planning to Sing Songs Honoring Writer.” The Record (Hackensack, NJ), 1958.
Announcement of a Brotherhood Week program at Bethany Church honoring Andy Razaf, including performances of his compositions such as “A New Day Prayer,” and noting his continued recognition in Englewood years after his council candidacy.

“Shape of Things.” The Afro-American (Baltimore, MD), 1946.
Column describing Andy Razaf’s public remarks at the annual meeting of the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP), where he criticized the organization’s exclusion of Black members from leadership and linked those concerns to his Englewood council campaign.

“Rogers Drubs Shea by 2-1 in Englewood Third Ward.” The Record (Hackensack, NJ), 1946.
Election coverage noting Andy Razaf’s role as a write-in and independent candidate, contextualizing his campaign within broader patterns of machine politics and voter turnout in Englewood.

“Seen as Reason for Roth’s Win.” The Record (Hackensack, NJ), 1946.
Post-election analysis referencing Andy Razaf’s close contest with incumbent Albert Moskin and emphasizing the competitive nature of the Fourth Ward race despite Razaf’s independent status.

“Foe Says Razaf Does Not Truly Represent City; G.O.P. Club Secretary Queries Candidate’s Voting Record, Endorses Moskin.” The Record (Hackensack, NJ), October 1946.

“League Finds Candidates Think Alike; Razaf’s the Only One to Block Parkway.” The Record (Hackensack, NJ), October 1946.

“Nominee Razaf Pledges Negro Representation; Platform Vows Fighting Race Bias Reported Now Existing.” The Record (Hackensack, NJ), October 1946.

“Writer of Top Love Tunes Says Second Wife Left Him.” The Record (Hackensack, NJ), September 1945.

“Razaf Entry No Racial Battle, Says Manager; Municipal Betterment Is Goal at Englewood, Claims Taylor.” The Record (Hackensack, NJ), October 1946.

“Andy Razaf to File as Moskin’s Opponent; Song Writer Says He’ll Run as Independent Against Veteran G.O.P. Leader.” The Record (Hackensack, NJ), October 1946.

“Parkway Project Assailed, Razaf Asks Bus-Stop Seats; Independent Englewood Council Candidate Says Money Should Be Spent in City.” The Record (Hackensack, NJ), October 1946.

“New York Stars Appear at Rally Here; Hazel Scott and Handy at Razaf Meeting.” The Record (Hackensack, NJ), October 1946.

“Andy Razaf.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 26 July 2024.