Robertson played in circus bands and traveling revues, including Kit Carson's Wild West Show.[2] He was part of the Olympia Band around 1914 and was a trombonist for Manuel Perez, Richard M. Jones, and John Robichaux.[1] Robertson was an early influence on Kid Ory – Robertson gave him lessons, and the two practised together.[3]
After moving to Chicago in 1917 he played at the De Luxe Café, and "by the mid-1920s he was playing with leaders of the stature of Jelly Roll Morton, with whom he recorded 'Some Day Sweetheart/London Blues' (1923, OK 8105), and King Oliver (1924)".[1] Robertson's playing on these tracks consisted of "short notes in a sometimes percussive way [...with] some elements similar to Ory's phrasing, rhythmic sense, and voicing [...] though with less glissando".[3] With the Levee Serenaders, another Morton-led band, Robertson recorded "Midnight Mama" and "Mr. Jelly Lord" in 1928.[2] These two sides, plus the two from 1923, are his only recordings.[2]
After moving to New York in 1929, Robertson concentrated on playing the organ and the piano, and stopped playing the trombone the following year.[1] A few years later he moved to California,[2] where he played piano and bass during the 1930s.[1] He died in Los Angeles in 1943.[1] His life "was barely documented and stories about his talents have to remain unverified".[2]
