William Franklin | |
|---|---|
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| Background information | |
| Born | 1906 Shaw, Tennessee, U.S. |
| Origin | Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Opera singer |
William Franklin (born 1906, date of death unknown) was a baritone opera singer[1] who was considered to be a pioneering African American in the Chicago music scene.[citation needed] He has been described as the best baritone of his day, with some performances that "will long be remembered for [their] intensity of musical feeling."[2] He was known for his leading roles in a revival of George Gershwin's Porgy and Bess in 1944, and in Gilbert and Sullivan's The Mikado.[3]
- ^ Virgil Thomson (16 October 2014). Virgil Thomson: Music Chronicles 1940-1954 (LOA #258). Library of America. p. 141. ISBN 978-1-59853-364-4.
- ^ Smith, Eric Ledell (Winter 1995). "Pittsburgh's Black Opera Impressario [sic]: Mary Cardwell Dawson". Pennsylvania Heritage.
- ^ Tracy, Steven C. (November 1, 2011). Writers of the Black Chicago Renaissance. University of Illinois Press. p. 443. ISBN 978-0-252-09342-5.