William Gillespie

Better known for his robust baritone voice than his visual appearance, African-American singer William Gillespie had one impressive, isolated shot at major film attention with Blues in the Night (1941) although nothing long lasting panned out. Born William Henry Gillespie on January 31, 1908 in Nashville, his parents (John Henry Gillespie and the former Laura Williams) attended the Fisk University in Nashville upon high school graduation. He later moved to New York City and trained at the Julliard School of Music. He broke through professionally on radio when he made a vocal appearance on the Major Bowes Amateur Hour" and from there joined the prestigious Hall Johnson Choir in New York. William traveled with the choir on occasion to Los Angeles for appearances in such films as The Green Pastures (1936), Rainbow on the River (1936), Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942) and Rhapsody in Blue (1945). In Blues in the Night (1941), William soloed the title song in a jailhouse scene that showed off his promising talent along the lines of Paul Robeson and William Warfield. Unfortunately he was not credited and the interest was not long lasting. Serving in the Army during WWII, William later settled in Los Angeles and continued to sing on radio and then made regular appearances on the airwaves in a local show called "Sunrise Salute". Married and divorced twice to Harriette Evans, they had one son, Avon. In later years, William returned to his native Nashville and performed intermittently. He later found permanent employment in a funeral home. He died at age 60 following complications from a stroke.