Julius Lorenzo Cobb Bledsoe ( â€" July , ) was an American baritone
and one of the first African-American artists to gain regular
employment on Broadway.Jules Bledsoe was born Julius Lorenzo Cobb
Bledsoe to Henry L. and Jessie Cobb Bledsoe in Waco, Texas in . When
Bledsoe's parents split in , Julius went with his mother to live with
the Cobb family. During his youth Bledsoe attended Central Texas
Academy from to . After graduating as valedictorian he studied at
Bishop College where he earned his B.A. in . He then attended Virginia
Union College from to , where he was a member of ROTC, and finally
Columbia University, where he studied medicine from to . Throughout
his time in school, he studied music under Claude Warford, Luigi
Parisotti, and Lazar Samoiloff.Bledsoe made his professional singing
debut in New York's Aeolian Hall on April , with the sponsorship of
impresario Sol Hurok. Over the course of his career he traveled
throughout the United States and Europe performing, acting, and
writing.Bledsoe performed in many major operas and was in high demand
due to his ability to sing in multiple languages as well as his
impressive vocal range. In he appeared as Tizan in Frank Harling's
opera Deep River, and he was the first to perform as Joe in Jerome
Kern and Oscar Hammerstein II's Show Boat in . His role in Show Boat
became his best known role, and he popularized "Ol' Man River", a song
from the musical.
and one of the first African-American artists to gain regular
employment on Broadway.Jules Bledsoe was born Julius Lorenzo Cobb
Bledsoe to Henry L. and Jessie Cobb Bledsoe in Waco, Texas in . When
Bledsoe's parents split in , Julius went with his mother to live with
the Cobb family. During his youth Bledsoe attended Central Texas
Academy from to . After graduating as valedictorian he studied at
Bishop College where he earned his B.A. in . He then attended Virginia
Union College from to , where he was a member of ROTC, and finally
Columbia University, where he studied medicine from to . Throughout
his time in school, he studied music under Claude Warford, Luigi
Parisotti, and Lazar Samoiloff.Bledsoe made his professional singing
debut in New York's Aeolian Hall on April , with the sponsorship of
impresario Sol Hurok. Over the course of his career he traveled
throughout the United States and Europe performing, acting, and
writing.Bledsoe performed in many major operas and was in high demand
due to his ability to sing in multiple languages as well as his
impressive vocal range. In he appeared as Tizan in Frank Harling's
opera Deep River, and he was the first to perform as Joe in Jerome
Kern and Oscar Hammerstein II's Show Boat in . His role in Show Boat
became his best known role, and he popularized "Ol' Man River", a song
from the musical.
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