Len Stokes

American baritone vocalist Also credited as Leonard Stokes, or R. Leonard Stokes Stokes began singing before audiences at the age of nine, in a church in his hometown, Moultrie, Georgia. After finishing school there, he worked his way through the Fine Arts School at the University of Missouri as a student instructor in voice. He eventually moved to New York to study singing under Oscar Seagle, who took him to Paris and Nice to study under operatic tenor Jean de Reszke. Stokes' professional career started in the 1920s, with leading roles sung for the American League of Opera, the New Opera Company, and the San Carlo Opera Company. He both sang and acted in the Ziegfeld Follies at the Ziegfeld Theatre, and also appeared at the old Center Theatre in New York City. Throughout his career, Stokes performed on radio, TV, stage, and records. His credits in radio include the Longine-Wittnauer Symphonette, Cities Service Quartet, Melody of Strings and Band of America, The Song Spinners, Show Boat, Songsmiths, Lucky Strike Hit Parade, and Fred Allen's Town Hall Tonight. On television, he was featured on Ford Festival, Excursion, Armstrong Theatre and Sportsman's Club of the Air. He was a member of the Mitch Miller company, recorded with Miller for five years, and was on "The Sing Along with Mitch" TV show in the 1960s for more than three years. As a recording artist, he sang gospel hymns for a radio station library service, and recorded for RCA Victor and Columbia, including children's albums. He also served as baritone soloist in the choir of The Marble Collegiate Church in New York City, the ministry of Dr. Norman Vincent Peale. Stokes and his family lived in Darien, Connecticut from 1937 to 1943, after which they moved to New York City. Around 1967, the Stokes family moved to Manchester, Vermont, where he continued to sing in the local church and various local choirs and events until the late 1970s. Born: 21 May 1904 in Moultrie, Georgia, USA Died: 16 April 1988 in Bennington, Vermont, USA