William H. Bailey

Born in Detroit on Feb. 14, 1927, Bailey was raised in Cleveland and graduated from Morehouse College in Atlanta, where he was a classmate of Martin Luther King Jr. He toured and recorded with the Count Basie Orchestra as a featured singer in the late 1940s and began performing as Bob Bailey to avoid being confused with a cousin, Bill Bailey, who was a tap dancer, actor and also sang professionally. He is also a cousin to Pearl Bailey. While attending Morehouse on a musical scholarship, Bailey was singing in a nightclub when bandleader Benny Goodman approached him with an invitation to audition for Count Basie. Bailey’s recordings with the Count Basie Orchestra include "Blue and Sentimental" and "The Worst Blues I Ever Had." He also recorded a version of the popular Irish ballad "Danny Boy." The Basie gig ended in 1950 when Basie broke up his big band. Bailey went on to become a civil rights defender helping break down barriers in the Las Vegas casinos, and hosted a long running show on Las Vegas TV, amongst other important accomplishments. Bailey received a Doctorate of Humane Letters from National University, San Diego, in 1987. He died on May 24, 2014 in Las Vegas, at the age of 87.