Leon Bibb

Leon Bibb was one of the more prominent African-American folksingers of the 1950s and early '60s, and enjoyed a parallel career as an actor as well (sometimes under the name Lee Charles). Born Charles Leon Arthello Bibb in Louisville, Kentucky in 1922, he grew up as an admirer of the actor/singer/activist Paul Robeson, the most prominent African-American performer -- in music, theater, or films -- of the '30s and early '40s, and sought to emulate the latter's career. He studied classical singing in New York City, and made his first major theater appearance in the original prod...