Billy Todd (September 26, 1929 – November 30, 2008) was the

bass singer A bass is a type of classical male singing voice and has the lowest vocal range of all voice types. According to ''The New Grove Dictionary of Opera'', a bass is typically classified as having a vocal range extending from around the second E b ...

for the

Florida Boys The Florida Boys were a male vocal quartet in Southern gospel music. The group was founded in 1946 by J. G. Whitfield. Originally named The Gospel Melody Quartet, the group was renamed in 1954. From the 1950s until 2007, the group was led by Les ...

Quartet in the

Southern Gospel Southern gospel music is a genre of Christian music. Its name comes from its origins in the southeastern United States. Its lyrics are written to express either personal or a communal faith regarding biblical teachings and Christian life, a ...

music industry from the 1950s to 1972. By the end of his tenure with the Florida Boys, he was one of the most popular performers in

Southern Gospel music Southern gospel music is a genre of Christian music. Its name comes from its origins in the southeastern United States. Its lyrics are written to express either personal or a communal faith regarding biblical teachings and Christian life, as w ...

, winning the Singing News Fan Awards for Favorite Bass Singer the first two years it was awarded (1971–72).

Biography

Early years and personal life

Carl Milton "Billy" Todd was born on September 26, 1929, in

Sylacauga, Alabama Sylacauga is a city in Talladega County, Alabama, United States. At the 2020 census, the population was 12,578. Sylacauga is known for its fine white marble bedrock. This was discovered shortly after settlers moved into the area and has been q ...

to the late Cecil and Bessie Todd. He has one brother, Edward, and one sister, Gladys. Billy was saved in 1946 at the First Freewill Baptist Church in Sylacauga. Then in

Pensacola, Florida Pensacola () is the westernmost city in the Florida Panhandle, and the county seat and only incorporated city of Escambia County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 54,312. Pensacola is the principa ...

, he became a member of Berean Baptist Church, where he met the church pianist, Jane McWaters. On June 1, 1957, Billy and Jane celebrated their marriage. They have two children, David and Robin. Their son David and his wife Sandy live in

Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix ( ; nv, Hoozdo; es, Fénix or , yuf-x-wal, Banyà:nyuwá) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona, with 1,608,139 residents as of 2020. It is the fifth-most populous city in the United States, and the o ...

. David and Sandy have three kids: Ben, Brandon, and Savannah. Robin resides in Pensacola.

Career

Billy started singing with his family at the age of eight. In 1942, he sang with a group from his church called the Freewill Four. He remembers that they opened a concert for the John Daniel Quartet and he made five dollars! In 1946, he started singing with a group in his hometown called the Sylacauga Melody Boys. Then he sang in a barbershop quartet along with

Jim Nabors James Thurston Nabors (June 12, 1930 – November 30, 2017) was an American actor, singer, and comedian, widely known for his signature character, Gomer Pyle. Nabors was discovered by Andy Griffith while working at a Santa Monica nightclub, and ...

. The Florida Boys hired Billy in January 1959. He left the Florida Boys in 1972 to become the principal at Berean Christian School in Pensacola (a school started by Jane Todd's father, Dr. B.H. McWaters). When the Dixie Echoes were looking for a bass singer in 1996, Randy Shelnut called Billy to see if he would fill in. Billy Todd joined the Dixie Echoes on May 11, 1996. For many years, he was honored with a Billy Todd Day concert in his hometown of Sylacauga. In 1994 at the Grand Ole Gospel Reunion, he also received the Living Legend Award. In 1999, he was inducted along with the Florida Boys Quartet into the Gospel Music Hall Of Fame. Billy was inducted into the Southern Gospel Music Hall of Fame in 2009 at Dollywood park Pigeon Forge, Tennessee.

Death

He died on November 30, 2008, from Alzheimer's disease, aged 79.

References

2008 deaths 1929 births 20th-century American singers People from Sylacauga, Alabama Southern gospel performers 20th-century American male singers {{US-singer-stub