those made famous by Paul Robeson, William Warfield (in the 1951 film version), Bruce Hubbard (on the 1988 three-disc EMI album), and Michel Bell (in the Harold Prince revival of the show), is somewhat melodramatic in the manner of early twentieth-century acting, and Bledsoe rolls all of his "r"'s, as a baritone might when singing his solos in an oratorio. A recently released album of vintage spiritual recordings features Bledsoe singing Swing Low, Sweet Chariot in that same style, which demonstrates that it was not unique to his performance of Ol' Man River. Bledsoe was also actually filmed singing the song - his rendition of it was included in the sound prologue to the part-talkie Show Boat (1929 film version). Bledsoe wrote several songs and wrote a full opera, Bondage, in 1939. Film Between 1929 and 1930, Bledsoe appeared in three musical film Shorts - Old Man Trouble, On the Levee, and Dear Old Southland. He spent 1940 and 1941 working in Hollywood, and is credited with the part of Kalu in Drums of the Congo, and speculated to have acted in Safari, Western Union and Santa Fe Trail. Partial filmography Drums of the Congo (1942) Legacy and death Bledsoe died in Hollywood, California, on July 14, 1943. He is buried in Greenwood Cemetery, a city-owned cemetery in Waco, Texas. His papers, including sheet music, photographs, and correspondence, are housed in The Texas Collection at Baylor University. The Bledsoe-Miller Community Center, a recreation facility in Waco, is jointly named for Bledsoe and Doris Miller. References Eileen Southern (ed.), The Music of Black Americans: A History, 3rd edition, W. W. Norton & Company. External links Jules Bledsoe photo in The Texas Collection on Flickr 1898 births 1943 deaths 20th-century American composers 20th-century African-American male singers 20th-century American male opera singers African-American male opera singers African-American male classical composers American male classical composers African-American classical composers American classical composers American male musical theatre actors American operatic baritones Bishop College alumni Classical musicians from Texas Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons alumni People from Waco, Texas Singers from Texas Virginia Union University alumni