Orlandus Wilson
American singer (1917–1998) / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Orlandus Wilson (August 27, 1917 in Chesapeake, Virginia – December 30, 1998 in Paris) was one of the longest standing members of the Golden Gate Quartet and the group's bass singer.[1][2]
He joined the Golden Gate Jubilee Singers in 1934 and only announced his retirement from the quartet in October 1998. Apart from a forced break in 1944 when he was drafted and temporarily replaced by William Langford, Wilson supplied the basis for the quartet. Wilson managed the formation, and supplied a majority of the arrangements and some compositions.[3][4][5][6] His rhythmic feel has been said to be essential to the group's "jump, glide, bounce and swing".[7]