1. Robert Todd Duncan was an American baritone opera singer and actor.
11 Facts About Todd Duncan
1. 2.
Todd Duncan was born February 12,1903, in Danville, Kentucky, to John and Lettie Todd Duncan.
3.
In 1934, Todd Duncan debuted in Pietro Mascagni's Cavalleria rusticana at the Mecca Temple in New York with the Aeolian Opera, a black opera company.
4.
Todd Duncan was the first performer for the role of Stephen Kumalo in Kurt Weill's Lost in the Stars which opened on Broadway at the Music Box Theatre on October 30,1949, and closed on July 1,1950, after 281 performances.
5.
Todd Duncan taught voice at Howard University in Washington, DC from 1930 until 1945.
6.
Todd Duncan had a very successful career as a concert singer with over 2,000 performances in 56 countries and two film roles.
7.
Todd Duncan retired from Howard and opened his own voice studio teaching privately and giving periodic recitals.
8.
In 1954, Todd Duncan was the first to record "Unchained Melody", a popular song with music by Alex North and lyrics by Hy Zaret.
9.
The recording was made for the soundtrack of the obscure prison film Unchained, in which Todd Duncan played a minor character.
10.
Todd Duncan was awarded the George Peabody Medal of Music from the Peabody Conservatory of Music of Johns Hopkins University in 1984.
11.
Todd Duncan died of a heart ailment at his home in Washington, DC, February 28,1998, survived by his wife, Gladys Jackson Duncan, and adopted son, Charles, a successful attorney.