Orlandus "Dad" Wilson

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.

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. His rhythmic feel has been said to be essential to the group's "jump, glide, bounce and swing".

Birth and Death Data: Born August 27, 1917 (Chesapeake), Died December 30, 1998 (Paris)

Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1937 - 1940

Roles Represented in DAHR: baritone vocal

Notes: Wilson is listed in Victor ledgers as "Arlandus Wilson."

= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.

Recordings (Results 1-25 of 60 records)

Company Matrix No. Size First Recording Date Title Primary Performer Description Role Audio
Victor BS-011931 10-in. 8/4/1937 Golden Gate Gospel Train Golden Gate Jubilee Quartet Male vocal quartet, unaccompanied vocalist, baritone vocal  
Victor BS-011932 10-in. 8/4/1937 Gabriel blows his horn Golden Gate Jubilee Quartet Male vocal quartet, unaccompanied vocalist, baritone vocal  
Victor BS-011933 10-in. 8/4/1937 Bedside of a neighbor Golden Gate Jubilee Quartet Male vocal quartet, unaccompanied vocalist, baritone vocal  
Victor BS-011934 10-in. 8/4/1937 Jonah Golden Gate Jubilee Quartet Male vocal quartet, unaccompanied vocalist, baritone vocal  
Victor BS-011935 10-in. 8/4/1937 Preacher and the bear Golden Gate Jubilee Quartet Male vocal quartet, unaccompanied vocalist, baritone vocal  
Victor BS-011936 10-in. 8/4/1937 Born ten thousand years ago Golden Gate Jubilee Quartet Male vocal quartet, unaccompanied vocalist, baritone vocal  
Victor BS-011937 10-in. 8/4/1937 Behold the bridegroom cometh Golden Gate Jubilee Quartet Male vocal quartet, unaccompanied vocalist, baritone vocal  
Victor BS-011938 10-in. 8/4/1937 Go where I send thee Golden Gate Jubilee Quartet Male vocal quartet, unaccompanied vocalist, baritone vocal  
Victor BS-011939 10-in. 8/4/1937 Won't there be one happy time Golden Gate Jubilee Quartet Male vocal quartet, unaccompanied vocalist, baritone vocal  
Victor BS-011940 10-in. 8/4/1937 Job Golden Gate Jubilee Quartet Male vocal quartet, unaccompanied vocalist, baritone vocal  
Victor BS-011941 10-in. 8/4/1937 Bonnet Golden Gate Jubilee Quartet Male vocal quartet, unaccompanied, with vocal effects vocalist, baritone vocal  
Victor BS-011942 10-in. 8/4/1937 Massa's in the cold, cold ground Golden Gate Jubilee Quartet Male vocal quartet, unaccompanied vocalist, baritone vocal  
Victor BS-011943 10-in. 8/4/1937 Stand in the test in judgment Golden Gate Jubilee Quartet Male vocal quartet, unaccompanied vocalist, baritone vocal  
Victor BS-011944 10-in. 8/4/1937 Found a wonderful Saviour Golden Gate Jubilee Quartet Male vocal quartet, unaccompanied vocalist, baritone vocal  
Victor BS-018625 10-in. 1/24/1938 John, the Revelator Golden Gate Jubilee Quartet Male vocal quartet, unaccompanied vocalist, baritone vocal  
Victor BS-018632 10-in. 1/24/1938 Sampson Golden Gate Quartet Male vocal quartet, unaccompanied vocalist, baritone vocal  
Victor BS-018633 10-in. 1/24/1938 I was brave Golden Gate Quartet Male vocal quartet, unaccompanied vocalist, baritone vocal  
Victor BS-028962 10-in. 11/15/1938 Cheer the weary traveler Golden Gate Jubilee Quartet Male vocal quartet, with celeste vocalist, baritone vocal  
Victor BS-028963 10-in. 11/15/1938 I heard Zion moan Golden Gate Jubilee Quartet Male vocal quartet, unaccompanied vocalist, baritone vocal  
Victor BS-028964 10-in. 11/15/1938 Noah Golden Gate Jubilee Quartet Male vocal quartet, unaccompanied vocalist, baritone vocal  
Victor BS-028965 10-in. 11/15/1938 Lord am I born to die? Golden Gate Jubilee Quartet Male vocal quartet, unaccompanied vocalist, baritone vocal  
Victor BS-028966 10-in. 11/15/1938 What are they doing in heaven today? Golden Gate Jubilee Quartet Male vocal quartet, unaccompanied vocalist, baritone vocal  
Victor BS-028967 10-in. 11/15/1938 Packing up—Getting ready to go Golden Gate Jubilee Quartet Male vocal quartet, unaccompanied vocalist, baritone vocal  
Victor BS-031980 10-in. 2/2/1939 Noah Golden Gate Quartet Male vocal quartet, unaccompanied vocalist, baritone vocal  
Victor BS-042900 10-in. 10/6/1939 What a time Golden Gate Jubilee Quartet Male vocal quartet, unaccompanied vocalist, baritone vocal  
(Results 1-25 of 60 records)

Citation

Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Wilson, Orlandus "Dad"," accessed November 4, 2024, https://adpprod2.library.ucsb.edu/names/351208.

Wilson, Orlandus "Dad". (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved November 4, 2024, from https://adpprod2.library.ucsb.edu/names/351208.

"Wilson, Orlandus "Dad"." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 4 November 2024.

DAHR Persistent Identifier

URI: https://adpprod2.library.ucsb.edu/names/351208

External Sources

Wikipedia: Orlandus Wilson

Discogs: Orlandus "Dad" Wilson

IMDb: Orlandus "Dad" Wilson

Linked Open Data Sources

Wikidata: Orlandus Wilson - http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q2031087

VIAF: http://viaf.org/viaf/270804751

MusicBrainz: Orlandus Wilson - https://musicbrainz.org/artist/f84e43c3-0ac8-4943-82e6-58a202aa8a47

Wikipedia content provided under the terms of the Creative Commons BY-SA license

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