William Franklin (singer)

William Franklin (born 1906, date of death unknown) was a baritone opera singer who was considered to be a pioneering African American in the Chicago music scene. He has been described as the best baritone of his day, with some performances that "will long be remembered for [their] intensity of musical feeling." He was known for his leading roles in a revival of George Gershwin's Porgy and Bess in 1944, and in Gilbert and Sullivan's The Mikado.