Billy Watkins (1927-2010) was a gospel and song singer who later became a Christian minister. He was also founder of the gospel singing group, The Zion Travelers. He recorded for the

Arwin The following is a list of recurring and minor characters in the Disney Channel Original Series ''The Suite Life of Zack & Cody''. These characters were regularly rotated, often disappearing for long periods during the series. Tipton staff Arwi ...

Challenge Challenge may refer to: * Voter challenging or caging, a method of challenging the registration status of voters * Euphemism for disability * Peremptory challenge, a dismissal of potential jurors from jury duty Places Geography *Challenge, C ...

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Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...

and

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labels.

Background

Watkins was born to parents Bartha Lillard Watkins and Priscilla Kinard on July 25, 1927. When he was 11 years old, he and his family The family moved to California. A short time later Watkins was working in a barber shop shining shoes. While working there he met

Nat King Cole Nathaniel Adams Coles (March 17, 1919 – February 15, 1965), known professionally as Nat King Cole, was an American singer, jazz pianist, and actor. Cole's music career began after he dropped out of school at the age of 15, and continued f ...

who would have a significant influence on him. He was also a member of the gospel group, The Zion Travelers.

Music career

The Zion Travelers

Known as Bartha L. Watkins, he was a member The Zion Travelers, a group that was formed in 1944 and first recorded in late 1947. Watkins was one of the lead singers. The other was L.C. Cohen. Other members were Tenors, L.W. Van and Garland Fate Mason, baritone singer Wesley Sherman and bass singer Felton Vernon. The group also recorded in the 1950s on Sultan Records and Aladdin Records. In 1954, they had a single "Moving Up King's Highway" bw "Where Is My Wandering Child" out on Score 5054. The B side was composed by Wakkins. They also had recordings released in the 1960s. Watkins may no longer been a member by then.

Solo

By October 1959, Wakins had a record out on the

label. The record "You're Unforgettable" bw "Rendezvous" which ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' predicted could do well was charting locally that year. Later he had another single released on Challenge. I was "Go Billy Go" bw "Good Times" in 1960. The A side was co-written with

Tony Hilder Anthony J. Hilder (1935 - April 26, 2019) was an American author, film maker, talk show host, broadcaster, news correspondent and former actor. In the late 1950s to the mid-1960s he was also a record producer, producing music mainly in the sur ...

and Charles Wright. By October 1966, he had "Little Things Mean a Lot" out on the Chattahoochee label which was a Hot 100 prediction. Around 1970, Watkins was in Japan. He had an album released there on the Japanese

label. The album was ''Golden Soul & Country''. Having toured throughout the United States, Europe, the Orient and Australia, and having some chart success, it was in the early 1970s that he decided to make a change both musically and spiritually. So when he got back to the US, he decided to stay with gospel music.

Ministry

He would later become an ordained pastor and establish the Freedom of Spirit Church, a non-denominational church in South Central Los Angeles. He also appeared regularly on television at Los Angeles' Christian television station KAGL.

Death

Watkins died at Centinela Hospital Medical Center Medical at Inglewood California on January 24, 2010.''Blues: A Regional Experience'', By Bob L. Eagle, Eric S. LeBlanc
Page 62 Ozark Highlands Arkansas
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Discography

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Watkins, Billy 1927 births 2010 deaths American male singer-songwriters 20th-century African-American male singers Singer-songwriters from Arkansas American soul singers Northern soul musicians American rhythm and blues singers Arwin Records artists Challenge Records (1950s) artists Chess Records artists Era Records artists Imperial Records artists Kent Records artists American clergy American Christians African-American Christians African-American Christian clergy African-American songwriters 21st-century African-American people