- He eschewed the traditional gospel performance style of standing in one place on stage. He jumped off the stage, ran up and down the aisles, and sang on his knees.
- He was in his teens when he auditioned for the Dixie Hummingbirds' founder, James B. Davis, in the late 1930s.
- The Hummingbirds gained national attention when they sang backup on Paul Simon's 1973 hit song "Loves Me Like a Rock". They also produced their own version, which won a Grammy Award for best soul gospel performance.
- He was the longtime lead vocalist of the Dixie Hummingbirds, a gospel group which influenced the Temptations, Stevie Wonder, Al Green, Shirley Caesar, and Bobby Blue Bland, among others.
- He started out as a tenor, moved on to baritone, and sometimes dropped into the bass range.
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