Bill Potter (musician)

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Bill Potter
Potter, c. 1957
Potter, c. 1957
Background information
Birth nameLewis William Potter
Also known asCactus Bill
Cowboy Bill
Born(1923-04-23)April 23, 1923
Stratton, Maine, U.S.[1]
DiedSeptember 5, 1975(1975-09-05) (aged 52)
Orange, Texas, U.S.
GenresCountry
Occupation(s)Singer, actor, deputy sheriff
Instrument(s)Guitar[2]
Years activec. 1948–1957
LabelsStarday Records
Monogram Pictures

Lewis William Potter (April 15, 1923 – September 5, 1975),[3] known professionally as Bill Potter, was an American country music singer, Western movie actor, and television personality of the late 1940s and early 1950s.

Biography[edit]

Potter grew up in Bingham, Maine, and served with the United States Army Air Forces during World War II.[4][3] After being discharged in December 1943,[3] he worked for a shipbuilding company in Orange, Texas.[5] By 1948, he was married to a woman from Dallas and had a son.[6] They later operated a ranch near Orange.[4]

In Texas, Potter was discovered by a talent scout, and appeared in several Western movies by Monogram Pictures in the late 1940s as a singing cowboy.[6][7] Also known as "Cactus Bill" or "Cowboy Bill", Potter went on to appear on early television shows on KFI-TV in Los Angeles and on KPRC-TV in Houston.[8] While living in Houston, he worked as a deputy sheriff in Harris County for approximately three years.[9] In mid-1954, he moved to Corpus Christi, Texas, where he had a children's program on KVDO-TV.[10] He resumed working as a deputy sheriff in December 1955,[9] a role he held through at least December 1956.[11]

In August 1957, Potter was the winning contestant on an episode of Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts, singing a western ballad.[4] Billed as "Hollywood Singing Cowboy Bill Potter", he was featured at several events in Maine the following month.[12][13] From February to May 1958, KPLC-TV in Lake Charles, Louisiana, broadcast the Bill Potter Show on an intermittent basis.[14][15] At the time of his mother's death in June 1958, Potter was again living in Orange, Texas.[16]

Potter died in September 1975 in Orange, aged 52, "following a lingering illness."[1] He was survived by a son and a daughter.[1] He is interred in Houston National Cemetery.[3]

Filmography[edit]

Potter is known to have appeared in at least 10 movies, each released in 1948 or 1949:[17]

Year Title Role
1948 Gunning for Justice Potter
Courtin' Trouble Steve Graves
Hidden Danger Henchman Perry
1949 Susanna Pass Henchman (uncredited)
Across the Rio Grande Pete - Henchman (uncredited)
West of El Dorado Guitar Player Phil
Brand of Fear Mac - Gold Shipper
Range Justice Bill (as Bill Porter)
Haunted Trails Deputy (uncredited)
Western Renegades Bob (uncredited)

Discography[edit]

Potter is known to have released at least two records, both with Starday Records in 1953.[18][19] Additionally, a promotional record from the Shamrock Record Company in Houston is credited to Cowboy Bill Potter and Dickie Jones and His Texas Longhorns, year unspecified.

Label No. A-side B-Side Format Ref.
Starday 110 "I Lost My Gal" "Nobody Knows" Shellac / 10" / 78 rpm [20]
Starday 111 "Honk Your Horn" "Cry Not For Me" Vinyl / 7" / 45 rpm [21]
Shamrock – "High Sierra Moon" "I Got A Yearnin'" Shellac / 10" / 78 rpm [22]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c "William Lewis Potter". Morning Sentinel. Waterville, Maine. September 17, 1975. p. 2. Retrieved October 3, 2022 – via newspapers.com.
  2. ^ "Television Programs". Los Angeles Evening Citizen News. August 12, 1957. p. 21. Retrieved October 3, 2022 – via newspapers.com.
  3. ^ a b c d "U.S. Veterans' Gravesites, ca.1775-2019". United States Department of Veterans Affairs. Retrieved October 3, 2022 – via fold3.com.
  4. ^ a b c "Bingham Native Is Winner On Godfrey Show". Portland Press Herald. Portland, Maine. August 13, 1957. p. 2. Retrieved October 2, 2022 – via newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "Bingham". Morning Sentinel. Waterville, Maine. February 2, 1944. p. 5. Retrieved October 3, 2022 – via newspapers.com.
  6. ^ a b "Bingham Man Gets Roles In Hollywood". Morning Sentinel. Waterville, Maine. October 29, 1948. p. 17. Retrieved October 2, 2022 – via newspapers.com.
  7. ^ "Bingham Native Appears In Picture At Local Theater". Bangor Daily News. Bangor Daily News. January 27, 1949. p. 13. Retrieved October 3, 2022 – via newspapers.com.
  8. ^ "Talent & Tunes". The Billboard. November 13, 1954. p. 93. Retrieved October 3, 2022 – via Google Books.
  9. ^ a b "'Cactus Bill' Named Deputy By Odem Dolan". Corpus Christi Caller-Times. December 20, 1955. p. 16. Retrieved October 2, 2022 – via newspapers.com.
  10. ^ "Radio, TV Highlights". Corpus Christi Caller-Times. August 8, 1954. p. 13-C. Retrieved October 2, 2022 – via newspapers.com.
  11. ^ "Christmas Party For Children Set Thursday". Corpus Christi Caller-Times. December 16, 1956. p. 11B. Retrieved October 2, 2022 – via newspapers.com.
  12. ^ "Hollywood Singing Cowboy Bill Potter". Sun Journal. Lewiston, Maine. August 31, 1957. p. 7. Retrieved October 3, 2022 – via newspapers.com.
  13. ^ "Big Show and Dance Tomorrow Night". Biddeford Daily Journal. Biddeford, Maine. September 6, 1957. p. 6. Retrieved October 2, 2022 – via newspapers.com.
  14. ^ "Weekly Television Guide". Crowley Daily Signal. Crowley, Louisiana. February 15, 1958. p. 7. Retrieved October 3, 2022 – via newspapers.com.
  15. ^ "Saturday's Television Log". The Jennings Daily News. Jennings, Louisiana. May 16, 1958. p. 2. Retrieved October 3, 2022 – via newspapers.com.
  16. ^ "Mrs. Agnes H. Potter". Bangor Daily News. Bangor Daily News. June 16, 1958. p. 18. Retrieved October 3, 2022 – via newspapers.com.
  17. ^ "Bill Potter". IMDb. Retrieved October 2, 2022.
  18. ^ Gibson, Nathan D. (2011). The Starday Story: The House That Country Music Built. University Press of Mississippi. p. 179. ISBN 978-1604738308.
  19. ^ "Starday Records". Discogs. Retrieved October 2, 2022.
  20. ^ "I Lost My Gal / Nobody Knows". Discogs. Retrieved October 2, 2022.
  21. ^ "Honk Your Horn / Cry Not For Me". Discogs. Retrieved October 2, 2022.
  22. ^ "High Sierra Moon / I Got A Yearnin'". Discogs. Retrieved October 2, 2022.

External links[edit]

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