He was nominated for the Laurence Olivier Award (Best Actor in a
Musical) in 1991, the year he died, for his performance in the 1990s
London revival of "Show Boat". He lost to Philip Quast for "Les
Miserables".
He understudied the role of Jake in the Houston Opera's 1976 production
of "Porgy and Bess", and sang it in the first Metropolitan Opera
production of the work. (He was later replaced in the role at the Met
by David Arnold).
His voice can be heard singing the first two lines of the opening verse to "Ol' Man River", during the introduction to the NPR show "A Night on the Town".