Here is something I found that I thought was interesting:
Date of Birth 19 January 1920, Shreveport, Louisiana, USA
Date of Death 8 January 1994, San Bernardino County, California, USA
Birth Name John Upchurch
Mini Biography
Jack Prince, whose birth name was John Upchurch, was trained in singing at an
early age.
Prince appeared on Broadway in the 1950s in main and understudy/replacement
roles in at least three musicals: "Guys and Dolls" (1950-1953), as "Nicely
Nicely Johnson", "Lil' Abner" (1956-1958) as "Marryin' Sam", and "Destry Rides
Again" (1959-1960) as Tom Destry's sidekick "Wash".
It was in "Destry", in which Prince sang two songs, that he made the
acquaintance of Andy Griffith, who had the title role (and who earned a Tony
nomination for his performance). When "The Andy Griffith Show" started on TV in
the early 1960's, Griffith asked Prince to appear in a few episodes. Prince,
who first appeared in two minor roles on the show, was best-known, and is
best-remembered today, for his role of Rafe Hollister". Griffith wanted Prince
to have a larger role in the series, but Prince declined, feeling that it would
take him away from what was then a successful singing career.
Prince continued to perform in the theater and work the nightclub circuit. Not
much can be found about him during the 1970s and 1980s. His last known
appearance was on TNN's "Nashville Now!" in September of 1991, which was a
reunion of many of "The Andy Griffith Show" cast members. Prince received a
standing ovation for the two songs he sang.
Prince is interred at Hillside Memorial Park in Redlands, California.
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