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American vaudeville performer From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
William Baker Rock (August 5, 1872 – June 27, 1922) was an American vaudeville comedian and dancer.[1][2]
William Rock | |
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| Born | William Baker Rock August 5, 1872 Evansville, Indiana, U.S. |
| Died | June 27, 1922 (aged 49) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Comedian and dancer |
He was born on August 5, 1872, in Evansville, Indiana, to William Beverly Rock and Matilda Baker.[2][3][4] His early career was in musical comedy, before he teamed up with Maude Fulton in the vaudeville act of Rock and Fulton.[5] He is credited with being the first vaudeville performer to have a band accompanying his act on stage, and also one of the first to condense a Broadway musical into a vaudeville act.[3]
After Fulton left to become a solo performer, he formed a duo with former chorus girl Frances White (1898–1969), as Rock and White.[3] They made their debut together in 1916, but soon White became seen as the star performer, and the pairing split up in 1919.[3]
Rock married Jane Ryder on October 5, 1905, in Manhattan, New York City.[6] He later married Gladys Tilbury of Brighton, England. On July 6, 1921, he married Helen Eby of Altoona, Pennsylvania, who appeared with him in Hitchy-Koo.
On July 13, 1921, he was hospitalized and had one-third of his stomach removed.[1] He died on June 27, 1922, at the National Stomach Hospital in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, of cancer of the stomach.[2][3][7][8] He was buried in Fairview Cemetery in Bowling Green, Kentucky.[2]
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