William Ridenhour, 71, spirituals singer
William J. Ridenhour, 71, of Ambler, a gifted singer of African American spirituals and gospel music, died in his sleep Monday, March 11, at home. He was a heart patient, his family said.
William J. Ridenhour, 71, of Ambler, a gifted singer of African American spirituals and gospel music, died in his sleep Monday, March 11, at home. He was a heart patient, his family said.
Mr. Ridenhour ran his own business, Celebrity Caterers, from home. Dapper and distinguished looking, he liked to move among people and make them feel welcome. He did that with his gift of gab, his cooking, and his singing.
"There is a biblical term called 'given to hospitality,' and he was that," said his wife, Ann. "He loved people, and to chitchat."
He was the featured soloist for the Day of Prayer at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia for six years, until 2011.
He also sang with the Evelyn Bailey Ensemble at the Academy of Music years ago, at the Faith Tabernacle Baptist Church, and with Dr. Verolga Nix's Intermezzo Choir. The choir works to preserve African music.
Wherever he performed, Mr. Ridenhour called the attention of listeners to African American spirituals, which he said were an important art form to enlighten the soul.
He often sang at banquets, weddings, and church functions throughout southeastern Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and the Poconos, and at the Silver Stream Center for seniors in Spring House, Montgomery County.
He sang at the Germantown Christian Assembly church, where he was a member. He was a board member of the Golden Eagles Senior Group there.
"Don't be a chicken, be an eagle," he would joke to the seniors, his wife said.
Mr. Ridenhour was born in Badin, N.C. He learned music in elementary school from Lucy L. Donaldson, mother of jazz saxophonist Lou Donaldson.
As a boy, he participated in his church choir and was child soloist at McDonald Chapel A.M.E. Church in Badin.
Mr. Ridenhour was inspired by the TV show The Voice of Firestone and by listening to his mother sing while she did the family's laundry and ironing.
While attending Johnson C. Smith University in Charlotte, he sang in the choir. He graduated in 1963 with a degree in business management and took more classes at St. Joseph's University and the Florence Utt School of Business.
He served for five years as a Democratic committeeman in Ambler.
In addition to his wife of 44 years, he is survived by a son, Carl; a daughter, Allison; and a granddaughter.
The funeral will be at 11 a.m. Monday, March 18, at the Germantown Christian Assembly, 610 E. Mount Pleasant Ave., Philadelphia. A viewing is from 9 to 10:30 a.m. Interment is in Ivy Hill Cemetery.