Bill Pruitt

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“The Cowboy Caruso.” Bill Pruitt has a rather high baritone voice which he can easily switch to a true soprano. This makes his act a rather freak offering that will go as a novelty. He makes his appearance in the regulation cowboy costume, complete in detail even to the little bull tag that hung from the pocket of his blue shirt. Monday night he was a near-riot Immediately after the opening of the bill. He is offering four numbers, all of the ballad type. There are not new, but particularly well selected for his voice. His opening number is “White the Rivers of Love Flow On,” which he renders as a straight baritone. In the chorus of his second number he suddenly shifted his voice from a baritone. In the chorus of his second number he suddenly shifted his voice from the baritone to a soprano (not a falsetto), and struck each note as true as through that were his natural singing voice. This immediately won him a place with the audience and the finish of the number brought hearty applause. The numbers which followed included “Mother McCree” and “In the Garden of My Heart.” The latter was sung with a duet effect that pleased. For an encore he is using “The Land of My Best Girl.” Pruitt holds to his cowboy character throughout. With an awkward walk and a rather bashful stage presence, he makes his way into the heats of his audience. He is a novelty male single that will fill to advantage any big time bill.
Source:
Variety, Volume XXXVI, no.10, November 7, 1914