| Bill Cox | |
| Background: | solo_singer |
| Birth Name: | William Jennings Cox[1] |
| Alias: | Luke Baldwin Dixie Songbird Clyde Ashley |
| Birth Date: | 1897 8, mf=yes |
| Birth Place: | Eagle, West Virginia, U.S. |
| Instrument: | Vocals, guitar, harmonica |
| Genre: | Country, folk |
| Occupation: | Singer-songwriter, musician |
| Years Active: | 1927–1940 |
| Past Member Of: | Cliff Hobbs |
William Jennings Cox (August 4, 1897 – December 10, 1968) was an American folk singer known as the "Dixie Songbird", active from 1927 to 1940.
Born in Eagle, West Virginia, the son of a railroad worker, he began playing guitar and singing at parties around Charleston, West Virginia in the 1920s. From 1928, he had his own radio program on station WOBU, and won a recording contract with Gennett Records. He recorded over forty songs between 1929 and 1931, including many cover versions of Jimmie Rodgers' songs, which the station played whenever Cox was unavailable.[2]
He moved to the American Record Corporation in 1933, under producer Art Satherley, and often recorded duets with the much younger singer Cliff Hobbs (1916 - 1961). They recorded some sixty songs together during the 1930s, including "Filipino Baby" and "Sparkling Brown Eyes".[2]
After retiring in 1940, Cox ended up falling on hard times. He was rediscovered in 1966 living in poverty in a converted chicken coop, but died before he was able to make further public appearances.[2]