He is one of only two classical singers (the other was Paul Robeson,
also a bass singer) to have played Othello in Shakespeare's play.
He was awarded a Knight Bachelor of the Order of the British Empire in the 2004 Queen's Birthday Honours List for his services to Music.
He was awarded the C.B.E. (Commander of the Order of the British Empire)
for his services to music.
He is the first singer who has appeared in "Porgy and Bess" to have
been knighted. Most of the singers who have actually appeared in the
opera have been American, and are therefore ineligible for the honor.
One of the few African-American singers to perform the role of Sir John Falstaff in Verdi's opera "Falstaff". The opera is based on William Shakespeare's "The Merry Wives of Windsor".