Remembering Indianapolis vocalist Jimmy Guilford

In August of 2024, Indianapolis lost one of its most notable voices. Vocalist Jimmy Guilford is known by music fans worldwide for the doo-wop and soul music recordings he made during the 1950s and 60s. Guilford’s career in Indianapolis spanned over six decades of music making. WFYI’s Kyle Long spoke with Guilford in 2019 and brings us this remembrance. This transcript has been edited for length and clarity. Kyle Long:& I had the chance to get to know Guilford during the final years of his life, and in 2019 we met for an interview at his Northside home. He told me his career as a performer started as a child during the 1940s, singing outside of a record store on the streets of Martindale-Brightwood. Jimmy Guilford:& The guy that owned a record shop, Mr. Meyers, he would pipe music outside so people could hear it. That way, people would come in and buy a record. Me and a couple of my cousins, we’d go outside and stand and listen to these songs. Well, some of those songs I liked. Then when the music wasn’t playing, I would start singing. Long: Guilford’s first big break came in the 1950s when he...