Jack Prince

Jack Prince, whose birth name was John Upchurch, was trained in singing at an early age. Prince appeared on Broadway in the 1950s in main and understudy/replacement roles in at least three musicals: "Guys and Dolls" (1950-1953), as "Nicely Nicely Johnson", "Lil' Abner" (1956-1958) as "Marryin' Sam", and "Destry Rides Again" (1959-1960) as Tom Destry's sidekick "Wash." It was in "Destry," in which Prince sang two songs, that he made the acquaintance of Andy Griffith, who had the title role (and who earned a Tony nomination for his performance). When "The Andy Griffith Show" started on TV in the early 1960's, Griffith asked Prince to appear in a few episodes. Prince, who first appeared in two minor roles on the show, was best-known, and is best-remembered today, for his role of Rafe Hollister." Griffith wanted Prince to have a larger role in the series, but Prince declined, feeling that it would take him away from what was then a successful singing career. Prince continued to perform