Homeless Man’s “Smooth Baritone” Turns into Radio Gold

Wednesday, 05 January 2011 | by Pat's Picks

For this Ted Williams, it’s his voice, not his baseball swing that’s made him famous. On a whim, a videographer for the Columbus Dispatch recorded audio of Williams, a homeless man who frequently set up shop near a highway exit ramp with a sign advertising his “God-given gift of voice.”

And wow, does he have a voice. I assumed the story was going to be that Williams had led a previous life as a big voice-over guy and lost it somehow. But instead, he seems to fit into the undiscovered camp, which is why I think the media has become so enamored with him.

After the Dispatch put up the video clip, they sat back and watched in awe as media outlets around the country started champing at the bit to get a hold of Williams. Since the initial story producers from ESPN, MTV, ABC, CBS and CNN have offered Williams jobs and interviews. That’s great news for the native of Brooklyn, except for one thing: no one could find him. The Dispatch says several trips back to Williams’ favorite exit ramp turned up no results.

But somehow CBS’ Early Show had no trouble finding him. They had an exclusive interview yesterday morning.

And local Columbus radio station WNCI got the newly-minted celebrity on the air this morning. Here are some photos of him in the studio, featuring a new tamped-down hairstyle:

Scroll down to hear the original recording Williams’ amazingly “smooth baritone.”