[1] The older brother of actress and singer Pearl Bailey, Bill was considered to be one of the best rhythm dancers of his time and was the first person to be recorded doing the Moonwalk, although he referred to it as the "Backslide," in the film Cabin in the Sky (1943), starring Ethel Waters, Eddie "Rochester" Anderson and Lena Horne.
After the production, he and Derby Wilson, another prominent taps act, formed a team that challenged each other at the Cotton Club and toured with Duke Ellington when his band traveled to Europe in 1933.
Its first recording was during his routine during "Taking A Chance On Love," sung by star Ethel Waters in the 1943 musical film Cabin in the Sky.
For this reason, prominent figures in the entertainment industry were shocked at this sudden career change and doubted it would last but many came to support him once they heard him preach.
[3] In February 1949, Bailey declined an offer to play Bill "Bojangles" Robinson in a film about his life, stating that "It just wasn't for me.