Der Zigeunerbaron
Potter was born in Leicester. His family moved to Wales, and he learned to speak fluent Welsh as a boy, while his father worked on rocket technology during the war. He sang as a boy soprano in the church choir. Potter's family moved to Farnham, Surrey, where he played principal roles with the Farnham Amateur Operatic Society, including Strephon in "Iolanthe" (1955) and Barinkay in "The Gypsy Baron" (1956).