Black History Month: 14 October 2020
Evelyn Dove made history by being the first black singer on BBC Radio, participating in the series 'Serenade in Sepia'. Born in 1902, she showed a talent for performing arts from a young age, but despite her incredible voice, faced discrimination from the classical music scene because she was mixed race. This did not stop her, however, from practicing jazz and cabaret, and her career grew as she gained a reputation for her talent. The public and press were thrilled by her incredible stage presence, as she quickly became known as one of the most glamorous women of her time.
She joined BBC Radio in 1939, a series which became so popular that, after it ran for a decade, became a TV show. The BBC employed her all throughout the war, and sometimes these appearances were broadcast to the forces. Having suffered from depression in the 1960s, she was admitted to a nursing home in 1970 and died in 1987. Though there were African American women who had had success in music, Evelyn was ahead of her time in Britain and Europe, paving the way for more black women in classical music.
Want to find out more about Evelyn Dove? Click here for more information, or here to hear her singing voice.
No comments:
Post a Comment