Ottilie Patterson
Anna Ottilie Patterson (born January 31, 1932 in Comber , County Down , † June 20, 2011 in Ayr ) was a Northern Irish blues and jazz singer , who became known for her performances and recordings with Chris Barber in the late 1950s and early 1960s .
biography
She was the youngest of four children. Her father, Joseph Patterson, was from Northern Ireland and her mother, Jūlija Jēgers, was from Latvia . Both parents were very musical, and Ottilie was trained as a classical pianist from the age of eleven. She never received any singing training.
In 1949 Ottilie went to Belfast to study art at Belfast College of Technology . A fellow student brought her into contact with the music of Bessie Smith , Jelly Roll Morton and Meade Lux Lewis . In 1951 she began singing with Jimmy Compton's Jazz Band , and in August 1952 she formed the Muskrat Ramblers with Al Watt and Derek Martin.
During her summer vacation in 1954, she met Beryl Bryden , who introduced her to the Chris Barber Jazz Band. On January 1, 1955, they switched completely to the Chris Barber Band and their first joint appearance was on January 9, 1955 at London's Royal Festival Hall . Between 1955 and 1962 Ottilie toured extensively with Chris Barber's Band and they released many recordings together on Decca : EPs Blues (1955), That Patterson Girl (1955), That Patterson Girl Volume 2 (1956), Ottilie (1959) and the LP Chris Barber's Blues Book (1960); she also appeared on numerous individual Chris Barber records. In 1957 she also appeared with Rosetta Tharpe ; on Barber's US tour, she jammed in Chicago with Muddy Waters' band .
From about 1963 she suffered from throat problems and stopped performing regularly with Barber, to whom she was married from 1959 to 1983. She officially retired from the band in 1973. During this time she recorded some songs in other genres, in 1969 the solo album 3000 Years with Ottilie was released , after the album Irish Night , which was dedicated to the folklore of her homeland, had already been created in 1959 .
In the spring of 1983 Ottilie and Chris Barber gave a series of concerts in South London, which can be heard on Madame Blues and Doctor Jazz (1984). These are her last recordings.
According to Rex Harris and Brian Rust , Patterson's blues singing was heavily influenced by Bessie Smith , Ida Cox and Bertha "Chippie" Hill , whose repertoire she interpreted. The authors' highlights include their 1955 recordings with Chis Barber, such as "Trouble in Mind", "Poor Man's Blues", "Shipwreck Blues" and the "Weeping Willow Blues". According to Chris Barber, her take on the 1962 St. Louis Blues is masterful.
literature
- Rex Harris & Brian Rust: Recorded Jazz: A Critical Guide . London, Penguin Books, 1958
Web links
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Patterson, Ottilie |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Patterson, Anna Ottilie (full name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Northern Irish blues singer |
| DATE OF BIRTH | January 31, 1932 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Comber , County Down , Northern Ireland |
| DATE OF DEATH | June 20, 2011 |
| Place of death | Ayr |