#OttiliePatterson

Описание: 🎤 Ottilie Patterson (1932 – 2011)

Full Name: Anna Ottilie Patterson
Born: 31 January 1932, Comber, County Down, Northern Ireland
Died: 20 June 2011

Who she was:
Ottilie Patterson was a Northern Irish singer best known for her work in traditional jazz and blues and for her long‑standing collaboration with the Chris Barber Jazz Band in the 1950s and 1960s. She’s widely regarded as one of the most significant British blues vocalists of her era and a pioneering voice in bringing the blues to UK audiences.

Early life & musical start:

Patterson came from a musical family and trained in classical piano from age nine but had no formal vocal training.

She discovered jazz and blues as a young art student in Belfast after being introduced to Bessie Smith, Jelly Roll Morton and other early blues and jazz greats.

Career highlights:

In 1955 she joined the Chris Barber Jazz Band, making her first major appearance at the Royal Festival Hall.

Between 1955–1962 she toured extensively and recorded many influential tracks and albums with the band, including That Patterson Girl and Chris Barber’s Blues Book.

Patterson performed alongside US blues and jazz legends on tour and in festival settings, helping popularise blues music in Britain and Europe.

She brought a powerful blues voice—often compared to classic American blues singers—and was celebrated for her emotional and authentic performances.

Later life:

Health issues led her to reduce public performances from the mid‑1960s and retire from regular touring in the early 1970s.

Patterson spent her later years in Scotland, becoming more reclusive, and passed away in 2011.

Legacy:
Ottilie Patterson is remembered as a trailblazing blues singer from Northern Ireland whose vocal talent and touring work with Chris Barber helped shape the British jazz and blues scene in the post‑war era.