Unfortunately, Sissieretta Jones, known at the “Black Patti,” apparently never made any recordings, although the technology was available during the latter part of her career. At least, at this point, no recordings of Sissieretta have been found. White singers made...
By Maureen D. Lee Sissieretta Jones, also known as the “Black Patti,” was one of the first African American women to sing at Carnegie Hall. She performed there four times between 1892 and 1896 and was one of the first black female vocalists to sing in the venue’s main...
By Maureen D. Lee Thanks to the Rhode Island Black Heritage Society and the generosity of donors, an historical plaque to honor the great soprano Sissieretta Jones (also known as the “Black Patti”) has been erected near her homesite in the College Hill section of...
by Maureen D. Lee Born 97 years apart, actress Viola Davis and soprano Sissieretta Jones had similar goals — to perform on stage — one as an actress and one as a singer. Both African American women beat the odds and went on to achieve their dreams. Both...
Sissieretta Jones sang many musical selections during her career, but none as often as Stephen Collins Foster’s folk song, “Swanee River,” actually titled “Old Folks at Home.” Foster wrote “Swanee River” (which came from the first line of the song, “Way down upon the...
During the summer of 1898, Sissieretta Jones and her mother, Henrietta Joyner, moved into a house on the east side of Providence, Rhode Island, that Sissieretta would call home for the next 35 years. Henrietta bought the nine-room house at 7 Wheaton Street in July...
