A biography of Sissieretta Jones, billed as the Greatest Singer of Her Race.
Sissieretta Jones is featured American trailblazer on #UNLADYLIKE2020
UNLADYLIKE2020 has released its latest animated documentary short. This time it features the great soprano Sissieretta Jones. The 10-minute documentary is one of 26 shorts featuring unsung and extraordinary women from the turn of the 20th century, and the women who follow in their footsteps today.
Sissieretta Jones (1868-1933) became the first African American woman to headline a concert on the main stage at Carnegie Hall in 1892. Jones was heralded as the greatest singer of her generation and a pioneer in the operatic tradition at a time when access to most classical concert halls in the U.S. were closed to black performers and patrons. She also performed at the White House and abroad, and traveled the country as the star of a successful vaudeville show for almost two decades.
The Sissieretta Jones documentary short, released June 24, 1 pm ET, is available at the following sites.
Author Maureen Lee brings to life the story of Sissieretta Jones, also known as the “Black Patti,” who was a pioneer among African American entertainers.
Sissieretta Jones: “The Greatest Singer of Her Race,” 1868-1933, published May 15, 2012 by the University of South Carolina Press.
Although few people remember Sissieretta Jones today, she was a highly successful, classically trained soprano known nationwide to both black and white audiences in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. She was often called “Black Patti,” a nickname that likened her to Adelina Patti, the famous white European opera star. During her 28 years on the stage she performed in famous venues such as Carnegie Hall, the White House, and Madison Square Garden, as well as in hundreds of theaters and opera houses around the United States and Canada.
The Author
