Evelyn Dove - intro

Evelyn Dove

B r i ta i n ’ s b l a c k c a b a r e t q u e e n

Stephen Bourne

• F ro m t h e au t h o r o f t h e c r i t i c a l ly acc l a i m e d B l ac k P o ppi e s : B r ita i n ’ s B l ac k C om mu n it y a n d th e G r e at Wa r .

• T h e u nto ld sto ry o f o n e o f B r i ta i n ’ s m o s t v e r s at i l e c a b a r e t p e r f o r m e r s o f t h e 19 2 0 s a n d 3 0 s .

• P l ac e s D ov e i n h i s to r i c a l co n t e x t w i t h a rt i s t s o f h e r t i m e , s u c h a s J o s e ph i n e Ba k e r , Da m e C le o L a i n e a n d Da m e S h i r le y Ba s s e y.

• I n c lu d e s ov e r 4 0 r a r e ph oto g r a ph s a n d e x t r ac t s .

• M aj o r e v e nt s s c h e d u le d at t h e N at i o n a l P o rt r a i t G a l l e ry a n d Roya l Ac a d e m y o f M u s i c i n t i m e f o r p u b l i c at i o n .

• I d e a l f o r t h o s e i n t e r e s t e d i n j a z z a n d t h e i c o n s o f th e ag e , b l ac k h i sto ry, a n d t h e h i sto ry o f th e B B C .

E ve lyn Dove wa s th e first b l ack B riti s h woman to make an i m press ion in th e world of e nte rtain m e nt, a s a s inge r an d a s a star of re v u e , vari e t y th e atres an d c abare t.

A young adventuress who refused to be constrained by her race and English middle-class background, she would venture far and wide, to continental Europe, India and America, thrilling audiences with her grace and movie star looks.

In 1935, amidst a frenzy of public interest, she arrived in New York to appear at the famous nightclub, Connie’s Inn. This rivalled the Cotton Club as a showcase for top black talent.

As a contralto trained at the Royal Academy of Music, Evelyn hoped for a career on the concert platform, or as an opera singer, but for a black singer of her generation the world of jazz and cabaret was more welcoming.

With the threat of a Nazi invasion over Europe, Evelyn faced restrictions on travelling abroad, but when the Second World War broke out in 1939, the BBC welcomed her. After the war, Evelyn enjoyed television stardom as one of the BBC’s foremost star personalities of the new medium.

STEPHEN BOURNE has been specialising in black British histories since 1991.

He has written over 15 books, including the acclaimed Black in the British Frame, Elisabeth Welch: Soft Lights and Sweet Music and The Motherland Calls: Britain’s Black Servicemen and Women 1939-1945.

Stephen received the 2015 Southwark Arts Forum Award for Literature for Black Poppies: Britain’s Black Community and the Great War. He is a regular contributor to BBC documentaries and has written for many publications, including The Voice, The Independent, BBC History Magazine and History Today

OCTOBER 2016 I l lust rated biog raphy | £12 .99 | $18.95 ISBN: 978-1-909762-35- 0 | eISBN: 978-1-909762-36 -7 PB | 225 x 166 mm | 160 pp R ig hts: World For press enquiries, please contact Jazzmine Breary at jazzmine@jacarandabooksartmusic.co.uk www.jacarandabooksartmusic.co.uk G • U @JacarandaBooks