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 was 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, came from Northern Ireland, and her mother, Jūlija Jēgers came from Latvia. Both parents were very musical, and Ottilie was trained from the age of eleven years as a classical pianist. A vocal training they never received.
1949 was Ottilie, to Belfast, to study art at Belfast College of Technology. A fellow student at the time she brought the music of Bessie Smith, Jelly Roll Morton, and Meade Lux Lewis in contact. In 1951, she began singing with Jimmy Compton's Jazz Band, and in August 1952 she founded the Muskrat Ramblers with Al Watt and Derek Martin.
During her summer vacation in 1954, she met Beryl Bryden, who presented her the Chris Barber Jazz Band. On January 1, 1955, she moved completely to the Chris Barber band and their first joint appearance was on January 9, 1955 in London's Royal Festival Hall. Between 1955 and 1962 Ottilie toured widely with Chris Barber's band and they released together many recordings 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); they also appeared on numerous Chris Barber records on individual tracks. In 1957 she also appeared with Rosetta Tharpe; in the U.S. tour of Barber they jammed in Chicago with the band of Muddy Waters.
From about 1963, she suffered from problems of the throat and stopped regularly with Barber, with whom she was married from 1959 to 1983, to appear. Officially, she retired from the band in 1973. During this time she recorded some songs in other genres, in 1969 released their solo album, 3000 Years with Ottilie, after 1959 the album Irish Night dedicated to the folklore of their homeland was created.
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). This is their last recordings.
According to Rex Harris and Brian Rust Blue Patterson's singing was strongly influenced by Bessie Smith, Ida Cox and Bertha " Chippie " Hill influences, their repertoire interpreted it. Among its highlights, the authors include their recordings with Chis Barber from 1955, like " Trouble in Mind ", " Poor Man 's Blues ," " Shipwreck Blues" and the " Weeping Willow Blues". According to Chris Barber their interpretation of the St. Louis Blues from 1962 is masterly.