Home / Series / BBC Music / Aired Order / Season 2023 / Episode 45

My Name Is Ottilie

Soul singer Dana Masters traces the story of Ottilie Patterson, who for a dazzling few years in the late 1950s and early 1960s was a pioneer of British music. One night in 1959, a 27-year-old female singer took to the stage at Muddy Waters' renowned blues club in Chicago. After a stunning set, a member of the rapturous African American audience called out: 'Hey lady, you sing real pretty. How come you sing like one of us?' The singer was Ottilie Patterson. And she wasn’t black. She wasn’t even American. She was from the small town of Comber, in County Down, just ten miles from Belfast. A rising star of British jazz and blues music, she was the acclaimed singer with the Chris Barber Band who paved the way for bands like The Rolling Stones and The Pretty Things, inspiring their passion for American blues.

English
  • Originally Aired February 1, 2023
  • Runtime 59 minutes
  • Content Rating Great Britain U
  • Production Code m001ht97
  • Network Great Britain BBC One
  • Created June 22, 2024 by
    grimothy
  • Modified June 22, 2024 by
    grimothy