Sissieretta Jones

For the similarly named record label, see Black Patti Records.

Sissieretta Jones
Jones in 1897
Born
Matilda Sissieretta Joyner

January 5, 1868 or 1869
Portsmouth, Virginia, U.S.
Died(1933-06-24)June 24, 1933 (aged 64–65)
Providence, Rhode Island, U.S.
Other namesThe Black Patti
OccupationSoprano singer
Years active1887–1915
Spouse
David Richard Jones
​
​
(m. 1883; div. 1899)​

Matilda Sissieretta Joyner Jones (January 5, 1868 or 1869[1] – June 24, 1933)[2] was an American soprano. She sometimes was called "The Black Patti" in reference to Italian opera singer Adelina Patti.[3] Jones' repertoire included grand opera, light opera, and popular music.[3] Trained at the Providence Academy of Music and the New England Conservatory of Music,[1] Jones made her New York City debut in 1888 at Steinway Hall,[1] and four years later she performed at the White House for President Benjamin Harrison.[2] She sang for four consecutive presidents and the British royal family,[1][2][3] and was met with international success. Besides the United States and the West Indies, Jones toured in South America, Australia, India, southern Africa,[1] and Europe.[4]

The highest-paid African American performer of her time,[5] later in her career she founded the Black Patti Troubadours (later renamed the Black Patti Musical Comedy Company), a musical and acrobatic act made up of 40 jugglers, comedians, dancers and a chorus of 40 trained singers.[2] She remained the star of the Famous Troubadours for around two decades while they established their popularity in the principal cities of the United States and Canada,[6][7] Jones retired from performing in 1915.[6] In 2013, she was inducted into the Rhode Island Music Hall of Fame.[8]

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  6. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference University Press of Mississippi was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
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