Evelyn Dove - Entertainer

Evelyn Mary Dove was born in London on the 11th January 1902 to a Sierra Leonean father, Francis Dove, one of Britain’s first African qualified barristers, and English mother Augusta Winchester. Evelyn studied singing and piano at the Royal Academy of Music between 1917 and 1919.

She went on to perform all over the world – London, Paris, Berlin, Russia, Bombay and the U.S. She performed with the European tour with the American cabaret act Chocolate Kiddies in the mid-1920s, she replaced Josephine Baker in Casino de Paris in the early 1930s and headlined at Connie’s Inn in Harlem, New York  USA in 1936.

She was the first Black woman to sing on the BBC in 1939, and became a regular performer at the BBC throughout the 1940s in shows including Rhapsody in Black and Variety in Sepia (which showcased Black British talent).

Evelyn did her part during the Second World War performing on the radio, in variety shows and dramas, helping entertain the troops and the public. She wasn’t just the ‘token Black face’, Evelyn was the star.

After the war opportunities began drying up, despite her previous successes she found herself being overlooked. However Evelyn did manage to pick up the odd roles on the stage and TV in the UK, during the 1950s and 60s.

Evelyn Dove passed away on the 7th March 1987.

Evelyn in the stage production 'Calypso'

London May 1948

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