Evelyn Dove: Who was the groundbreaking singer and why is her legacy so important?
Dove was the first black singer played on BBC Radio
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Your support makes all the difference.Google has paid tribute to British singer Evelyn Dove with a touching Google Doodle on what would have been her 117th birthday.
Dove, who later became the first black singer on BBC Radio, was born in London on January 11 1902 and showed a talent for the performing arts at a young age.
Following her dreams, Dove studied piano, voice, and elocution at the Royal Academy of Music - but realised when she graduated that the classical music scene at the time was not welcoming to a female singer of mixed race, despite her incredible voice.
The discriminatory climate did not dissuade Dove, who instead practised her skills at cabaret and jazz shows in London and as a member of the Southern Syncopated Orchestra.
Her first break came in the form of the black jazz revue Chocolate Kiddies, which she joined on a tour of Europe.
From there, Dove’s career only grew - with her reputation preceding her as she performed around the world.
But the height of her career began in 1939 when she joined folk singer Edric Connor on BBC Radio’s Serenade in Sepia.
The series was so popular that it lasted for a decade before becoming a TV show, during which Dove also appeared as a singer on other popular radio programmes such as Caribbean Carnival, Mississippi Nights and Calling the West Indies.
After her success on BBC, Dove journeyed to India, Paris and Spain - where she worked in cabaret.
In 1987, Dove died of pneumonia aged 84.
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