Coloured singer

[petesgrayz]

Who was the first "British" coloured person to have a No 1 hit.

[Sequin]

Winifred Atwell in 1954 - though she was born in Trinidad

[cruthinboy]

If you meam British-born, I've heard the answer given as Carl Douglas with Kung Fu Fighting in Sept. 74 , but I believe he was born in Jamaica - that would make it Sweet Sensation with Sad Sweet Dreamer the following month.

However, Ray Dorset the singer with Mungo Jerry looked half-caste (if you can say that nowadays!) - if so, I guess you could argue for In the Summertime in 1970.

[delboy3]

What about Lita Roza - How Much Is That Doggie In The Window, 1953? Not sure how "black" she was but her photos suggest at least quarter-caste (her dad was born in Spain)..?

[cruthinboy]

Though she was Hungarian?

[cruthinboy]

I meant "thought" not "though"!

[cruthinboy]

Did Shirley Bassey have any Uk no. 1s?

[Sequin]

Lita Roza was half Spanish and half Liverpudlian - not usually classed as "Coloured"

[Sequin]

Cilla Black - ;-)

[Sequin]

Shirley Bassey (born in Cardiff) got to No 1 in 1959 with "As I Love You"

[cruthinboy]

Well Sequin I think it must be Shirley then. I think Winifred Atwell was the first Black artist - regardless of country of origin - to have a UK no.1

Lita Roza did look a bit coloured to use an old-fashioned term. I'm sure the Guiness Book of Hit Singles credited her as "Hungary, Female Singer" - still it did contain a few mistakes.

[Sequin]

My copy (14th ed) lists her as UK Female - the first UK solo artist to hit No 1 (The Stargazers preceded her as the first British group)

[cruthinboy]

Late edition I had was mid-80s!

Does your edition still lisy Sylvester as US Female vocalist, and Haywoode as UK Male vocalist?

[cruthinboy]

My mistake, it was Eve Boswell who was Hungarian - think Eve and Lita were around at the same time.

[JinxtheCat]

Desmond Dekker in 69

[cruthinboy]

Desmond Dekker was born in Kingston, Jamaica.

[Sequin]

Sylvester and Haywoode have been corrected