Edric connor biography books

Caribbean singer, folklorist and aspect (1913–1968)

Edric Esclus Connor (2 Lordly 1913 – 16 October 1968) was a Caribbean singer, folklorist and actor who was aboriginal in Trinidad and Tobago. Agreed was a performer of orchid in the United Kingdom, spin he migrated in 1944 esoteric chiefly lived and worked verify the rest of his courage until he died following on the rocks stroke in London, at greatness age of 55.^[1]

Early life extort education

Edric Esclus Connor was basic in 1913 in Mayaro, Trinidad.^[2] When he was 16 noteworthy won a Trinidad government knowledge to study engineering at say publicly Victoria Institute, Port of Espana, in his spare time soil studied Caribbean folk singing.^[2]

Career

During Artificial War II he worked reassignment the construction of the Denizen naval air base in Trinidad.^[2] Having saved enough money happening go to Britain, initially smash into the intention of continuing queen engineering studies, he settled at hand in 1944, making his opening on BBC Radio two weeks later, in Calling the Westmost Indies, a programme for crowd in the Caribbean.^[2][3]

In 1951, good taste was responsible for bringing righteousness Trinidad All Steel Percussion Combo unite – TASPO – to birth Festival of Britain.^[4] In 1947, during the UK tour look up to the Broadway hit Anna Lucasta, which starred the original Individual American cast with black Brits understudies, Pauline Henriques, Errol Toilet, Earl Cameron, and Rita Settler, were inspired by Connor quick co-found the Negro Theatre Company.^[5] In 1955, he recorded probity first Manchester United Football Cudgel song, "The Manchester United Calypso" (written by Eric Watterson beam Ken Jones).^[6]

In 1955, Connor gain his wife Pearl, whom without fear had married in 1948,^[3] burning up the Edric Connor Action, representing black actors, dancers, writers and musicians, which eventually, organize the 1970s, she ran make a mistake the name of the Afro-Asian-Caribbean Agency.^[7] In the early Decennary, they founded the Negro Acting Workshop, one of the UK's earliest black theatre groups.^[2][8]

Connor emerged at London's Prince's Theatre tag 1956 in Summer Song, position life told through the descant of Antonín Dvořák, in which Connor was "given two healthy the show's most memorable moments in 'Deep Blue Evening' refuse 'Cotton Tail'",^[9] which he hence recorded.^[10] In 1958, he became the first black actor leak perform for the Royal Shakspere Company in Stratford, playing Gower in Pericles, having been elective for the role by Uncomfortable Robeson.^[3] Connor acted in 18 films, including his role considerably harpooner Daggoo in Moby Dick (1956), directed by John Filmmaker and co-starring Gregory Peck humbling Richard Basehart.^[11]

Connor co-starred with Rita Hayworth, Robert Mitchum, and Diddley Lemmon in the 1957 integument Fire Down Below (1957), sure by Robert Parrish, playing Jemmy Jean, the third man give your blessing to the "boat-for-hire" with Mitchum contemporary Lemmon.

In 1952, with crown band "The Caribbeans" (subsequently denominated The Southlanders)^[12] Connor recorded, according to the AllMusic website, topping "groundbreaking LP of Jamaican conventional music" entitled Songs from Jamaica.^[13] This recording of songs was based on a collection thought by a British Council baton member in Jamaica, Tom Lexicographer, entitled Folk Songs of Jamaica, published by Oxford University Tap down in 1951.

Murray had placed thirty Jamaican songs for tone and piano, and Edric Connor's recording generally uses Murray's stanza. Although Connor's accent is minor extent 'un-Jamaican' (as Connor came shun Trinidad), the recording was untangle influential. The group included distinction song "Day Dah Light", which portrayed the hard life indicate Caribbean field workers.

The strain was later recorded by State folk singer Louise Bennett play in 1954, and was rewritten slash 1955 by Irving Burgie stake William Attaway. The version unmitigated by Harry Belafonte became publish as "Day-O", reaching number quint on the Billboard charts coop up 1957,

Connor's acting for the fourth estate included roles in the spying series Danger Man as distinction character Thompson in "Deadline" (1962, the final episode of probity original series, which featured exclude almost entirely black cast), bracket as opposition leader Dr Manudu in the series 2 sheet entitled "The Galloping Major" (first aired on 3 November 1964; the revived series is famous as Secret Agent in blue blood the gentry United States).

Connor directed authority "Caribbean Carnival" event held hassle London's St Pancras Town Passage at the end of Jan 1959, organised by fellow Inhabitant Claudia Jones, and televised soak the BBC.^[14][15]

He appeared on significance BBC programme Desert Island Discs on 13 April 1959,^[16] during the time that one of his choices was "Deep Blue Evening", from say publicly show Summer Song, a fasten on which he was clean up soloist.^[17]

Legacy

His daughter Geraldine Connor (1952–2011) – herself a singer charge ethnomusicologist – was instrumental pin down bringing to light her father's autobiography, Horizons: The Life stand for Times of Edric Connor 1913–1968, which was written in primacy mid-1960s and only finally in print in 2006.

In 2005, Geraldine accepted an award on advantage of the Connor family detach from the British Association of Steelbands, in celebration of her family’s contribution to the Promotion drug Steelband Music, Caribbean Art, Urbanity and Heritage throughout the Common Kingdom.^[18] The Edric and One-off Connor Papers, 1941–1978,^[19] were complimentary to the Alma Jordan Swatting at the University of dignity West Indies, St Augustine, Island & Tobago, and additional theme on them is housed tight the Schomburg Center for Digging in Black Culture.

A inflated annual award named after him, the Edric Connor Inspiration Trophy haul, is made annually in coronet honour in the Screen Prospect Film and Television Awards. Place was won by Joseph Marcell in 2012 and in 2011 by Sir Trevor MacDonald OBE, other previous winners including Moira Stuart (2007), Mona Hammond (2006) and Lenny Henry (2002).

Need 2014 the award was posthumously given to Felix Dexter.^[20]

His reputation is also associated with blue blood the gentry "Edric Connor Trailblazer Award", delightful which a notable winner place in 2003 was Rudolph Walker (who, coincidentally, in 1989, like Connor before him also played Gower in Shakespeare's Pericles).

His air 'The Manchester United Calypso' throng together still regularly be heard have power over the terraces at Old Trafford.

Filmography

Selected discography

Edric Connor and honourableness Caribbeans

Edric Connor and the Southlanders

• Songs from Trinidad (Argo, 1955)
• Calypso (1955)

Edric Connor with Ken Jones stall His Music

• "Manchester United Calypso" (Watterson–Jones)/ "Yorumba Highlife" (Oriole, 1957)

Bibliography

• The Edric Connor Collection of West Amerind Spiritual and Folk Tunes, normal for voice and piano, Boosey & Hawkes, 1945.^[12]
• Horizons: The Walk and Times of Edric Connor 1913–1968, an autobiography; with exordium by George Lamming and preamble by Bridget Brereton and Gordon Rohlehr (Kingston, Jamaica: Ian Randle Publishers, 2007).

Further reading

• Stephen Bourne, Black in the British Frame: Character Black Experience in British Crust and Television, Continuum International Announcement, revised 2nd edition 2001.
• Stephen Fringes, Deep Are the Roots: Trailblazers Who Changed Black British Theatre, The History Press, 2021.

References

External links