The godmother of British blues began life in a terrace in Northern Ireland, a little girl who felt like an outsider. When the blues music drifted across from the American GIs up the road, Ottilie became obsessed: she’d found her tribe.
From teaching herself songs from sheet music and gigging in Belfast, she went on to play the Royal Festival Hall and tour the UK and USA with the Chris Barber Band, accompanying greats like Muddy Waters and Sonny Boy Williamson.
Dubbed “the greatest singer to emerge this side of the Atlantic”, Ottilie was an immense presence and talent in the ‘50s & ’60s music scene. So why haven’t you heard of her? What happened to this iconic voice?
Immerse yourself in the music and atmosphere of the post-war jazz scene and discover the legacy of this forgotten talent. Performed by Jolene O’Hara, Ottilie is at turns funny, at others poignant – but always intriguing. Come fall in love with the music, and the story, of the greatest Irish blues singer of all time.
We caught up with Jolene to learn more about the role.
What can you tell me about Ottilie and the role your playing?
Ottilie was a Blues singer from Comber, Northern Ireland who joined the Chris Barber Jazz band in the 1950s and rose to the very top. She toured America and sang with the likes of Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Muddy Waters and Sonny Boy Williamson.
Ottilie’s performance at President Kennedy’s Jazz Festival garnered such a jubilant reception that Louis Armstrong was delayed by ten minutes before they would let him play. The American papers called her ‘The world’s only Irish Blues singer’. The Evening Standard called her ‘The best singer ever to emerge this side of the Atlantic!’ She was widely accepted in the black American blues music circles and was a pioneer in the development of Blues in Britain. She is known as The Godmother of British Blues. Ottilie’s physical and mental health eventually deteriorated due to fatigue and exhaustion of always being on the road and later drifted into obscurity. We want to bring her story back to the forefront!
Ottilie was once dubbed ‘the greatest singer this side of the Atlantic,’ yet so many people are discovering her for the first time through your performance. Does that feel more like a gift or a
heavy responsibility?
I feel like this is one of the greatest gifts I have ever received as a person and also as an actor. Ottilie is an incredibly interesting and complex character and I have had the most wonderful time learning about her life and legacy so far. I still have to pinch myself that the team came knocking on my door to be involved. A role like this could easily make someone nervous. However, Ottilie holds such a special place in our music history that makes me feel a proud sense of duty of spreading the word of her legend.
Each performance is a celebration of her and that surpasses any performance anxiety.
When you’re portraying someone whose story has been 'lost' to time, how much of your performance is based on historical research versus your own intuition of who she was behind closed doors?
I have listened to every tape of Ottilie that I can find and have watched every video of her about a million times over. There is a series of tapes held by Jazz Heritage Wales of Ottilie telling
her life story to Jen Wilson. Ottilie was an amazing storyteller and through these tapes you really do get a strong sense of who she was and how she felt about her life and those days with the band. However, we will never know absolutely every minute detail of how she felt in her most quietest and deepest
of moments. So, of course, there are moments in the show where I have had to delve into my own intuition to be able to connect with the material that Richard Clements has written and make it as truthful as humanly possible. Through this process I have found many more similarities between our lives than I could ever have imagined.
The play touches on Ottilie feeling like an 'outsider' in Northern Ireland until she found the blues. As an actor, how did you tap into that specific feeling of isolation—and that 'click' of finally finding your tribe?
This is one of the areas where I felt quite a similarity with Ottilie. Growing up in Belfast, I always felt like a bit of an outsider in school. Never really finding that many people with the same likes and interests as me - apart from my sister Philippa. But at that age, you didn’t really want to hang out with your sister because it wasn’t cool haha. Even when I went to University to study Engineering, I felt quite disconnected because I loved theatre and performance art. It wasn’t until I started working professionally in the arts that I really had a sense of belonging and the feeling that I was doing what I was always meant to do. There is a real community in the arts scene back home and I have experienced some of the best moments of my life, and also made some friends for life, through it. I’ve definitely found my tribe!
Ottilie was a pioneer—a woman from Northern Ireland fronting a major jazz band in a male-dominated industry. In your research, did you find that she had to develop a 'toughness' to survive that scene, and how does that manifest in your performance?
Without a doubt, Ottilie had to face many indignities as a woman in a male dominated world back then. Even today, the basic needs of a woman in this business can be hard to achieve sometimes. Ottilie has said that she and the band toured well in excess of 200 days a year and that would have been mentally and physically exhausting. Whilst the men ‘threw off their suits and went out to party’ Ottilie would have to take off her make up and go home to prepare for the next day’s travel and shows and be expected to look and sound immaculate. She felt like she missed out on quite a lot of the fun in those days. She also talked about not having any female friends or colleagues around for solace and she found that so tough. It would have been such a lonely existence in that respect and she absolutely would have had to grow a thick skin to endure that. Then add onto all of this the deep struggles she had in her personal life.
It is hard to imagine how she continued to show up and blow audiences away night after night for so long with everything she had on her plate. She was one tough lady.
She toured with the likes of Sonny Boy Williamson and Muddy Waters. In the play, how do you portray the dynamic between this young woman from Belfast and these titans of American Blues?
We have some lovely scenes in the show where these legends are conjured up before our eyes. Our director Matthew and lighting designer Alex have come up with some gorgeously clever ways of depicting Big Bill Broonzy, Sister Rosetta Tharpe and Muddy Waters to name a few. We touch on how enamoured Ottilie was with these remarkable musicians but also how she stood and performed with these giants and wasn’t out of place at all.
Ottilie had an immense, iconic voice. What was the most challenging aspect of capturing her specific vocal DNA? Was there a particular song that acted as your 'key' to unlocking her character?
Ottilie’s voice is so unique, there really is no way to completely replicate it. We felt it was more important that we captured the energy of her soul and the essence of her performance rather than try to mimic her exactly. That would make it more of a tribute act. For example, Ottilie talks about the first time she sung at a the Royal Festival Hall and how she felt like she unleashed a force that she had been waiting her entire life to unleash. That is so special and I think trying to capture that feeling is what is most important. Also, her vocal ability spanned so many genres, it’s hard to encapsulate it all within one moment. We’ve had to adjust some of the keys of the songs as my vocal range is different to Ottilie’s. My larynx sits in a different place when I am performing a one woman theatre show for almost two hours than it would for a singing gig. This all factors into what is best for each musical moment of the show. I can’t wait for you to hear this incredible music live with the awesome and that we have. Zak, Ben and Lisa are just wonderful.
The Barn Theatre is known for its intimate, immersive staging. How does that closeness with the audience help you recreate the smoky, high-energy feeling of a 1950s jazz club?
I feel that the intimacy of The Barn Theatre is a perfect setting for Ottilie. It is rare these days that you find a performance space that makes it possible to emulate a 1950s jazz club. Our creative team do not hold back with their theatrical wizardry and you are in for a treat as soon as you step into the building!
There’s no escaping that electricity and ambiance.
The central mystery of the show is: Why haven’t we heard of her? After living in her shoes for this production, what is your personal take on why such a massive talent slipped through the cracks of music history?
I wonder if Ottilie had been alive today what her story would have been like. Whether social media would have helped her or have hindered her even more. I feel like Ottilie was a victim of systemic neglect and fell through the cracks of the industry by appearing difficult to work with and volatile at times. When, in reality, she needed help and support from those closest to her. Sadly, that support never came and she suffered mentally and physically for quite a long time as a result. She had to disappear out of the limelight and away from Chris and the band to save herself. The band life was slowly but surely
killing her. She was a star in her own right and I think Chris and the band secretly knew that but didn’t want to admit it. She didn’t believe herself to be a star though. I also wonder what would have happened if she had had the courage to pursue a solo career.
If Ottilie Patterson were sitting in the audience at the Barn Theatre tonight, what is the one thing you’d hope she feels while watching your portrayal?
I hope that Ottilie would feel proud of herself and what she achieved. This little girl from Carnesure Terrace, County Down took the world by storm and didn’t look back. She thrived in the face of narrow minded critics and went on to light up stages beside the worlds best blues musicians right in the birthplace of jazz and blues. I hope she would see what a remarkably strong and courageous woman she really was. And I hope she would find peace of mind in knowing that we see her and all of those awful things she had to endure in her life and know that it wasn’t fair for her to go through that alone.
If you could have a drink with Ottilie at a 1950s jazz club, what’s the first question you’d ask her?
I would ask Ottilie what she would do differently if she had a chance to do it all again! Although, I have a feeling she wouldn’t change a thing even after all that happened.
What is one blues track—Ottilie’s or otherwise—that everyone should listen to the moment they leave the theatre?
‘Baby Won’t You Please Come Home’ from the Madame Blues & Doctor Jazz album released in 1986. This is a little later in Ottilie’s career and her voice is just stunning in it. It might not be the most perfect of vocal takes but the raw emotion carried by her voice is breathtaking and shows you what a powerhouse she really was.
How do you mentally and physically prepare for a performance?
Physically, I drink lots of water and can’t eat anything too heavy or salty or I will die a dehydrated death half way through act one. Mentally, I just try to relaxt beforehand. Richard’s script is so beautifully crafted that the words do all the work. I can just let go and let each emotion take me as we all go along on this incredible woman’s journey together.
How do you unwind after a performance?
A lot of the time, I like to get out of the theatre as quickly as possible and get a long shower to decompress. Maybe watch some light tv to reset my brain for the next day. I’m currently re watching The Office and it is perfect entertainment to unwind to.
What was the first piece of theatre you remember having a big impact on you?
I remember seeing Romeo and Juliet at The Globe and it just blew my mind. It was before I had really studied the play and I just knew what each character was going through because the acting was so powerful. It was my first real experience of seeing the impact of what you could do with strong text and robust character work without any razzle dazzle or tricks. I also vividly remember going to see Prima Facie on Broadway with Jodie Comer. A masterclass in every way.
What keeps you inspired?
Jessie Buckley winning an Oscar in 2026. Rachel Tucker in every show I’ve seen her in. All the colleagues that I am lucky enough to call friends back home and away who work in this tough industry every day and continually move mountains to create beautiful work. All whilst looking after families and communities and fighting for great causes. I can barely get myself out the door in the morning. All of these people again and again continuing to be pioneers in their field and never letting anyone tell them it isn’t possible. Just like Ottilie.
What would you hope an audience member takes away from seeing Ottilie?
I hope that the audiences get a firm sense of how mesmerising a person Ottilie was and I hope they take her story with them and spread the word. She must be remembered! I also hope that anyone who doesn’t think they are a fan of jazz and blues leaves the theatre with their feet tapping and their fingers searching for lots of undiscovered Ottilie Patterson tracks. Do yourself a favour and listen to Ottilie’s self penned album ‘3000 Years with Ottilie’. It is insanely wonderful.
OTTILIE runs at Barn Theatre from 21st March until 19th April 2026. For tickets and further information visit https://barntheatre.org.uk/ottilie
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