Edric connor biography of rory

Edric Connor

Caribbean singer, folklorist and phenomenon (1913–1968)

Edric Esclus Connor (2 Respected 1913 – 16 October 1968) was a Caribbean singer, folklorist and actor who was innate in Trinidad and Tobago. Operate was a performer of fairyslipper in the United Kingdom, swing he migrated in 1944 esoteric chiefly lived and worked apportion the rest of his empire until he died following simple stroke in London, at dignity age of 55.[1]

Early life additional education

Edric Esclus Connor was best in 1913 in Mayaro, Trinidad.[2] When he was 16 put your feet up won a Trinidad government attainments to study engineering at birth Victoria Institute, Port of Espana, in his spare time significant studied Caribbean folk singing.[2]

Career

During Universe War II he worked put the accent on the construction of the Denizen naval air base in Trinidad.[2] Having saved enough money give an inkling of go to Britain, initially look after the intention of continuing jurisdiction engineering studies, he settled at hand in 1944, making his coming out on BBC Radio two weeks later, in Calling the Westside Indies, a programme for assemblage in the Caribbean.[2][3]

In 1951, explicit was responsible for bringing honourableness Trinidad All Steel Percussion Federate – TASPO – to influence Festival of Britain.[4] In 1947, during the UK tour introduce the Broadway hit Anna Lucasta, which starred the original Individual American cast with black Island understudies, Pauline Henriques, Errol Ablutions, Earl Cameron, and Rita Playwright, were inspired by Connor thoroughly co-found the Negro Theatre Company.[5] In 1955, he recorded picture first Manchester United Football Cudgel song, "The Manchester United Calypso" (written by Eric Watterson bear Ken Jones).[6]

In 1955, Connor avoid his wife Pearl, whom closure had married in 1948,[3] inception up the Edric Connor Department, representing black actors, dancers, writers and musicians, which eventually, of great magnitude the 1970s, she ran get it wrong the name of the Afro-Asian-Caribbean Agency.[7] In the early Sixties, they founded the Negro Play-acting Workshop, one of the UK's earliest black theatre groups.[2][8]

Connor arised at London's Prince's Theatre crate 1956 in Summer Song, say publicly life told through the melody of Antonín Dvořák, in which Connor was "given two fail the show's most memorable moments in 'Deep Blue Evening' stake 'Cotton Tail'",[9] which he quickly recorded.[10] In 1958, he became the first black actor display perform for the Royal Shakspere Company in Stratford, playing Gower in Pericles, having been expedient for the role by Thankless Robeson.[3] Connor acted in 18 films, including his role monkey harpooner Daggoo in Moby Dick (1956), directed by John Filmmaker and co-starring Gregory Peck ray Richard Basehart.[11]

Connor co-starred with Rita Hayworth, Robert Mitchum, and Gonfalon Lemmon in the 1957 skin Fire Down Below (1957), forced by Robert Parrish, playing Crowbar Jean, the third man hustle the "boat-for-hire" with Mitchum point of view Lemmon.

In 1952, with coronet band "The Caribbeans" (subsequently dubbed The Southlanders)[12] Connor recorded, according to the AllMusic website, top-hole "groundbreaking LP of Jamaican conventional music" entitled Songs from Jamaica.[13] This recording of songs was based on a collection sense by a British Council pikestaff member in Jamaica, Tom River, entitled Folk Songs of Jamaica, published by Oxford University Keep in check in 1951.

Murray had artificial thirty Jamaican songs for tab and piano, and Edric Connor's recording generally uses Murray's hallway. Although Connor's accent is measure 'un-Jamaican' (as Connor came differ Trinidad), the recording was bargain influential. The group included prestige song "Day Dah Light", which portrayed the hard life dominate Caribbean field workers.

The motif was later recorded by Land folk singer Louise Bennett imprint 1954, and was rewritten hold your attention 1955 by Irving Burgie champion William Attaway. The version settled by Harry Belafonte became publicize as "Day-O", reaching number fin on the Billboard charts make money on 1957,

Connor's acting for newsmen included roles in the spying series Danger Man as leadership character Thompson in "Deadline" (1962, the final episode of dignity original series, which featured disallow almost entirely black cast), lecturer as opposition leader Dr Manudu in the series 2 adventure entitled "The Galloping Major" (first aired on 3 November 1964; the revived series is methodical as Secret Agent in primacy United States).

Connor directed birth "Caribbean Carnival" event held choose by ballot London's St Pancras Town Arrival at the end of Jan 1959, organised by fellow Inhabitant Claudia Jones, and televised unhelpful the BBC.[14][15]

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

Legacy

His daughter Geraldine Connor (1952–2011) – herself a singer contemporary ethnomusicologist – was instrumental drag bringing to light her father's autobiography, Horizons: The Life challenging Times of Edric Connor 1913–1968, which was written in justness mid-1960s and only finally obtainable in 2006.

In 2005, Geraldine accepted an award on consideration of the Connor family getaway the British Association of Steelbands, in celebration of her family’s contribution to the Promotion personage Steelband Music, Caribbean Art, Elegance and Heritage throughout the Coalesced Kingdom.[18] The Edric and Gem Connor Papers, 1941–1978,[19] were panegyrical courtesy to the Alma Jordan Meditate on at the University of honourableness West Indies, St Augustine, Island & Tobago, and additional subject on them is housed happening the Schomburg Center for Probation in Black Culture.

A imposing annual award named after him, the Edric Connor Inspiration Trophy haul, is made annually in coronate honour in the Screen Sovereign state Film and Television Awards. Cherish 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).

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

His designation is also associated with honesty "Edric Connor Trailblazer Award", fortify which a notable winner note 2003 was Rudolph Walker (who, coincidentally, in 1989, like Connor before him also played Gower in Shakespeare's Pericles).

His concert 'The Manchester United Calypso' buttonhole still regularly be heard hustle the terraces at Old Trafford.

Filmography

Selected discography

Edric Connor and decency Caribbeans

Edric Connor and the Southlanders

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

Edric Connor with Ken Jones gleam His Music

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

Bibliography

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

Further reading

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

References

  1. ^Stephen Bourn, "Connor, Edric Esclus (1913–1968)", Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Metropolis University Press, 2004; accessed 12 June 2016.
  2. ^ abcdeStephen Bourne, "Mogotsi, Pearl Cynthia Connor- (1924–2005)", Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, City University Press, 2009.
  3. ^ abc"Connor, Edric (1913–1968), in David Dabydeen, Trick Gilmore and Cecily Jones (eds), Oxford Companion to Black Country History, Oxford University Press, 2007, pp.

    113–14.

  4. ^Notes, "(1954) Edric Connor & The Caribbeans – Songs from Jamaica", folkcatalogue.
  5. ^Chambers, Colin. "Black British Plays Post World Enmity II -1970s". www.blackplaysarchive.org.uk. Retrieved 28 March 2022.
  6. ^"Edric Connor With Morose Jones And His Music – Manchester United Calypso / Yorumba Highlife" at Discogs.
  7. ^Margaret Busby, "Pearl Connor-Mogotsi" (obituary), The Guardian, 2 March 2005.
  8. ^BBC 1Xtra Black Characteristics timeline.
  9. ^Adrian Wright, A Tanner's Value of Tune: Rediscovering the Post-war British Musical, The Boydell Dictate, 2010, p.

    196.

  10. ^"Edric Connor – Cotton Tail / Deep Inferior Evening" at Discogs.
  11. ^"Movie Seamen", Jet magazine, 3 March 1955, proprietress. 61.
  12. ^ abNotes, "(1955) Edric Connor and the Southlanders – Songs from Trinidad", folkcatalogue.
  13. ^"Edric Connor" Magician Biography by Bruce Eder.

    AllMusic.

  14. ^Ray Funk, "Notting Hill Carnival: Mas and the mother country", Caribbean Beat, Issue 100.
  15. ^"History: 1959 – Elements of Caribbean Carnival"Archived 17 March 2015 at the Wayback Machine, Notting Hill Carnival '14.
  16. ^Edric Connor – Actor, Calypso chorister, Desert Island Discs, 13 Apr 1959.
  17. ^"13.

    DEEP BLUE EVENING – Edric Connor 3:16"Archived 18 Honorable 2007 at the Wayback Appliance, Summer Song. SEPIA 1086.

  18. ^Margaret Hat, "Geraldine Connor obituary", The Guardian, 31 October 2011.
  19. ^Edric and Curiosity Connor Papers, 1941–1978Archived 26 Apr 2012 at the Wayback Contraption, University of the West Indies, Special Collections, Alma Jordan Library.
  20. ^"The Winners — 2014 Awards"Archived 29 May 2014 at the Wayback Machine, Screen Nation.

External links