WELCH, Elisabeth
Singer and Actress
Elisabeth lived from 1959 until the 1980s at Capener Close, (off Kinnerton Street), Westminster.
Elisabeth Welch was born in New York in 1904. Arriving in London in 1933, she spent the remainder of her life in the UK. She came to prominence in Cole Porter's Nymph Errant, alongside Gertrude Lawrence, at the Adelphi Theatre in 1933, particularly for her rendition of 'Solomon'. Her career as a performer lasted over 50 years, working in British theatre, television, film and recording. She was probably the best known black woman entertainer in Britain in the 1930s and 1940s and was endeared as a wartime entertainer of troops. Her career revived remarkably in the 1980s following her nmemorable appearance in Derek Jarman's film, The Tempest, in 1979, when she sang 'Stormy Weather' in the final scene. She was nominated for a Lawrence Olivier Award in 1985, a Tony in 1985-1986, and in 1989 received a special award for services to entertainment from the Variety Club of Great Britain. In 1991 she received the BASCA (British Academy of Songwriters, Composers, and Authors Gold Badge of Merit Award). Elisabeth Welch died on 18th July 2003, aged 99.
Further reading: Elizabeth Welch, Soft Lights &
Sweet Music, Stephen Bourne (Scarecrow Press: 2005).