Black History Month: Eleanor Collins Gets Commemorative Stamp For Being Canada’s First Lady Of Jazz
Born in Edmonton but now living in British Columbia, Collins began performing in the 1930s on television and radio shows across the country. She’s worked with a range of famous musicians, including Dizzy Gillespie and Montreal-born jazz pianist Oscar Peterson.
In 1954, Collins became part of the first interracial cast on Canadian television when she joined CBC’s television program Bamboula: A Day in the West Indies. A year later, she starred in The Eleanor Show, which made her the first woman and first Black artist to headline their own national television series.
