Matilda Sissieretta Joyner, also known as the Black Patti, was a late 19th century African-American soprano opera singer who was the first black to sing at the Music Hall in New York – before it was Carnegie Hall. Her voice was so melodic, she was compared to the famous Italian opera singer Adelina Patti – hence her Black Patti nickname.
http://www.blackamericaweb.com/?q=articles/news/the_black_diaspora_news/20800
