A Cool Grandmother Performs

Adrienne Dawson Worrell was only a child when she saw her grandmother Alminta Dawson perform at The Eton House on Danforth Ave. She also tasted her first beer.

Born in Toronto in 1921, Alminta managed to build herself a career as a singer in piano bars and hotel lounges, accompanying herself on the piano or sometimes performing with a small band. It was not easy: She was widowed in 1950; she had kids to raise; black artists faced many obstacles; and she was already in her 30s when she began making her living in music rather than bookkeeping. Her favourite song was to become “Respect”, made famous by Aretha Franklin. The Eton House was forced to close in 2023 to make way for Metrolinx’s Ontario Line project.

This short video is part of our Mapping our Memories project, with funding from the Government of Canada’s New Horizons for Seniors Program (NHSP).