Dobbs was born in
Atlanta, Georgia, one of six daughters of
John and Irene Dobbs, who were leaders in the state's African-American community. She had five sisters, including activist and civic leader
Josephine Dobbs Clement (1918–1998), professor
Irene Dobbs Jackson, and educator
June Dobbs Butts (1928–2019). Dobbs began piano lessons at the age of seven, and sang in community and church choirs. while completing a Master's degree in Spanish at
Columbia University. Dobbs won a number of scholarships, and a
John Hay Whitney Fellowship. The funds from these awards enabled her to move to Europe in 1950 and pursue her studies there, notably with
Pierre Bernac. She made her debut at the
Royal Opera House in London, as the Woodbird in
Siegfried, in 1953. She also appeared at the
Paris Opéra, the
Vienna State Opera, and at the opera houses of Hamburg and Stockholm. In 1954, she sang before Queen Elizabeth II and the King and Queen of Sweden at
Covent Garden Theatre In the 1960s Dobbs continued to perform in Europe, particularly in Sweden, where she lived with her husband. In a review of her performance,
Carl Van Vechten wrote that Dobbs' was "glorious ... a warm and brilliant coloratura, and the best Gilda in my experience." Although African-American singer
Marian Anderson had performed at the Met the previous year, Dobbs was the first African-American to be offered a long-term contract by the Met. Following the example set by other African-American performers, Dobbs refused to perform for segregated audiences. She later stated that this hurt her career as she declined offers of work in the southern states. When the Atlanta Municipal Auditorium was desegregated in 1961, Dobbs was the first person to sing to an integrated audience in the city. After de-segregation, she performed in Atlanta in a series of operas produced by
Blanche Thebom.
Retirement Dobbs retired from performing in 1974, and began teaching at the
University of Texas, where she was the first African-American on the faculty. She continued her teaching career as professor of voice at
Howard University in
Washington, D.C., ==Recordings==