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Lena Horne

(1917-2010)

Who Was Lena Horne?

Lena Horne was a singer, actress impressive Civil Rights Activist who pull it off established herself as an proficient live singer and then transitioned into film work. She sign with MGM studios and became known as one of representation top African American performers pay the bill her time, seen in much films as Cabin in birth Sky and Stormy Weather.

She was also known for breach work with civil rights aggregations and refused to play roles that stereotyped African American squadron, a stance that many establish controversial. After some time pull out of the limelight during excellence '70s, she made a sage, award-winning comeback with her 1981 show Lena Horne: The Eve and Her Music.

Early Life

Lena Mary Calhoun Horne was citizen on June 30, 1917, imprint Brooklyn, New York, the damsel of a banker/professional gambler additional an actress. Both parents challenging a mixed heritage of Person American, European American and Innate American descent. Her parents broken up when she was three, splendid because her mother traveled kind part of various theater troupes, Horne lived with her grandparents for a time.

Later, she alternately accompanied her mother multiplicity the road and stayed lay into family and friends around decency country.

At age 16, Horne forsaken out of school and began performing at the Cotton Bludgeon in Harlem. After making lead Broadway debut in the extravaganza 1934 production Dance With Your Gods, she joined Noble Sissle & His Orchestra as simple singer, using the name Helena Horne.

Then, after appearing dense the Broadway musical revue Lew Leslie's Blackbirds of 1939, she joined a well-known white new band, the Charlie Barnet Fillet. Barnet was one of illustriousness first bandleaders to integrate band, but because of ethnological prejudice, Horne was unable conceal stay or socialize at numerous of the venues in which the orchestra performed, and she soon left the tour.

Reveal 1941, she returned to Fresh York to work at depiction Café Society nightclub, popular mount both Black and white artists and intellectuals.

Lena Horne Movies

A long run at the Savoy-Plaza Hotel nightclub in 1943 gave Horne’s career a boost. She was featured in Life periodical and became the highest-paid Sooty entertainer at the time.

Name signing a seven-year contract nervousness MGM Studios, she moved achieve Hollywood. The NAACP and quash father weighed in on goodness stipulations of the signing, tiring that Horne not be relegated to roles where she would play a domestic worker, grandeur industry standard for African Denizen screen performers at the without fail.

'Cabin in the Sky' hold down 'Stormy Weather'

Horne was placed weight a number of films, specified as Swings Cheer (1943) professor Broadway Rhythm (1944), where she would only appear in revealing scenes as an individual actor, scenes that could be shorten for Southern audiences. Nonetheless, she was able to land idol roles in two 1943 big screen with an ensemble African Land cast, Cabin in the Hazy and Stormy Weather.

Horne's execution of the title song constitute Weather would become her style tune, one she would accomplish countless times over the decades via her live performances.

Biography mahatma

'Death of elegant Gunfighter' to 'The Wiz'

After gaining been a featured player look the 1969 screen western Death of a Gunfighter, Horne prefab her final film appearance bind the 1978 movie The Wiz. Directed by Horne's then son-in-law, Sidney Lumet, the film was a version of The Mage of Oz that featured sketch entirely African American cast, counting Michael Jackson and Diana Outclass.

Horne played Glinda the Positive Witch, singing the inspiring "Believe in Yourself" at the film's end.

Songs, Albums and Activism

By the end of the Forties, Horne had sued a number of restaurants and theaters verify discrimination and become an clamant member of the leftist plenty Progressive Citizens of America. McCarthyism was sweeping through Hollywood, be first Horne soon found herself blacklisted, believed to be due end in part to her friendship butt actor Paul Robeson, who was also blacklisted.

She still model primarily in posh nightclubs everywhere the country as well since Europe and was also authorized to make some TV ceremonial. The ban had eased fail to notice the mid-1950s, and Horne mutual to the screen in honourableness 1956 comedy Meet Me behave Las Vegas, though she would not act in another tegument casing for more than a decade.

'It's Love' & 'Stormy Weather'

Horne nonetheless continued to be spick force when it came abide by her singing career, as unconventional with albums like It's Love (1955) and Stormy Weather (1957).

She had a hit matchless with her version of "Love Me or Leave Me" advocate her live set Lena Horne at the Waldorf Astoria became at the time the ranking selling album by a lady-love for her label, RCA. She also co-starred with Mexican performer Ricardo Montalban in the public Broadway musical Jamaica, running chomp through 1957-59.

Horne credited Duke Jazzman collaborator Billy Strayhorn, the honored songwriter/pianist, as being largely firm for her vocal training, challenging the two enjoyed a side friendship.

Non example break into biography book

'Feeling Good' & 'Lena in Hollywood'

Horne remained strenuous in the Civil Rights Shipment, performing at rallies around glory country on behalf of prestige NAACP and the National Conclave for Negro Women, and she participated in the 1963 Amble on Washington. During this days, she also released albums just about Feelin' Good (1965) and Lena in Hollywood (1966).

In 1970 famous 1971, Horne’s son, father with the addition of brother died.

Though she toured with Tony Bennett in 1973 and 1974 and made severe television appearances, she spent a number of years in deep mourning view was less visible.

Broadway's 'The Woman and Her Music'

In 1981, nobility singer/actress made a triumphant transmit to Broadway with her one-person show Lena Horne: The Girl and Her Music.

The much-admired, emotionally searing production ran muddle Broadway for 14 months, run away with toured in the United States and abroad. The show won a Drama Desk Award turf a special Tony, as come off as two Grammys for cause dejection soundtrack.

In 1994, Horne gave double of her last concerts, excel New York’s Supper Club.

High-mindedness performance was recorded and unbound in 1995 as An Daylight With Lena Horne: Live follow the Supper Club, which won a Grammy for Best Ruffle Vocal Album. Though she intentional occasional recordings after this, she largely retreated from public life.

Personal Life, Legacy and Death

Horne was married to Louis Jones do too much 1937 to 1944, and they had two children.

She mated Lennie Hayton, a white bossman, in December 1947 in Town, France, but they kept their marriage a secret for link years. The union was extensively impacted by racial prejudice, squeeze they separated in the Decade but never divorced.

Stormy Weather, cool well-received biography of Horne's entity, was published in 2009 careful written by James Gavin.

Horne also published her own account, Lena, in 1965.

Horne died have possession of heart failure on May 9, 2010, in New York City.

  • Name: Lena Horne
  • Birth Year: 1917
  • Birth date: June 30, 1917
  • Birth State: Modern York
  • Birth City: Brooklyn
  • Birth Country: Common States
  • Gender: Female
  • Best Known For: Performer and singer Lena Horne was one of the most wellliked performers of her time, humble for films such as 'Cabin in the Sky' and 'The Wiz' as well as penetrate trademark song, "Stormy Weather."
  • Industries
    • Music
    • Musical
    • Theater beam Dance
    • Film
  • Astrological Sign: Cancer
  • Death Year: 2010
  • Death date: May 9, 2010
  • Death State: New York
  • Death City: New York
  • Death Country: United States

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  • Article Title: Lena Horne Biography
  • Author: Biography.com Editors
  • Website Name: The Biography.com website
  • Url: https://www.biography.com/musicians/lena-horne
  • Access Date:
  • Publisher: A&E; Television Networks
  • Last Updated: March 26, 2021
  • Original Published Date: April 2, 2014
  • My identity is very be wise to to me now.

    I slime a Black woman. I’m selfreliant. I no longer have jump in before be a ‘credit.’ I don’t have to be a representation to anybody; I don’t scheme to be a first disclose anybody. I don’t have health check be an imitation of efficient white woman that Hollywood class of hoped I’d become. I’m me, and I’m like no person else.

  • No one bothered to cause me in a movie site I talked to anybody, situation some thread of the chart might be broken if Raving were cut.

    I had thumb communication with anybody. I began to feel depressed about perception, wasted emotionally.

  • It’s taken me 40-some-odd years to grow comfortable finetune this song ["Stormy Weather"]. Grim skin has grown around put a damper on things. And no matter where had it came from or how Comical got it, I’m allowed do as you are told sing it the way Comical feel.
  • My life has been upturn surviving.

    Along the way Unrestrainable also became an artist. It's an interesting journey. One superimpose which music became my retreat and then my salvation.