Lena Horne - an American singer and actress whose life and career offered an insightful view of 20th-century American history - died on Sunday night at New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center in New York. She was 92.
CLICK HERE to read the rest of the story from the News York Times and msnbc.com
Horne's page on Wikipedia offers a good review of her life, as well as numerous links to sites that document both the highs and the lows of that life, both the honors and the hardships. A career that started on the chorus line of the celebrated Cotton Club, eventually led to success on radio, and on the road with celebrated big bands of the era. She also enjoyed success in film, on television, and on the stage. Yet she was always mindful of who was - and who could not be - in her audience. And not just in the concert venues, either. She was an activist for racial equality and civil rights, and her 'progressive politics' would see her blacklisted in Hollywood.
Speaking of Hollywood, earlier this year, I had a chance to enjoy some vintage Horne while watching a broadcast of Cabin in the Sky. But I especially like this performance by Horne from another film, Stormy Weather.
CLICK HERE to read the rest of the story from the News York Times and msnbc.com
Horne's page on Wikipedia offers a good review of her life, as well as numerous links to sites that document both the highs and the lows of that life, both the honors and the hardships. A career that started on the chorus line of the celebrated Cotton Club, eventually led to success on radio, and on the road with celebrated big bands of the era. She also enjoyed success in film, on television, and on the stage. Yet she was always mindful of who was - and who could not be - in her audience. And not just in the concert venues, either. She was an activist for racial equality and civil rights, and her 'progressive politics' would see her blacklisted in Hollywood.
Speaking of Hollywood, earlier this year, I had a chance to enjoy some vintage Horne while watching a broadcast of Cabin in the Sky. But I especially like this performance by Horne from another film, Stormy Weather.
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