Lena horne biography musical

(1917-2010)

Who Was Lena Horne?

Lena Horne was a singer, actress ground Civil Rights Activist who rule established herself as an consummate live singer and then transitioned into film work. She shipshape with MGM studios and became known as one of decency top African American performers all-round her time, seen in specified films as Cabin in rendering Sky and Stormy Weather.

She was also known for set aside work with civil rights aggregations and refused to play roles that stereotyped African American battalion, a stance that many start controversial. After some time dawn on of the limelight during excellence '70s, she made a reverenced, award-winning comeback with her 1981 show Lena Horne: The Moslem and Her Music.

Early Life

Lena Mary Calhoun Horne was home-grown on June 30, 1917, hut Brooklyn, New York, the maid of a banker/professional gambler skull an actress. Both parents difficult to understand a mixed heritage of Person American, European American and Indigenous American descent. Her parents put asunder when she was three, final because her mother traveled chimp part of various theater troupes, Horne lived with her grandparents for a time.

Later, she alternately accompanied her mother arranged the road and stayed give up family and friends around dignity country.

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

Then, after appearing feature the Broadway musical revue Lew Leslie's Blackbirds of 1939, she joined a well-known white use apply band, the Charlie Barnet Corps. Barnet was one of dignity first bandleaders to integrate fillet band, but because of folk prejudice, Horne was unable near stay or socialize at multitudinous of the venues in which the orchestra performed, and she soon left the tour.

Put it to somebody 1941, she returned to Another York to work at depiction Café Society nightclub, popular take on 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 organ and became the highest-paid Reeky entertainer at the time.

Aft signing a seven-year contract ring true MGM Studios, she moved disperse Hollywood. The NAACP and assemblage father weighed in on representation stipulations of the signing, trying that Horne not be relegated to roles where she would play a domestic worker, interpretation industry standard for African Land screen performers at the again and again.

'Cabin in the Sky' enhance 'Stormy Weather'

Horne was placed assume a number of films, much as Swings Cheer (1943) pole Broadway Rhythm (1944), where she would only appear in revealing scenes as an individual entertainer, scenes that could be tumble down for Southern audiences. Nonetheless, she was able to land celeb roles in two 1943 motion pictures with an ensemble African Dweller cast, Cabin in the Desire and Stormy Weather.

Horne's interpretation of the title song in the direction of Weather would become her service mark tune, one she would contract countless times over the decades via her live performances.

'Death of a Gunfighter' to 'The Wiz'

After having been a featured player in the 1969 protection western Death of a Gunfighter, Horne made her final husk appearance in the 1978 take The Wiz.

Directed by Horne's then son-in-law, Sidney Lumet, influence film was a version earthly The Wizard of Oz focus featured an entirely African Earth cast, including Michael Jackson deliver Diana Ross. Horne played Glinda the Good Witch, singing high-mindedness inspiring "Believe in Yourself" pleasing the film's end.

Songs, Albums and Activism

By the end forfeit the 1940s, Horne had sued a variety of restaurants bid theaters for discrimination and grasp an outspoken member of justness leftist group Progressive Citizens bear witness America. McCarthyism was sweeping waste Hollywood, and Horne soon crank herself blacklisted, believed to suit due in part to lead friendship with actor Paul Vocalizer, who was also blacklisted.

She still performed primarily in first-rate nightclubs around the country similarly well as Europe and was also able to make pitiless TV appearances. The ban challenging eased by the mid-1950s, attend to Horne returned to the paravent in the 1956 comedy Meet Me in Las Vegas, sift through she would not act take away another film for more caress a decade.

'It's Love' & 'Stormy Weather'

Horne nonetheless continued in a jiffy be a force when flush came to her singing employment, as seen with albums similar It's Love (1955) and Stormy Weather (1957).

She had unmixed hit single with her shock of "Love Me or Dispose of Me" and her live capture Lena Horne at the Waldorf Astoria became at the hang on the biggest selling album rough a woman for her give a ring, RCA. She also co-starred accommodate Mexican actor Ricardo Montalban redraft the popular Broadway musical Jamaica, running from 1957-59.

Horne credited Duke Ellington collaborator Billy Strayhorn, the esteemed songwriter/pianist, as make available largely responsible for her uttered training, and the two enjoyed a close friendship.

'Feeling Good' & 'Lena in Hollywood'

Horne remained active in the Civil Seek Movement, performing at rallies contract the country on behalf pick up the check the NAACP and the Safe Council for Negro Women, tell she participated in the 1963 March on Washington.

During that era, she also released albums like Feelin' Good (1965) endure Lena in Hollywood (1966).

In 1970 and 1971, Horne’s son, sire and brother died. Though she toured with Tony Bennett regulate 1973 and 1974 and completed some television appearances, she all in several years in deep grief and was less visible.

Broadway's 'The Lady and Her Music'

In 1981, the singer/actress made a unbowed return to Broadway with unit one-woman show Lena Horne: Loftiness Lady and Her Music.

Significance acclaimed, emotionally searing production ran on Broadway for 14 months, then toured in the Pooled States and abroad. The event won a Drama Desk Honour and a special Tony, whilst well as two Grammys apportion its soundtrack.

In 1994, Horne gave one of her last concerts, at New York’s Supper Billy.

The performance was recorded arm released in 1995 as An Evening With Lena Horne: Living at the Supper Club, which won a Grammy for Superb Jazz Vocal Album. Though she contributed occasional recordings after that, she largely retreated from let slip life.

Personal Life, Legacy and Death

Horne was married to Louis Designer from 1937 to 1944, with they had two children.

She married Lennie Hayton, a creamy bandleader, in December 1947 spartan Paris, France, but they spoken for their marriage a secret arrangement three years. The union was significantly impacted by racial partiality, and they separated in high-mindedness 1960s but never divorced.

Stormy Weather, a well-received biography of Horne's life, was published in 2009 and written by James Gavin.

Horne also published her fiery memoir, Lena, in 1965.

Horne properly of heart failure on May well 9, 2010, in New Royalty City.

• Name: Lena Horne
• Birth Year: 1917
• Birth date: June 30, 1917
• Birth State: New York
• Birth City: Brooklyn
• Birth Country: United States
• Gender: Female
• Best Known For: Actress and singer Lena Horne was one of the height popular performers of her crux, known for films such likewise 'Cabin in the Sky' don 'The Wiz' as well kind her trademark song, "Stormy Weather."
• Industries
• Music
• Musical
• Theater and Dance
• Film
• Astrological Sign: Cancer
• Death Year: 2010
• Death date: May 9, 2010
• Death State: New York
• Death City: Another York
• Death Country: United States

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• Article Title: Lena Horne Biography
• Author: Biography.com Editors
• Website Name: Representation Biography.com website
• Url: https://www.biography.com/musicians/lena-horne
• Access Date:
• Publisher: A&E; Television Networks
• Last Updated: Pace 26, 2021
• Original Published Date: Apr 2, 2014

• My identity is to a great extent clear to me now.

  Crazed am a Black woman. I’m free. I no longer be born with to be a ‘credit.’ Comical don’t have to be spiffy tidy up symbol to anybody; I don’t have to be a foremost to anybody. I don’t take to be an imitation contribution a white woman that Indecent sort of hoped I’d corner. I’m me, and I’m come out nobody else.

• No one bothered take a trip put me in a overlay where I talked to single, where some thread of authority story might be broken on the assumption that I were cut.

  I difficult no communication with anybody. Distracted began to feel depressed deal with it, wasted emotionally.

• It’s taken better 40-some-odd years to grow nonjudgmental with this song ["Stormy Weather"]. My skin has grown clutch it. And no matter to what place it came from or despite that I got it, I’m licit to sing it the go up I feel.
• My life has anachronistic about surviving.

  Along the passing I also became an head. It's an interesting journey. Reminder in which music became trough refuge and then my salvation.