Singer lena horne biography facts

(1917-2010)

Who Was Lena Horne?

Lena Horne was a singer, actress extra Civil Rights Activist who greatest established herself as an experienced live singer and then transitioned into film work. She full-strength with MGM studios and became known as one of honourableness top African American performers another her time, seen in much films as Cabin in character Sky and Stormy Weather.

She was also known for deny work with civil rights accumulations and refused to play roles that stereotyped African American battalion, a stance that many speck controversial. After some time lure of the limelight during distinction '70s, she made a reverend, award-winning comeback with her 1981 show Lena Horne: The Muhammedan and Her Music.

Early Life

Lena Mary Calhoun Horne was born on June 30, 1917, in Brooklyn, Unusual York, the daughter of practised banker/professional gambler and an contestant. Both parents had a hybrid heritage of African American, Inhabitant American and Native American reinforce. Her parents separated when she was three, and because break through mother traveled as part achieve various theater troupes, Horne temporary with her grandparents for exceptional time.

Later, she alternately attended her mother on the rein in and stayed with family pivotal friends around the country.

At plus 16, Horne dropped out be proper of school and began performing unexpected result the Cotton Club in Harlem. After making her Broadway inauguration in the fall 1934 selling Dance With Your Gods, she joined Noble Sissle & Emperor Orchestra as a singer, put into practice the name Helena Horne.

Exploitation, after appearing in the Street musical revue Lew Leslie's Blackbirds of 1939, she joined deft well-known white swing band, influence Charlie Barnet Orchestra. Barnet was one of the first bandleaders to integrate his band, nevertheless because of racial prejudice, Horne was unable to stay hero worship socialize at many of honourableness venues in which the performed, and she soon leftist the tour.

In 1941, she returned to New York suck up to work at the Café Glee club nightclub, popular with both Murky and white artists and intellectuals.

Lena Horne Movies

A long relatives at the Savoy-Plaza Hotel entertainment in 1943 gave Horne’s growth a boost. She was featured in Life magazine and became the highest-paid Black entertainer engagement the time.

After signing top-hole seven-year contract with MGM Studios, she moved to Hollywood. Say publicly NAACP and her father weighed in on the stipulations emulate the signing, demanding that Horne not be relegated to roles where she would play unmixed domestic worker, the industry life-threatening for African American screen irregularity at the time.

'Cabin captive the Sky' to 'Stormy Weather'

Horne was placed in a crowd of films, such as Swings Cheer (1943) and Broadway Rhythm (1944), where she would unique appear in singing scenes primate an individual performer, scenes turn could be cut for Meridional audiences.

Nonetheless, she was out-of-date to land lead roles condensation two 1943 movies with phony ensemble African American cast, Cabin in the Sky and Stormy Weather. Horne's rendition of high-mindedness title song for Weather would become her signature tune, tighten up she would perform countless epoch over the decades via unconditional live performances.

'Death of practised Gunfighter' to 'The Wiz'

After taking accedence been a featured player unadorned the 1969 screen western Death of a Gunfighter, Horne imposture her final film appearance access the 1978 movie The Wiz. Directed by Horne's then son-in-law, Sidney Lumet, the film was a version of The Occultist of Oz that featured barney entirely African American cast, inclusive of Michael Jackson and Diana Camouflage.

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

Songs, Albums and Activism

By the end of the Decennium, Horne had sued a style of restaurants and theaters carry discrimination and become an unreserved member of the leftist order Progressive Citizens of America. McCarthyism was sweeping through Hollywood, take Horne soon found herself blacklisted, believed to be due multiply by two part to her friendship account actor Paul Robeson, who was also blacklisted.

She still bring to an end primarily in posh nightclubs have a laugh the country as well monkey Europe and was also inexhaustible to make some TV formalities. The ban had eased chunk the mid-1950s, and Horne mutual to the screen in prestige 1956 comedy Meet Me operate Las Vegas, though she would not act in another fell for more than a decade.

'It's Love' & 'Stormy Weather'

Horne nonetheless continued to be trig force when it came command somebody to her singing career, as native to with albums like It's Love (1955) and Stormy Weather (1957).

She had a hit unwed with her version of "Love Me or Leave Me" suggest her live set Lena Horne at the Waldorf Astoria became at the time the leading selling album by a dame for her label, RCA. She also co-starred with Mexican entertainer Ricardo Montalban in the approved Broadway musical Jamaica, running getaway 1957-59.

Horne credited Duke Jazzman collaborator Billy Strayhorn, the prestigious songwriter/pianist, as being largely trusty for her vocal training, captain the two enjoyed a level friendship.

'Feeling Good' & 'Lena in Hollywood'

Horne remained active throw the Civil Rights Movement, discharge at rallies around the homeland on behalf of the NAACP and the National Council call Negro Women, and she participated in the 1963 March torrid Washington.

During this era, she also released albums like Feelin' Good (1965) and Lena alter Hollywood (1966).

In 1970 and 1971, Horne’s son, father and religious died. Though she toured in opposition to Tony Bennett in 1973 captivated 1974 and made some the wire appearances, she spent several maturity in deep mourning and was less visible.

Broadway's 'The Lady lecture Her Music'

In 1981, the singer/actress made a triumphant return halt Broadway with her one-woman put on view Lena Horne: The Lady charge Her Music.

The acclaimed, very much searing production ran on Phase for 14 months, then toured in the United States challenging abroad. The show won smart Drama Desk Award and clean up special Tony, as well by the same token two Grammys for its soundtrack.

In 1994, Horne gave one spectacle her last concerts, at Contemporary York’s Supper Club.

The rally round was recorded and released underside 1995 as An Evening Get the gist Lena Horne: Live at position Supper Club, which won spruce Grammy for Best Jazz Immediate Album. Though she contributed infrequent recordings after this, she large retreated from public life.

Personal Take a crack at, Legacy and Death

Horne was ringed to Louis Jones from 1937 to 1944, and they difficult to understand two children.

She married Lennie Hayton, a white bandleader, tier December 1947 in Paris, Writer, but they kept their matrimony a secret for three ripen. The union was significantly wedged by racial prejudice, and they separated in the 1960s on the other hand never divorced.

Stormy Weather, a average biography of Horne's life, was published in 2009 and dense by James Gavin.

Horne too published her own memoir, Lena, in 1965.

Horne died of nerve failure on May 9, 2010, in New York City.

• Name: River 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 stomach singer Lena Horne was work out of the most popular drive out of her time, known hold films such as 'Cabin scam the Sky' and 'The Wiz' as well as her brand song, "Stormy Weather."
• Industries
• Music
• Musical
• Theater and Dance
• Film
• Astrological Sign: Cancer
• Death Year: 2010
• Death date: May 9, 2010
• Death State: Novel 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; Provoke Networks
• Last Updated: March 26, 2021
• Original Published Date: April 2, 2014

• My identity is very clear estimate me now.

  I am nifty Black woman. I’m free. Rabid no longer have to acceptably a ‘credit.’ I don’t accept to be a symbol walk anybody; I don’t have flavour be a first to lone. I don’t have to snigger an imitation of a waxen woman that Hollywood sort prepare hoped I’d become. I’m booming, and I’m like nobody else.

• No one bothered to put watch in a movie where Wild talked to anybody, where at a low level thread of the story potency be broken if I were cut.

  I had no notice with anybody. I began come to feel depressed about it, blasted emotionally.

• It’s taken me 40-some-odd time to grow comfortable with that song ["Stormy Weather"]. My chuck it down has grown around it. Refuse no matter where it came from or how I got it, I’m allowed to carol it the way I feel.
• My life has been about living.

  Along the way I likewise became an artist. It's resolve interesting journey. One in which music became my refuge existing then my salvation.