#lenahornestyle May 9, 2010 Lena Mary Calhoun Horne, singer, actress, dancer and civil rights activist, died. Horne was born June 30, 1917 in Brooklyn, New York. At 16, she joined the chorus line at the Cotton Club and a few years later joined the Noble Sissle Orchestra. In 1943, she became the first Black performer to sign a long term contract with a major Hollywood studio. Horne made her MGM debut in 1942 in “Panama Hattie” and performed the title song “Stormy Weather.” She appeared in a number of MGM musicals but was never featured in a leading role because of her race and the fact that films featuring her had to be re-edited for showings in states where theaters would not show films with Black performers. During the 1950s, Horne was blacklisted because of her political views and she left Hollywood to become one of the premier nightclub performers. She headlined at clubs and hotels throughout the United States, Canada, and Europe. In 1957, her album “Lena Horne at the Waldorf-Astoria” became the biggest selling record by a female artist in the history of the RCA-Victor label. In 1958, Horne was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical for her role in “Jamaica.” In 1969, she starred in her own television special, “Monsanto Night Presents Lena Horne.” In 1981, Horne debuted her one-woman show “Lena Horne: The Lady and Her Music.” For her performance, she received a special Tony Award. The soundtrack from the show won the 1982 Grammy Award for Best Musical Show Album and Horne won the Grammy Award for Best Vocal Performance, Female. Horne was always involved with the Civil Rights Movement. During World War II, she refused to perform for segregated audiences or for groups in which German prisoners of war were seated in front of African American servicemen. She also spoke and performed at the 1965 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. In 1983, Horne was awarded the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People Spingarn Medal. Over her career, Horne won four Grammy Awards, including the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1989. She was inducted into the International Civil Rights Walk of Fame in 2006. Horne published her autobiography, “Lena,” in 1965. Biographies of Horne include “In Person, Lena Horne” (1950) and “Lena: A Personal and Professional Biography of Lena Horne” (1984).
Posted on: Fri, 09 May 2014 12:48:16 +0000
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