Lena HorneLena Horne photographed by Carl Van Vechten, 1941Lena Calhoun Horne (born June 30, 1917) is an American popular singer. While she has recorded and performed extensively with jazz musicians (notably Artie Shaw and Teddy Wilson), she is usually not considered a jazz singer because she does not improvise. She was the first African American performer to sign a long-term contract with a major Hollywood studio, and became famous in 1943 for her rendition of Stormy Weather in the movie of the same name. She later appeared in a number of MGM musicals, most notably Cabin in the Sky, but was never featured in a leading role due to her race and the fact that films featuring her had to be reedited for showing in southern states where theatres could not show films with African-American performers. (As a result, most of Horne's film appearances were standalone sequences that had no bearing on the rest of the film, so editing caused no disruption to the storyline.) She was originally considered for the lead role in the 1951 version of Show Boat but Ava Gardner was given the role instead. Disenchanted with Hollywood by the mid-1950s, and increasingly focused on her nightclub career, she only made two major appearences in MGM films during the decade, 1950's Duchess of Idaho (which was also Eleanor Powell's film swan song), and the 1956 musical Meet Me in Las Vegas. She returned to the screen three more times, playing Claire Quintana in the 1969 film Death of a Gunfighter, Glinda the Good Witch in The Wiz (1978), with Diana Ross and Michael Jackson, and co-hosting the 1994 MGM retrospective That's Entertainment! III. Films
Albums
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She returned to the screen three more times, playing Claire Quintana in the 1969 film Death of a Gunfighter, Glinda the Good Witch in The Wiz (1978), with Diana Ross and Michael Jackson, and co-hosting the 1994 MGM retrospective That's Entertainment! III. She never had a particularly successful adult career, although she did win a Tony Award for her performance in The Bad Seed, which she followed up by starring in the film version and receiving a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress. Disenchanted with Hollywood by the mid-1950s, and increasingly focused on her nightclub career, she only made two major appearences in MGM films during the decade, 1950's Duchess of Idaho (which was also Eleanor Powell's film swan song), and the 1956 musical Meet Me in Las Vegas. Nancy was a child star, who had made so many movies by the time she was nine years old, that Film Daily called her "the most photographed child in America due to commercial posing.". (As a result, most of Horne's film appearances were standalone sequences that had no bearing on the rest of the film, so editing caused no disruption to the storyline.) She was originally considered for the lead role in the 1951 version of Show Boat but Ava Gardner was given the role instead. Born in Lowell, Massachusetts, she was the sister of actor Jack Kelly. She later appeared in a number of MGM musicals, most notably Cabin in the Sky, but was never featured in a leading role due to her race and the fact that films featuring her had to be reedited for showing in southern states where theatres could not show films with African-American performers. Nancy Kelly (March 25, 1921 - January 2, 1995) was an American actress. She was the first African American performer to sign a long-term contract with a major Hollywood studio, and became famous in 1943 for her rendition of Stormy Weather in the movie of the same name. While she has recorded and performed extensively with jazz musicians (notably Artie Shaw and Teddy Wilson), she is usually not considered a jazz singer because she does not improvise. Lena Calhoun Horne (born June 30, 1917) is an American popular singer. Being Myself (1998; Blue Note). An Evening with Lena Horne (1995; Blue Note) - Grammy Award for Best Jazz Vocal Album. We'll Be Together Again (1994; Blue Note). The Men in My Life (1988; Three Cherries). The Lady and Her Music (1981; Qwest) - Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance. Lena: A New Album (1976; RCA). Lena and Michel (1975; RCA). Nature's Baby (1971; Buddah). Lena & Gabor (1970; Skye). Soul (1966; UA). Merry from Lena (1966; UA). Lena in Hollywood (1966; UA). Feelin' Good (1965; UA). Here's Lena Now! (1964; 20th Century). Sings Your Requests (1963; Charter). Lena Goes Latin (1963; Charter). Lovely & Alive (1963; RCA). Lena on the Blue Side (1962; RCA). At the Sands (1961; RCA). Songs by Burke and Van Heusen (1960; RCA). Porgy & Bess (1959; RCA) - with Harry Belafonte. Give the Lady What She Wants (1958; RCA). Jamaica [Original Cast Recording] (1957; RCA). At the Waldorf Astoria (1957; RCA). Stormy Weather (1956; RCA). It's Love (1955; RCA). That's Entertainment! III (1994; MGM). The Wiz (1978; Universal Studios). Death of a Gunfighter (1969; Universal Studios). Meet Me in Las Vegas (1956; MGM). Duchess of Idaho (1950; MGM). Words and Music (1948; MGM). Studio Visit (1946; MGM short subject). Ziegfeld Follies (1946; MGM). Mantan Messes Up (1946; Toddy Pictures). Till the Clouds Roll By (1946; MGM). Boogie-Woogie Dream (1944; Official Films short subject). Broadway Rhythm (1944; MGM). Swing Fever (1944; MGM). Two Girls and a Sailor (1944; MGM). Cabin in the Sky (1943; MGM). I Dood It (1943; MGM). Stormy Weather (1942; 20th Century Fox). Thousands Cheer (1943; MGM). Panama Hattie (1942; MGM)*. The Duke is Tops (1938; Million Dollar Pictures). |