All the political upheaval of the last several months has overshadowed the 100th birthday, back in mid-July, of one of America's finest talents, Lena Horne....Jazz chanteuse, Golden Age Hollywood star, TV personality, Political Activist and one of the finest singers I have had the privilege of seeingg live, in the early-1980's, and a true Humanitarian in every way.
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Horne was multi-talented, intelligent, and of course, it must be noted, was also staggeringly beautiful - statuesque, elegant and in her choice of material, dress, presentation and style, she was ageless, and always appeared in perfect taste, looking decades younger than her actual age well into old age, with an unmatched voice and New York sophistication personified.
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Horne had a rocky career in Hollywood, as they attempted to mold her from sensual Blues singer into a strange amalgamation of a woman who, because of deep racism in the Industry and throughout the country, could never lead a mainstream film on her own, but could only make brief onscreen appearances, usually singing in a style more suitable for the White audiences of the day, and in some cases, having her own voice used to dub over a White Actress playing in roles tailor-made for Horne's talents and abilities, such as Ava Garner replacing her, but incorporating her vocal recordings in 'Showboat', and when White servicemen started making her a wartime pinup girl, the South was outraged, and her image was banned because it broke the color-barrier in a way that couldn't be reconciled in the 1940's.
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Horne left Hollywood in frustration and began a successful career as a solo singer, appearing at such major venues as Cafe Society and the Stork Club in Manhattan, wowing audiences with her sensual, sultry style and Jazz-inflected delivery, that packed houses around the country, although Horne was still seething with a slow-burning rage at the way she and countless other Black artists were being treated in America, but the more aloof and icy she appeared onstage, the more White nightclub audiences loved her, and the more successful she became.
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Horne associated with some of the top figures in American Jazz and Blues, including Billy Strayhorn, the legendary other-half' of Duke ELlignton's outstanding orchestra, as well as singers such as Billie Holliday, Ella Fitzgerald, Judy Garland, with whom she appeared on her old TV show, and so many others. Horn'es connections within the world of Jazz undoubtedly helped her cope with the intense racism of the era, and develop new stylistic techniques that made her an audience favorite for over six decades.
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In the 1960's, inspired by the message of MLK and the Civil Rights Movement, Horne tore-down her glamorous image, often appearing with no makeup and a head scarf, singing traditional Negro Spirituals and Freedom songs to a racially-mixed audience, getting in touch with her African-American roots in a powerful way and engaging in serious activism for which she became known in the 1960's and 70's, turning inward to explore just who, in fact, she really was, without the imprints and images forced on her throughout her early career.
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In 1982, sh roared back into the limelight with her famous one-woman show, 'Lena Horne - the Lady and Her Music', which I am so privileged to have seen as a teenager, and her performance was nothing short of astounding, with a voice that filled the Dorothy Chandler Pavillion up to the nosebleed seats, and I couldn't believe that such a big voice and presence could come from this very slim, elegant woman with a great sense-of-humor, (Lena honey, you can shimmy down, but can you get back up?'), that belied her being in her 60's at the time, (she still looked about 40). It was an unqualified success, and Horne spent the rest of her career appearing before audiences, when the mood hit her, while quietly helping new generations of artists come into their own, without all the baggage that she had to overcome so many decades earlier. gold evening dresses
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At the end of her life, in her 90's, Horne became somewhat bitter about the changes in the Music Industry, lambasting the bigwigs, with her characteristic honesty and directness, for not taking any artistic risks, making safe and marketable choices, while ignoring a sea of young talent in favor of guaranteed mainstream success, and her pubic appearances became increasingly rare, although she did grant occasional TV interviews that were fascinating, and she never lost her extraordinary beauty even into advanced age that never seemed to dim, despite dying at nearly 199 after a ric varied life.
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Lena Horne was an American Original in every sense of the term - a sultry, sexy woman who did not use her looks to propel her talent, a warm and compassionate woman who could stand up for herself and others, and who was not afraid to be feisty or challenging when it was needed, a committed Activist who appeared in diamond and sheath dresses at some of New York's fanciest nightclubs, an Actress of true talent, a Humanitarian who always gave back, and that voice of hers, with those characteristic honeyed voice and a deep Blues sensibility make her recordings instantly recognizable and always listenable to this very day.
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Happy 100th, Ms. Lena Horne, and thank you for being such a remarkable presence on this Earth....Yu remain one of our finest singers and interpreters of the American Songbook, and I can still hear you hit those high notes all these decades later, but tattooed onto my memory....There was and always will be just one Lena Horne.