Dancer, singer, actress, and civil rights activist Lena Horne, was born today June 30th, 1917 in Brooklyn, New York. Before going on to win acclaim and awards for her artistry, she began in the 1930’s as a member of the chorus line for Harlem’s famed Cotton Club, and soon won the feature role in the Cotton Club Parade. Her singing ability and beauty caught the attention of MGM in 1938. Faced with theprejudice of the film industry (and the nation), many of her film sequences had nothing to do with the storylines—making them disposable when shown in highly prejudice southern states.
By the 1950s, Horne was blacklisted and gave up on the film industry; she decided to focus on the nightclub scene. Quite the civil rights activist, she was politically involved with the NAACP. Horne continued her career through various variety shows and sitcoms, but found her most prized work in 1980 when she opened her own one-woman show, Lena Horne: The Lady and Her Music. For this she won not only two Grammy’s, but also a Special Tony Award. In 1989 she received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. No where near the end of her achievements, she continued to create music and make appearances until she met the end of her life on May 9th, 2010. Lena Horne leaves a long-lasting legacy. The rhythm and beat of her spirit will live on.
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