RIP Lena Horne

[unit731]

On the tele here about her.

 

She was one of the first to have good parts in 'white' movies.

 

Stated was that many of the 'white' movies she had a singing part. A part that the editors could easily cut out for the Southern White movie theater audiences.

 

Yes, there were 'Black' movie theaters and 'White' movie theaters back then. And them 'White' movie audience did not want to see any 'Black' actors/actresses in their 'White' movie theaters. With the minor exception of Blacks playing 'domestic' parts.

[dave32]

Lena Horne, the smooth-voiced singing legend who broke down racial barriers in Hollywood died Sunday in New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center New York. She was 92 and lived in Manhattan. No cause of death was given.

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Whatever cultural progress has been made here (and despite the naysayers there has been a lot), pop music has seen a decline. Especially the last decade.

 

OH can rule me as queer as a three dollar bill -- I don't give a fuck. I'm a big fan and wish there were contemporary singers with this kind of potency.

 

Lena Horne, Nina Simone, Ella Fitzgerald, Peggy Lee, Billie Holiday, Sarah Vaughan, June Christy, Rosemary Clooney, Carmen McRae, etc...

 

I love 'em all.

 

RIP Lena.

 

 

[Flashermac]

For one thing, they were before the days of electronic "improvements" to their voices. Some singers nowadays would be lost without modern technology.

 

p.s. You forgot to mention Ethel Merman.

 

 

[Steve]

Without reading her bio (and too lazy to so I may be wrong) but I think she was the first black to be signed to the MGM star system.

 

My parents had a few of her old records along with others (Bing Crosby, Nat King Cole, etc.) Nat could sing his ass off, what a voice.

 

I definitely think the singers of old as a collective are far, far better singers than their modern counterparts. There are a few exceptions obviously (pre crack Whitney Houston, now deceased Luther Vandross, and laugh if you want but Cyndi Lauper can sing when she puts her mind to it).

 

Lena Horne was a great talent but like Jackie Robinson, she wasn't the best black female singer nor he the best black baseball player when he came into the league.

They they were the ones that were more marketable to most folks and had the mental and emotional toughness to pull it off.