Posts Tagged ‘Legends’

The acclaimed jazz singer Lena Horne has died in New York, aged 92.

The great-granddaughter of a freed slave is credited with smashing racial barriers in a career starting in the 1930s.

She got her first break at Harlem’s Cotton Club, where black performers played for wealthy white audiences.

But by the early 1940s, she had become the first black entertainer to sign a major Hollywood deal, paving the way for future generations of black superstars.

When Halle Berry became the first black woman to win the best actress Oscar in 2002, she paid tribute to Horne and said that “this moment” belonged to her.

Twice-married Horne was known for her uncompromising stand on civil rights.

She once said: “I was always battling the system to try to get to be with my people. Finally, I wouldn’t work for places that kept us out… it was a damn fight everywhere, every place I worked, in New York, Hollywood, all over the world”.

Career highlights included a lead role in 1943 all-black movie Stormy Weather – her signature song. She also appeared on Broadway in the 1957 musical Jamaica and won a special Tony award for her 1981 one-woman show, as well as two Grammys.

Despite her achievements mother-of-two Horne always claimed she was defined by her colour. But she said: “I wouldn’t trade my life for anything because being black made me understand.”

RIP

The Dapartment of Arts and Culture will pay tribute to Makeba by hosting festival from November 7th to 9th in Gauteng. This includes a free, public concert at the Union Buildings in Pretoria on November 7th, just two days ahead of the first anniversary of the music icon’s death on November 9th 2008.

In a recent speech, Minister of Arts and Culture, Lulu Xingwana said: “Today we pay tribute to the first African cultural activist to address the United Nations General Assembly, ‘Mama Afrika’, Miriam Zenzile Makeba, whom all of us remember as a songstress, tireless activist and a selfless patriot.”

The National Heritage Council has also thrown its weight behind the event as part of its vision to be the leading agent for the preservation, protection and promotion of the South African heritage, both tangible and intangible, for sustainable development.

Family spokesperson and Makeba’s grandson, Nelson Lumumba Lee said: “The Miriam Makeba concert is very important to us, her family, as it means that the world will never forget Miriam Makeba and we are delighted to celebrate with the rest of the country on the day.”

Makeba passed away on 9th November 2008 shortly after performing on stage in Castel Volturno in Southern Italy whilst lending her support to a just cause.