Lena Horne Books

An absorbing trip through American history, courtesy of a family of vivid dreamers and high achievers. Gail Lumet Buckley had access to a remarkable family archive of scrapbooks, photographs and journals and does great justice to it, crafting a multigenerational portrait that is enlightening and highly readable. Although Buckley's mother, Lena Horne, is the most famous member of the family, the book makes it clear that she was only one of its noteworthy success stories. For anyone wanting to know more about what America was like for middle-class blacks in the Reconstruction and beyond, "The Hornes" is a wonderful place to begin.

Fabulous insight into a family with ties to every important event in US History.

Lena Horne was born on June 30, 1917 and was an actress and singer. Her childhood was filled with alot of people. For seven years she grew up living in Brooklyn with her grandparents. Her grandmother was an activist for African-Americans and because she made sure Lena was involved in programs. She influenced Lena to help out in the civil rights movement. Then after those seven years Lena's mother took her away to travel with her, while she was pursuing a career to be an actress. Lena lived in Florida, Georgia and Ohio and faced alot of racism during that time. When she went to school the black students would make fun of her because she talked northern and had a light complection. During this time Lena was taken care of by strangers and some of them abused her. After traveling with her mother for seven years she moved back with her grandparents. Then when her grandparents died she lived with her mother and stepdad. They did not have alot of money so Lena had to drop out of school. Next she became a chorus girl at the Cotton club at the age of 16. The only reason why she got that job is because she was light-skinned, tall and had a good shape, not because of her singing. Soon her career started to take off and she married Louis Jones at 18 and shortly afterwards she had two children. She starred in a bunch of movies like "the Wiz", "Duke Is Tops", "Cabin in the Sky", and others. Lena also performed songs with white singers that broke some of the racism in show biz. There was one incident when a white man said a racial remark to Lena in club and she threw things at him. I believe he tried to sue her and lied and said he never said anything racist too. Lena is a memeber of the Delta Sigma Theta. She divorced Louis and married Lennie Hayton secretly because he was white. Lena's biggest hit single was called "Stormy Weather", which she also starred in the movie. In 1970 and 1971 Lena lost three important men in her life, her father, her son and her husband. When they died she felt like she couldn't go on but from the help of friends they encouraged her to continue to sing and act. In 1980 she retired from show biz and gave her last tour. Then after the tour she agreed to do a one woman show in Broadway. I think Lena Horne is one of the most beautiful and strongest person ever.

Lena Horne was born on June 30, 1917 and was an actress and singer. Her childhood was filled with alot of people. For seven years she grew up living in Brooklyn with her grandparents. Her grandmother was an activist for African-Americans and because she made sure Lena was involved in programs. She influenced Lena to help out in the civil rights movement. Then after those seven years Lena's mother took her away to travel with her, while she was pursuing a career to be an actress. Lena lived in Florida, Georgia and Ohio and faced alot of racism during that time. When she went to school the black students would make fun of her because she talked northern and had a light complection. During this time Lena was taken care of by strangers and some of them abused her. After traveling with her mother for seven years she moved back with her grandparents. Then when her grandparents died she lived with her mother and stepdad. They did not have alot of money so Lena had to drop out of school. Next she became a chorus girl at the Cotton club at the age of 16. The only reason why she got that job is because she was light-skinned, tall and had a good shape, not because of her singing. Soon her career started to take off and she married Louis Jones at 18 and shortly afterwards she had two children. She starred in a bunch of movies like "the Wiz", "Duke Is Tops", "Cabin in the Sky", and others. Lena also performed songs with white singers that broke some of the racism in show biz. There was one incident when a white man said a racial remark to Lena in club and she threw things at him. I believe he tried to sue her and lied and said he never said anything racist too. Lena is a memeber of the Delta Sigma Theta. She divorced Louis and married Lennie Hayton secretly because he was white. Lena's biggest hit single was called "Stormy Weather", which she also starred in the movie. In 1970 and 1971 Lena lost three important men in her life, her father, her son and her husband. When they died she felt like she couldn't go on but from the help of friends they encouraged her to continue to sing and act. In 1980 she retired from show biz and gave her last tour. Then after the tour she agreed to do a one woman show in Broadway. I think Lena Horne is one of the most beautiful and strongest person ever.

I love this oddball disc. It is a cornucopia of American post-War popular culture -- radio humor, pop music, Broadway hits, RCA "Living Stereo" audiophile culture, "world music" golden oldies, and -- the bonus -- cover art by Mad Magazine's Jack Davis. This is the sort of eclectic but thoroughly middlebrow stuff that was in the living rooms of America when the LP was an exciting thing. And the more one listens to it, the more weird and revealing it is.

In the 1950's, record companies and phonograph manufacturers distributed albums designed to demonstrate the "stereo effect," aimed primarily at people who were either contemplating or had just purchased their first "high fidelity" audio system. Most of these albums had bizarre audio effects (such as sounds moving around the room in a circle or ping-ponging between speakers) to exaggerate the stereo "experience."

For whatever reason, RCA asked Bob & Ray to do a stereo demonstration album. This is it. The album consists of comedy segments parodying the excesses of other stereo demos, separated by one of the strangest collections of musical performances you'll ever hear on one record. (Imagine Lena Horne, Julie Andrews and Abbe Lane sharing an album with the Radio City Music Hall Organ and The Guckenheimer Sour Kraut Band.) The musical performances, with the exception of the Guckenheimer Sour Kraut Band, are all straight, and all of them were simply lifted from other RCA albums of the time (1958).

You won't hear any of the Bob & Ray classic comedy routines, but the audio demonstrations by "Dr. Ahkbar" they concocted will still get you laughing. If that's not enough, you can enjoy the pseudo-lounge music of George Melanchrino, Dick Schory's New Percussion Ensemble, or The Sauter-Finegan Orchestra. (If you've never heard of any of them, join the club.)