Lena Horne - "Moon River"

In honor of Black History Month all the posts for this month will feature black artists.

Her magnetism was undeniable. So much so that she was the very first African American Actress to be signed to a long term major contract with a major studio; namely MGM. Her sound was distinguished and powerful and she was often likened to more trained classical singers. She push boundaries and broke barriers and her legacy in the civil rights movement is unforgettable.

Lena Mary Calhoun Horne  was an American singer, dancer, actress, and civil rights activist. Horne's career spanned over 70 years, appearing in film, television, and theater. Horne joined the chorus of the Cotton Club at the age of 16 and became a nightclub performer before moving to Hollywood.

Returning to her roots as a nightclub performer, Horne took part in the March on Washington in August 1963 and continued to work as a performer, both in nightclubs and on television while releasing well-received record albums. She announced her retirement in March 1980, but the next year starred in a one-woman show, Lena Horne: The Lady and Her Music, which ran for more than 300 performances on Broadway. She then toured the country in the show, earning numerous awards and accolades. Horne continued recording and performing sporadically into the 1990s, disappearing from the public eye in 2000. Horne died of congestive heart failure on May 9, 2010, at the age of 92.

So today, with memory soft in my eyes, I choose Lena Horne’s glorious version of "Moon River" as my, shake the sun, settle the children, remember the beaches, song for a, we walked with elephants, we stood with mustangs, we flew with birds of paradise, Wednesday.