Singing at the Lincoln Memorial             Talking with Eleanor Roosevelt

Born in Philadelphia, Marian sang in the local Baptist church, joining the senior choir there.  She became well known and accepted invitations to sing in other churches. In 1919 she sang at the National Baptist Convention. To focus on her music, she switched from a commercial high school to one where she could study music.   She won several competitions and obtained a scholarship from the National Association of Negro Musicians which allowed her to study in Britain. She toured Europe and Scandinavia several times with great success. In 1935, her second appearance at New York’s Town Hall was met with acclaim and she went on to perform two concerts at Carnegie Hall.  Several more tours to Europe and South America followed.  In 1939 her manager tried to book a concert at Washington D. C.’s Constitution Hall. He was told the dates were not available.  The hall was owned by the Daughters of the American Revolution and it had a white only policy.  There were public protests and when Eleanor Roosevelt heard about this, she resigned from the organization.  Eleanor Roosevelt and Walter White of the NAACP convinced Sec. of the Interior Harold Ickes to arrange a free open-air concert at the Lincoln Memorial. Her career included many “firsts” – first African American to sing at the Metropolitan Opera in New York, the first African American to sing at a presidential inauguration (Eisenhower’s 1957 inauguration) and the only performer to sing at two inauguration ceremonies (John F. Kennedy’s in 1961) and the only woman who performed and spoke at the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom 

The New Yorker, https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2009/04/13/voice-of-the-century

Athens Daily Review, https://www.athensreview.com/news/historic-athens-renowned-vocalist-marian-anderson-sings-in-dallas/article_17cf357c-f962-11eb-98d5-8bb99cc135aa.html

Connecticut History.org, https://connecticuthistory.org/black-history-month-marian-anderson/

Marian Anderson Campaign, Marian Anderson History, https://www.wcsu.edu/mariananderson/marian-anderson-history/ 

The Museum of the City of New York, Sarah Seidman, Marian Anderson, the Presidential Inauguration Ceremony, and the order of history , https://www.mcny.org/story/marian-anderson-presidential-inauguration-ceremony-and-order-history?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIy7XPw6ug9AIVjInICh1uRgRTEAAYAiAAEgJd4PD_BwE 

Kennedy Center, Marian Anderson: of thee we sing, https://www.kennedy-center.org/education/resources-for-educators/classroom-resources/media-and-interactives/media/music/marian-anderson-of-thee-we-sing/

  The African Queen  with Humphrey Bogart           Woman of the Year with Spencer Tracy     The Lion on Winter with Peter O'Toole

Katherine’s mother was noted social activist (see her bio in this libguide under “Social Activists) and her father was a doctor. The family was known for its progressive views and encouraged their children to be independent thinkers. She graduated from Bryn Mawr, where she developed her interest in acting. After graduation she won small parts in plays on and off Broadway.  A starring role in 1932 led to film offers. She had several hits, but her refusal to play the “Hollywood game” led to her going back to Broadway in 1934 but audiences rejected her. She returned to Hollywood but from 1935 to 1938 she had only two hits and was considered “poison.” She was offered the Philadelphia Story role on Broadway and was a smash hit. She bought the rights to the play and was able to name her own terms when approached for the movie rights. In the 1960s she didn’t work much, devoting her time to Spencer Tracy whose health was declining. His last film, Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner was her 10th Oscar nomination and her second win. In all she had 12 Oscar nominations and four wins, a record which still stands. Towards the end of her life she made several TV movies and appearances. In declining health, she retired to Old Saybrook where she passed away. 

Britannica,  https://www.britannica.com/biography/Katharine-Hepburn 

Wikipedia, The African Queen, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_African_Queen_(film) 

IMDB Biography,  https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000031/bio?ref_=nm_ov_bio_sm '

ShowBiz Cheat Sheet, https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/katharine-hepburn-called-her-famous-lovers-wife-after-he-died-in-her-home.html/

History, June 29, 2003.  https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/katharine-hepburn-dies-at-age-96

24celebs.com,  https://en.24smi.org/celebrity/39870-katharine-hepburn.html

Movie trailers, Lion in Winter, https://www.firstshowing.net/2016/trailer-for-restored-the-lion-in-winter-starring-hepburn-otoole/

Laura Nigro was born in the Bronx. Her father was a piano turner and jazz trumpeter.  Her family spent the summers in the Catskills where her father played trumpet at the resorts.  She composed her first song at the age of 8. Her father brought her to the attention of record company executives Artie Mogull and Paul Barry who became her agents.  She recorded her first album in at the age of 19.  It wasn’t a hit but songs from the album were hits for other recording artists. David Geffen helped her break the contract with her agents and he became her agent and arranged for a contract with Columbia Records.  In 1971 she married and announced her retirement at the age of 24.  After her divorce in 1975   and the death of her mother, she started recording again when she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer, she worked with Columbia Records on a retrospective of her material. Stone Soul Picnic: The Best of Laura Nyro was released in 1997 just before she died.  She is considered one of the most important songwriters of the 60s and 70s. 

Rolling Stone, Laura Nyro Dead at 49, https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/laura-nyro-dead-at-49-48659/ 

Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laura_Nyro 

WIkipedia, Stoned Soul Picnic, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stoned_Soul_Picnic:_The_Best_of_Laura_Nyro

Rosa Melba Ponzillo and her sister Carmella started their careers singing in cafes and movie theaters.  They went on to perform in vaudeville as “Those Tailored Girls, the Ponzillo Sisters.  They toured on the Keith circuit and made it to the Palace Theater in New York City.  Enrico Caruso heard Rosa sing and arranged for her to audition at the Metropolitan Opera.  She was told to learn two leading parts and given two weeks to do it before her audition.  In 1918 at the age of 21 she sang her first leading role at the Met. Her voice was described as “enormous” and “opulent.”  In the age before microphones, singers of necessity had to be able to be heard to the back of the house. Rosa’s years in vaudeville were very good practice.  A singer with little classical training became one of the most famous sopranos of the 20th century.  Most of her performances were at the Met in New York.  In 1936 she married a Baltimore socialite, Carle Jackson and they built a villa in Maryland called Villa Pace.  They divorced in 1949. She never performed again, but sang for friends at her home. Many recordings of her voice were made over the years. In later years she worked to popularize opera, helping to guide the Baltimore Opera Company and worked with young singers – Beverly Sills, Sherrill Milnes and Placido Domingo. 

Thomason, Paul. “ The Queen of Queens in all of singing” – A deep dive into the genius of soprano Rosa Ponselle, February 16, 2021.  https://operawire.com/the-queen-of-queens-in-all-of-singing-a-deep-dive-into-the-genius-of-soprano-rosa-ponselle/ 

Connecticut Women’s Hall of Fame, https://www.cwhf.org/inductees/rosa-ponselle 

Time, November 9, 1931 cover, http://content.time.com/time/covers/0,16641,19311109,00.html

Norbeck Peters and Ford catalog, https://www.norpete.com/v0268.html

                                                                   Anika Noni Rose and  picture of Princess TIana,              Rose at the 42nd NAACP Awards

She is a Tony award winning actress and singer.  Her career includes many movies, theater and TV series roles.  She is best known for being the voice of the first black Disney princess, Tiana, in The Frog and the Princess in 2009.  Her Tony was won for her role in Caroline or Change in 2004.  During the Covid lockdown she created a weekly series for young children, reading bedtime stories to reduce their fears.  She wanted to “give her voice to the ones who know it best” and foster a love of books. 

Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anika_Noni_Rose 

IMDB, Anika Noni Rose, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0741242/

Broadway.com, Once Upon a Time: Tony Award Winner Anika Noni Rose Launches Bedtime Stories for the Littles!, https://www.broadway.com/buzz/198992/once-upon-a-time-tony-winner-anika-noni-rose-launches-bedtime-stories-for-the-littles/

DIsney Parks blog, https://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2021/07/exclusive-anika-noni-rose-reads-an-excerpt-from-tales-of-courage-and-kindness-disneys-ultimate-princess-celebration/

National Endowment for the Arts, Art Talk.  https://www.arts.gov/stories/blog/2013/art-talk-anika-noni-rose

Broadway World, Anika Noni Rose Will Star in LET THE RIGHT ONE IN , https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Anika-Noni-Rose-Will-Star-in-LET-THE-RIGHT-ONE-IN-20210415

                                                          With Cary Gant in "His Girl Friday"             With Alec Guinness in "A Majority of One"

Rosalind; was born to an affluent family in Waterbury. Her father was a lawyer and her mother an editor at Vogue.  She attended Marymount College in Tarrytown but convinced her parents to let her attend the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in NYC, telling them she wanted to teach. Acting was her real goal.  After a brief stint on Broadway she headed to Hollywood. She signed with Universal Studios but convinced them to release her from the contract when MGM made her a better offer.  She had several successful roles including a part in the movie version of Clare Booth Luce's play, The Women.  Her big hit was the role of Hildy with Cary Grant in His Girl Friday in 1940.  In 1942, she was nominated for an academy award for the role of Ruth Sherwood in My Sister Eileen.  She was nominated four times for Oscars and won five Golden Globes. She returned to the theater in the 1950s winning a Tony for her part in Wonderful Town and a nomination for Auntie Mame.  The film version became a big hit and was the most successful film of her career.  She was given a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1960 and in 1973 she received the Jean Herscholt Humanitarian Award for her charity work in Los Angeles and other locations, including Children’s Services in Connecticut. In 1974 the American National theater presented her with the National Artists Award.    

Cinema Sight, Oscar Profile #36 Rosalind Russell, http://cinemasight.com/oscar-profile-36-rosalind-russell/ 

  Connecticut Women’s Hall of Fame, https://www.cwhf.org/inductees/rosalind-russell 

Fox News, Entertainment, www.foxnews.com/entertainment/rosalind-russell-cary-grant-his-girl-friday-dynamic-aes

Britannica, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Rosalind-Russell

New York Times, November 29, 1976,  https://www.nytimes.com/1976/11/29/archives/rosalind-russell-dies-of-cancer-star-of-stage-and-screen-was-63.html

Vanity Fair,  Queen Roz, https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2021/08/rosalind-russell-memoir-old-hollywood

Wikipedia, Auntie Mame, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auntie_Mame_(film)

                                                        Ronnie (center) and the Ronettes             The Ronettes with the Roling Stones, on tour in 1964

Ronnie was born in the Spanish Harlem section of New York.   her mother was African-American and Cherokee and her father was Irish-American.  Veronica Yvette Bennett (later known as Ronnie Spector) sang at family gatherings while growing up.  In 1957 she formed the Ronettes with her sister Estelle and cousin Nedra Talley. Phil Spector produced most of their music. She and Phil Spector were married in 1968 and divorced in 1972. Ronnie’s autobiography presents a harrowing picture of his abuse.   The Ronettes disbanded in 1967 after a European tour.  Ronnie went on to a solo career often performing with various artists over the years.  The Ronettes sued Phil Spector in 1988 for unpaid royalties and the income he made from licensing their music.  After the case spent many years in various courts, they were awarded a judgement of 1.5 million.  In 1982 she married Jonathan Greenfield and they settled in Danbury CT with their two sons.   

The History of Rock and Roll,  https://www.history-of-rock.com/ronettes.htm

Wikipedia, Ronnie Spector, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ronnie_Spector 

MME News Will Lavin, BBC Four to air Ronnie Spector Special, https://www.nme.com/news/music/bbc-four-to-air-ronnie-spector-special-on-friday-3137244

NPR, MUSIC. Hilarie Ashton,  It’s time to recognize The Ronettes as rock and roll pioneers., https://www.npr.org/2018/03/12/590891692/its-time-to-recognize-the-ronettes-as-rock-and-roll-pioneers

Nylon Culture, 60s legend Ronnie Spcetor of the Ronettes has died,  https://www.nylon.com/life/ronnie-spector-the-ronnettes-dies-87

                                                                                                             With Milton Berle and Frank Sinatra       With Golda Meir, Israel PM.

Sophie Kalish was born in Russia just before her parents immigrated. Her father changed the family name to Abuza because he had deserted the Russian military. The family ran a diner and rooming house which catered to show business people.   She began singing for customers at the diner and in 1903 eloped to Holyoke MA with a beer cart driver, Louis Tuck. In 1906 she asked her husband for a separation. When Willie Howard of the Howard Bros. gave her a letter of introduction to a well-known composer, Harold Von TIlzer, she left Hartford for New York and changed her name to Tucker. Tilzer wasn’t impressed with her and she began singing in cafes and beer gardens.  In 1907 she got a break and began performing in vaudeville.    She protested and was embarrassed to tell her family she was performing in blackface. Her costumes were lost before a performance in Boston and she got to perform as herself.   She became increasingly popular and in 1910, African American composer Shelton Brooks wrote her signature song, “Some of these Days.”  She purchased the exclusive performance rights to this song and many of her other hits. She sang before the king and queen of England in 1926 and toured Europe during the rise of Nazism.  Her performance of “My Yiddish Moma” was booed in France and warmly received in Austria and Germany.  A few years later the Nazis were burning copies of the song.  As vaudeville began to die, she appeared in several movies, but always preferred performing in theaters before live audiences. Along with her charity work, she was an active supporter of Israel.  “Tucker’s legacy exists in her generous contributions to charity, her influence on images of Jewish culture and women’s sexuality, and her role as an entertainer who thoughtfully interpreted the chaotic and beautiful world around her.” 

Borden, Anne. Sophie Tucker, The Shalvi/Hyman Encyclopedia of Jewish Women, https://jwa.org/encyclopedia/article/tucker-sophie 

The Museum of the City of New York, https://www.mcny.org/story/sophie-tucker

Jewish Women's Archive, Sophie Tucker records signature song,  https://jwa.org/thisweek/mar/02/1911/sophie-tucker