When everything is finished in a world, the people go to look for what the artists leave. It's the only thing that we have really in this world -- is an ability to express ourselves and say, "I was here."
-- Abbey Lincoln
Thank you, Abbey Lincoln, for your original wonderful music and for inspiring me to learn how to sing "Afro Blue" for my audition for Tiffany Golden's play, "Firstborn." Abbey Lincoln passed away Sunday at 80 in an apartment in my old neighborhood, Manhattan's Upper West Side. See my blog of December 28, 2009 for more of my Abbey Lincoln appreciation.
"Her vocal style was built around her phrasing, interpretation of the lyrics and emotion, drawing on her acting skills," according to the AP and everyone who copies them.
Born Anna Marie Wooldridge, her father was a handyman. As Gaby Wooldridge, she began singing professionally in 1951 in Honolulu and Los Angeles. Producers at the Moulin Rouge in Hollywood came up with the more exotic name Gaby Lee, and had her dress in feathers and slit dresses. Her manager, the songwriter Bob Russell, devised the name "Abbey Lincoln," after Abraham Lincoln and Westminster Abbey.
Born Anna Marie Wooldridge, her father was a handyman. As Gaby Wooldridge, she began singing professionally in 1951 in Honolulu and Los Angeles. Producers at the Moulin Rouge in Hollywood came up with the more exotic name Gaby Lee, and had her dress in feathers and slit dresses. Her manager, the songwriter Bob Russell, devised the name "Abbey Lincoln," after Abraham Lincoln and Westminster Abbey.
