Style Flashback: Lena Horne

What is there left to say about Lena Horne that hasn't already been said. Singer. Actress. Activist. Dancer. She's done it all. On May 9th, 2010 the world was saddened by the news that a legend had fallen. We can take comfort in the fact that she lead a full life, dying at the age of 92. I'll try here to summarize all her achievements in less than 500 words. In the Fall of 1933, Horne joined the mike chorus of the Cotton Club at the age of sixteen and became a nightclub performer. This was her introduction to the world of entertainment. Soon after, Hollywood called. Horne had small parts in numerous movies, and more substantial parts in the films Cabin in the Sky and Stormy Weather. However, due to her left-leaning political views, Horne found herself blacklisted and unable to get work in Hollywood. During World War II, when entertaining the troops for the USO, she refused to perform "for segregated audiences or for groups in which German POWs were seated in front of African American servicemen." 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 three hundred performances on Broadway and earned her numerous awards and accolades. She continued recording and performing sporadically into the 1990s, disappearing from the public eye in 2000. I'll miss Lena Horne for her integrity - something many artists today lack. Fame and fortune shouldn't be the end goal for modern entertainers. Courage and faith hold equal merit, and as Horne has demonstrated, it's what real legends are made of.

Style Flashback: Phylicia Rashād

Every one's favorite TV mom has probably one of the most accomp- lished yet under- appreciated careers in Hollywood. She more than deserves a "Style Flashback" spotlight. Phylicia Rashād, aka Claire Huxtable, was born in Houston, Texas in 1948. She graduated from Howard University, where she later went back to teach drama. Rashād first became notable on the stage with a string of Broadway credits, including Deena Jones in Dreamgirls (she was Sheryl Lee Ralph's understudy until she left the show in 1982 after Rashad was passed over as Ralph's full-time replacement). Of course, Rashād is best known for her role as attorney Clair Huxtable on The Cosby Show. She played the no-nonsense mother of five for eight years then later returned to TV comedy in 1996 with CBS's Cosby. Her role in The Cosby Show earned her two Emmy Award nominations. In 2003, she was honored as Woman of the Year by the Harvard Black Men's Forum. In 2005, Rashād received an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts (D.F.A.) degree from Brown University. Most recently, Rashād became the first African-American actress to win the Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play, for her role in the revival of A Raisin in the Sun. I saw this play on opening night and the scene where she discovers that Walter Lee has lost all the father's money brought me to tears. Nowadays you can catch Rashād plugging Jenny Craig diets during commercial breaks, but I personally love watching re-runs of her keeping the Huxtables in check. No one could keep 'em in line like Mrs. Huxtable!

Style Flashback: Denise Nicholas

I first saw Denise Nicholas when I was just six-years-old in the movie A Piece of the Action alongside Sidney Poitier and Bill Cosby. I thought she was so beautiful and wanted to dress like her and be just as sassy! About a month ago I caught the same movie on BET J and was blown away all over again by her elegance. Nicholas began her television acting career in 1968 but most of you will remember her as Liz McIntyre on the TV show Room 222 (for which she received two Golden Globe nominations) or as Harriet DeLong in In the Heat of the Night. Nicholas wrote six episodes of the dramatic show, In the Heat of the Night and thus began her second career as a writer. When that show was cancelled, she enrolled in the graduate Professional Writing Program at the University of Southern California proving beauty and brains can coexist. Her first novel, Freshwater Road, was published in 2005 to critical acclaim and was selected as one of the best books of 2005 by The Washington Post, The Detroit Free Press, The Atlanta Journal Constitution, Newsday and The Chicago Tribune. Nicholas is also recognised as a social activist who was involved in the American Civil Rights Movement. These days Nicholas continues to write and resides in Southern California.

Style Flashback: Grace Jones

Grace Jones is the undisputed queen of androgyny but that doesn’t mean she ain’t sexy! Over the last twenty years she’s graced our magazine pages and blared over our radios, but more than anything who could forget her strong presence on the big screen? Born Grace Mendoza in Spanish Town, Jamaica, she moved to New York in 1965 with her family where she became a successful model and studied theatre at Syracuse University. Despite her education, Grace didn’t begin her career in acting until the 80s. First she secured a record deal with Island Records in 1977, which resulted in a string of dance club hits and garnered a large gay following. Towards the end of the 70s Grace embraced a dramatic visual makeover, created in partnership with stylist Jean-Paul Goude, with whom she had a son though never married. They created her staple androgynous look with square-cut hair and angular, padded clothes. A star was born and Hollywood soon came calling. Grace co-starred with NBA legend Wilt Chamberlain and Arnold Schwarzenegger in Conan the Destroyer in 1984, played the infamous 007 nemesis in the James Bond movie A View to a Kill (1985) and who could forget Strangè of Boomerang (1992)?! These days you can find Ms. Jones hanging out in London with cool kids Kate Moss and Stella McCartney or sitting front row at an Alexander McQueen show. Icons don’t rest you see.

Style Flashback: Veronica Webb

Veronica Webb wasn’t your average supermodel. This Detroit native (by way of Nigeria, South America and Asia!) is an accomplished writer, journalist and budding actress. Not many supermodels are blessed with brains as well as beauty. It was during her time at college in New York City that she was discovered on the street by a makeup artist in the early 1980's. As a runway model, she was in demand and photographed wearing fashions from the collections of Chanel, Azzedine Alaia, Isaac Mizrahi, Karl Lagerfeld, Todd Oldham and Victoria’s Secret. She has also appeared on the covers of Vogue, Essence and Elle magazines. Webb is probably best known for being the first black model to score an exclusive contract for the major cosmetics company Revlon, but she spent time serving as editor-at-large of Interview magazine, and was a monthly columnist for Paper Magazine, New York City's style guide to downtown cool, for five years. Veronica also wrote a weekly column on American culture in Panorama, Italy’s popular weekly news magazine, and has contributed as a writer for Details, Elle, The Sunday Times (UK) and The New York Times Syndicate. Webb has also had roles in prominant movies such as Jungle Fever and Malcolm X. In fact, she pursued acting because modelling simple wasn't satisfying enough. You can still pick up a copy of Veronica’s 1998 released book “Veronica Webb Sight: Adventures in the Big City” – a collection of essays reflecting on her life. Though she still writes extensively, Webb is fast becoming a household name since appearing as a co-host on the hit Bravo show “Tim Gunn’s Guide to Style.” Between filming the show and writing for pleasure, Webb dedicates her time to numerous charities including, LIFEBeat, Product Red and the RPM Nautical Foundation. Webb currently lives in Florida Keys with her husband George Robb and their two daughters. Of her modelling career Web says, "I will never lose my fascination and passion for the creativity and the talented people involved in making beautiful clothes and astounding photographic images which bring the fashion world to life in the lives and imaginations of the people everywhere in the world. Every generation defines itself against its predecessor." And with that said we eagerly wait to see what the next generation of black models will do to leave their mark.

Style Flashback: Dorothy Dandridge

Dorethy Dandridge has many “firsts” under her belt. She was the first African American actress to be nominated for an Oscar in the Best Actress category; the first African American to perform at the Las Vegas Fronteir and Waldolf-Astoria; and she was the first African American to appear on the front cover of Life magazine. Her career started in Ohio where she performed with two of her sisters in the group “The Dandridge Sisters.” She eventually went solo when her family moved to LA. Dandridge landed bit roles in movies where she got the chance to showcase her acting and singing skills although all of her early roles were stereotypical. Her singing ability however, brought her popularity in nightclubs around the country. In fact, her singing provided a fallback career when acting roles dried up. In 1957, she starred in “Island in the Sun” which was controversial for its portrayal of an interracial romance, this lead to one of her many acting “dry spells.” She did however receive a Golden Globe nomination for her role alongside Sidney Poitier in “Porgy and Bess.” Despite her many accolades Dandridge suffered many hardships including being sexually abused by her mother’s lesbian partner, declaring bankruptcy, enduring physical abuse from her husband, and facing ongoing racism in Hollywood. Dandridge was found dead in her West Hollywood apartment on September 8, 1965 at the age of 43. Rumor has it she died of an accidental overdose due to depression.

Style Flashback: Lola Falana

A dancer and actress by trade, Lola Falana began her career by moving to New York armed with only $23. She danced in nightclubs until she was discovered by Sammy Davis, Jr. who anointed her his protégé and gave her the lead dancing role in the Broadway smash “Golden Boy” (October 20, 1964 - March 5, 1966). Falana then tried her hand at singing. She had a moderately successful career but she finally broke away from Sammy Davis Jr. in an attempt to create a name for herself, separate from her mentor. That's when her career really took off; she acted in several highly successful Italian movies, peformed on variety shows such as Bill Cosby’s “The New Bill Cosby Show” and she finally acquired her own act in Vegas. By the late 1970s, she was considered the Queen of Las Vegas. She played to sold-out crowds at The Sands, The Riviera, and the MGM Grand hotels. The Aladdin even offered her $100,000 a week to perform. At the time, Falana was the highest paid female performer in Las Vegas. She was also the first black woman to model for a line of cosmetics that wasn't targeted solely to blacks. Falana’s last Vegas performance was in 1987 due to a relapse of Multiple Sclerosis. I’m not sure where she resides now but she has since fought the disease with hopes of one day returning to the stage. All hail the First Lady of Vegas.