Monday, May 10, 2010

Remembering the great Lena Horne…

When I was a young girl I had the pleasure of seeing the great Lena Horne perform at the Fabulous Fox Theatre.

She was touring a one-woman show and my parents wanted me to get a chance to see her perform live.

When Lena Horne took the stage that night she took command…she was larger than life, a long slim column of pure power…her arms stretched up as if to touch heaven itself and she moved across the stage in great sweeping steps, her entire body swaying and rippling with the music.

Lena Horne sang with her entire body…she was a truly beautiful woman who wasn’t afraid to get ugly when a note demanded it.

She was an instrument…the sound and the story of each song interpreted through fierce movement and fearless music.

And I sat up in the balcony knowing that I was witnessing magic…a woman who knew who she was, who was confident in her talent…so glorious a performer that I was moved to tears.

It is hard to process that Lena Horne has died…she was so alive, so full of power and energy that it seems impossible.

But the news is ultimately undeniable…Lena Horne passed away last night.

And when I was a young girl I had the pleasure of seeing Lena Horne perform at the Fabulous Fox Theatre…

Today I treasure that moment…the happening that was Lena Horne.

Lena Horne was 92 years old.

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

RIP Lena- She was a national treasure. I loved her smile and her sassy personality.

IseultTheIdle said...

She was so talented, so beautiful, and so very gracious. What a great lady.

CeCe said...

She really was something. I was so sad when I got the text message from CNN last night. I somehow knew I'd see a post about it on your page today. You're so luck that you got to see her live.

Unknown said...

I remember seeing Ella Fitzgerald on the stage there in St Louis in the 60's. She finished her show and got such an ovation she came out of the curtains and sat on the edge of the stage, took her shoes off, breathed a beautifully toned sigh and sang requests for almost an hour.

Island Dreamer said...

I've loved her ever since The Wiz...its sad that she is gone.

'Drea said...

I love the way you described her: a long slim column of pure power...

Ben said...

I,too, saw her at the Fox during that run of her show. I had been a fan of Lena Horne all my life. I remember watching her on early television. She was one of those rare creatures who got more beautiful as she got older. Perhaps reflecting what was inside. She will be truly missed.

Unknown said...

I knew nothing about her history in the civil rights movement until her death. Jesse Jackson was on CNN yesterday discussing it so eloquently. It was really moving. In fact, he looked as though he was about to cry himself when he talked about how long before Dr. King had a stage, she had a stage and she used it.

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