Neither of these women need much of an introduction. But for those who don't know, Eartha and Cleo captivated audiences with their voices and stage presence. They shined in musicals and dazzled for jazz lovers.
Eartha Kitt
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“Live performance is so honest because of its immediacy from the audience. The audience is your best director. Live performance to me means that I'm growing all the time. So that's what I want to keep doing.”
Eartha was born on a cotton plantation in South Carolina. She became one of the most praised and talented performers on Broadway and on screen. Known for her signature purr, she was lauded as a sex symbol. She was very popular with the public and celebrities.
1) Eartha never knew her father and when her mother remarried, she was sent to live with other relatives. This was because her mother’s new husband objected to raising a mixed race daughter.
2) After a group of students at Benedict College found out her true origins, her response was that her fans were her true family
3) She joined the famous Dunham troupe in the 1940s
4) In 1952, she became a hit on Broadway with "Monotonous" in "New Faces of 1952"
5) Orson Welles called her, "most exciting woman in the world"
6) She created controversy when she made anti-war comments at a White House luncheon hosted by Lady Bird Johnson. She allegedly spoke so much truth that Lady Bird Johnson cried. Even though she was asked for her opinion, she was blacklisted. The public and stars like Shirley Temple denounced her. The CIA labeled her a “sadistic nymphomaniac” and no establishment in America would hire her. She had to continue her work in Europe.
7) In 1978 she had her comeback with the musical "Timbuktu!" and was invited back to the White House
8) In 1984 she was criticized for touring South Africa, but according to her it was for a good cause that helped build schools in for black children.
9) In 2007, she opened the newly renovated “Café Carlyle” in New York City
10) She was nominated for 3 Emmys, several Tonys, and 2 Grammys
Cleo Laine
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"I virtually lived in the cinema. I saw all the musicals with Astaire and Rogers. I dreamed that, given the chance, I might be up there too."
Cleo Laine became Britain’s First Lady of Jazz after she soared to popularity with her amazing voice. She became known for her scat singing and high notes in her performances. One of the great icons of the jazz genre in England.
1) Her mother was white English and her father Jamaican
2) At age 26, she learned that her parents were unmarried when she tried to get a passport and found out she was going by her mother's maiden name.
3) Before fame, she worked as an apprentice hairdresser and librarian
4) In her mid-twenties she decided to sing professionally
5) She married famous English jazz musician John Dankworth, they became the “it” couple of England’s jazz scene
6) In 1964, her album “Shakespeare and All that Jazz” received critical acclaim
7) In 1985, she received a Tony nomination for her Broadway performance in “The Mystery of Edwin Drood”
8) She’s an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for services to music
9) She won a Grammy Award for “Best Female Jazz Vocalist”
10) She was appointed “Dame Cleo Laine DBE”, which is the same as knighthood for women
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Eartha Kitt
“Live performance is so honest because of its immediacy from the audience. The audience is your best director. Live performance to me means that I'm growing all the time. So that's what I want to keep doing.”
Eartha was born on a cotton plantation in South Carolina. She became one of the most praised and talented performers on Broadway and on screen. Known for her signature purr, she was lauded as a sex symbol. She was very popular with the public and celebrities.
1) Eartha never knew her father and when her mother remarried, she was sent to live with other relatives. This was because her mother’s new husband objected to raising a mixed race daughter.
2) After a group of students at Benedict College found out her true origins, her response was that her fans were her true family
3) She joined the famous Dunham troupe in the 1940s
4) In 1952, she became a hit on Broadway with "Monotonous" in "New Faces of 1952"
5) Orson Welles called her, "most exciting woman in the world"
6) She created controversy when she made anti-war comments at a White House luncheon hosted by Lady Bird Johnson. She allegedly spoke so much truth that Lady Bird Johnson cried. Even though she was asked for her opinion, she was blacklisted. The public and stars like Shirley Temple denounced her. The CIA labeled her a “sadistic nymphomaniac” and no establishment in America would hire her. She had to continue her work in Europe.
7) In 1978 she had her comeback with the musical "Timbuktu!" and was invited back to the White House
8) In 1984 she was criticized for touring South Africa, but according to her it was for a good cause that helped build schools in for black children.
9) In 2007, she opened the newly renovated “Café Carlyle” in New York City
10) She was nominated for 3 Emmys, several Tonys, and 2 Grammys
Cleo Laine
"I virtually lived in the cinema. I saw all the musicals with Astaire and Rogers. I dreamed that, given the chance, I might be up there too."
Cleo Laine became Britain’s First Lady of Jazz after she soared to popularity with her amazing voice. She became known for her scat singing and high notes in her performances. One of the great icons of the jazz genre in England.
1) Her mother was white English and her father Jamaican
2) At age 26, she learned that her parents were unmarried when she tried to get a passport and found out she was going by her mother's maiden name.
3) Before fame, she worked as an apprentice hairdresser and librarian
4) In her mid-twenties she decided to sing professionally
5) She married famous English jazz musician John Dankworth, they became the “it” couple of England’s jazz scene
6) In 1964, her album “Shakespeare and All that Jazz” received critical acclaim
7) In 1985, she received a Tony nomination for her Broadway performance in “The Mystery of Edwin Drood”
8) She’s an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for services to music
9) She won a Grammy Award for “Best Female Jazz Vocalist”
10) She was appointed “Dame Cleo Laine DBE”, which is the same as knighthood for women
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