Picture it! Summer June 30th, 1917. Brooklyn, NY. An actress, Edna, and her hotel operator husband, Edwin "Teddy", welcome a baby girl into their family. They name her Helen.

Little Helen was born into a family with some women who lead unconventional lives for that time period; her mother an actress and grandmother, Cora Calhoun, who not only was a civil rights activist but also an early suffragette.

At the age of 3, Helen gets a taste of what reality is like... ...her parents divorced. Helen is taken care of by her grandmother, Cora in Brooklyn and family and friends in the Bronx, Georgia and Florida while Edna travels with a theatrical troupe to provide for Helen and herself. I suspect that Helen may had to deal with a multitude of issues at this early period of her life that scarred and bewildered her as well as some life lessons that gave her strength of character that served her well in her years to come. Young Helen may have had to not only overcome the prejudice that existed in the South put perhaps some from her relatives and extended family who may have saw Helen as maybe being a bit of a snob when in fact she may have in fact felt out of her element, lonely and just missing her parents. She may have also felt that she didn't have a stable home. I'm sure she was expected to do her share of hard work, to help out. She would not be a stranger to that reality in her near future. I suspect Cora instilled in her an ideology of fairness and equality for all as well as to not allow people to make her feel less than a valuable contributor to society. In fact in October 1919, Helen became the youngest member of the NAACP. These tools would serve her very well; however, she would be at odds within her community from time to time.

Helen had modest dreams. She wanted to be a teacher, a wife and eventually a mother. But as fate would have it, Helen had a gift for singing, dancing and acting. At the age of 16, she played the lead role as the bride in "Marriage Via Contract" in a charity show for the Junior Theatre Guild. She followed this with work as a dancer at the world renowned "Cotton Club" in Harlem, New York City, as well as an appearance in a Broadway show. During this time she met the likes of Noble Sissle and became a singer and tap dancer with his Society Orchestra and changed name to Helena.

By the year, 1937, Helena had married Louis J. Jones in the hopes that she would leave show business; which was not to be. The marriage produced two children, Gail in 1938 followed by Edwin "Teddy" in 1940. Because of financial problems Helena accepted the leading role in an all Black musical called, "The Duke is Tops" in 1938 and then appeared in another musical revue, "Leslie Blackbirds" of 1938".

1940 saw the end of her short lived marriage and dreams of domesticity. She now found herself in the similar position as her mother, Edna, a single mother with children that depended on her. Helena did what she knew....worked hard. She became a vocalist with "The Charlie Barnet Band (a well known white band) and made several recordings with them as well as toured with them. Helena began to make a name for herself. At one point, she was asked to perform at Cafe Society, a very chic establishment of that time, but she was asked to sing the "blues" in her set. Helena's vocal background was in jazz. What to do? She cleverly went to nearby "Kelly's Stable Nightclub" and got some advice from the blues singer appearing there, who gladly helped her out. The singer was Ms. Billie Holiday! They were friends until Ms. Holiday's tragic death. During this time Helena met her mentor and best friend, Billy Strayhorn, and she was also romantically linked with legendary boxer, Mr. Joe Louis.

Things were going well for Helena. Hollywood was calling for her in 1942 where she signed a 7 year contract with MGM Studios. Max Factor, the cosmetic pioneer, himself create makeup specifically for her (and I think to make the others a little more comfortable about whether or not she was black or white) to make her skin color darker. It was named "Light Egyptian".

It may seem insulting to us, people of color, in our current times but that was the way things were done back then. I likened it to a lighter version of "black face"; but you have to choose your battles and she couldn't afford to throw this opportunity away whenever some of her white contemporaries were not achieving what she was given.

Helena's career took another step up when she appeared at the "Savoy Plaza Hotel's" nightclub in New York City and was featured in "Life" magazine. In 1943 Helana had 3 movies released in the first 6 months and was also featured in "Time", "Life" and "Newsweek". She also became the pin-up girl for Black G.I.'s. Helena was about to butt heads with the powers that be....

Helena turned down the role in Broadway's "St Louis Woman" that MGM wanted her to do. Her refusal resulted in a long suspension and the loss of a role that would her, frankly, caused her a lot of pain, especially when the composer, Jerome Kern, begged MGM for her! While on suspension Helena hired a white manager named Ralph Harris, who guided her career with an emphasis on live performances. She took London and Paris by storm and returned in triumph to the USA. But Helena returned with a secret, while in Paris she married her mentor and conductor at MGM, Lennie Haydon.

Haydon was a classically trained staff composer, arranger in addition to his conducting abilities. Lennie and Helena kept this secret from 1947 to 1950 because she was Black and he was white and it was still illegal to have an interracial marriage in the United States. Only their families knew of the marriage. The revving up of MaCarthyish, the advent of the "blacklist" the witch hunt for Communists, Fascists and other subversives also added to the volatile and stressful time. Being found to even be remotely connected with any of the targeted groups was reason enough to get blacklisted and become a pariah in Hollywood. Helena was in precarious position because she supported the Hollywood Independent Citizens' Committee. The Joint Anti-Fascist Committee and W.E.B. DuBois and Paul Robeson's Council on African Affairs. Helena was considered, without any evidence, to be a Communist or at the very least Anti-Fascist. Does this sound a little familiar?

Helena did what she did best, which meant she brushed it off and concentrate on her life, her family and her career. She rebounded by becoming more active in politics (echoing her grandmother, Cora's activism) for several years and even found herself backing Harry Truman for President. In gratitude Truman asked Helena to perform at his "Inaugural Ball" in 1948.

After announcing her marriage to Lennie, 3 years prior, Helena asked to be released from her MGM contract in 1950 after only having two movies in a five year span because of her suspension related to her refusal of "St. Louis Woman". Helena's unwavering faith, strength and solid support from her husband, manager and family, allowed her to keep on going up the ladder of success despite the old detour or two. She triumphantly went on the nightclub circuit throughout the United States and Europe for most of the 1950's. She also re-signed with RCA Victor in 1956 and recorded a live album, "At the Waldorf" that remains one of her best and biggest to date. In 1957 Helena's name was cleared off the Hollywood Blacklist. She was then able to work in movies and television again. She also started working frequently in Las Vegas. She returned to Broadway in the play "Jamaica" with Harry Belafonte.

Responding to the unrest that was brewing throughout the country in the 1950s and 1960's, Helena devoted even more time to civil rights. She lent her name to causes, where she spoke out as a citizen and a proud black woman and she used her celebrity. In order to commit to the movement Helena temporarily retired 1963 to work side by side with notables of the Civil Rights Movement as: Medgar Evers (who she met in Jackson, Mississippi one week before he was assassinated). Dr. Jeanne Noble (president of the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority), and the Attorney General of New York City, Robert Kennedy. She participated in the "March On Washington" and performed at rallies across the country for the "National Council for Negro Women".

1964 brought a bright spot for Helena with the filming of her own television special in the U.K., which later was shown in the United States. She lost her longtime friend and mentor, Billy Strayhour" died due to cancer. She recovered by filming her first television for the U.S. audience in 1969, but this is short lived... Helena was dealt with several harsh blows to her happiness" her father, "Edwin "Teddy" dies to a heart attack and finally her beloved son, Edwin "Teddy" (Junior) passes away at the young age of 29 due to kidney failure. Unbelievable all within one year of each other! How does she cope, she goes to work.

She reunites with her friend and former Broadway co-star, Harry Belafonte, for a Television Special and performs show at Las Vegas' "Caesar's Palace". Horne later termed up with male vocalist, Tony Bennett, in 1974. This allowed her to do another special for television as she continued to tour with Bennett, performing in Vegas and nightclubs; during this time she recorded a few albums for RCA till 1975. Towards the end of the 1970's she made her last film; a fantastic retelling of a fairytale.

Not one to be idle, Helena didn't take to retirement well so she decided to put together a one woman show for Broadway, her second home, based on her life. Her fans young and old responded with love and made the show a smash hit that ran for one year and closed on June 30th, 1982, on her 65th birthday. Helena takes the show on the road and shares the "Tony" and Grammy Award winning show throughout North America and the U.K. for the next two years.

Helena received a Kennedy Center award for her body of work along with author, Arthur Miller and actor/singer, Danny Kaye. She followed this up with collaboration with jazz singers, Sammy Davis Jr. and Joe Williams. Signing with Blue Notes Records in 1995, she records several more well received albums. One of her last television specials was called, "The Supper Club", which earned her another Grammy in 1995. Her last public appearance was at an All Star Tribute in her honor at Avery Fisher Hall in New York City. Although she was unable to attend she was honored at the once in a lifetime "Legends Weekend" created and hosted by Oprah Winfrey.

Helena lived quietly in her home on the Upper Eastside of New York City after finally retiring from show business and preferred to decline interviews. She passed away, this year, on May 9th, 2010. I feel that she deserved more than a passing mention on the news broadcasts and a column or two in a newspaper. Were it not for her opening doors for the minority singers; dances, actors, as well as the regulars working people along with some of her contemporaries, we wouldn't necessarily have some of the opportunities that some of us take for granted.

Helena appeared in an ad that used to run years ago, asking the question, "What becomes a Legend most?" One good answer is that remarkable, iconic often misunderstood and supremely underrated Helen...... Helena.....LENA HORNE.