Lena Horne Activist Icon passes post by Suzannah B. Troy

Lena Horne was a great beauty, a beautiful person, singer, performer, icon and Civil Rights activist.  Growing up in Bed Stuy Brooklyn her peers treated her badly because of her light black skin.  They said she had a white father which was not true.

Lena Horne was the first African American Actress to have a contract with a major Hollywood studio with a clause stipulating she did not have to play any demeaning or stereotypical roles according to this blog I linked to and also was a favored and loved presence at The Apollo Theatre.

Below a quote from The New York Post Editorial section from Quincy Jones, May 11, 2010.

"Lena Horne was a pioneering groundbreaker, making inroads into a world that had never before been explored by African-American women, and she did it on her own terms. Our nation and the world has lost one of the great artistic icons of the 20th century."

— Composer/arranger Quincy Jones on the death Sunday of the legendary singer and actress at the age of 92

She was a ground breaker and a fighter for Civil Rights and she contributed and helped pave the way for other thanks to her activism and courage.  She died at 92 years old here in NYC  New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center and she had her family with her.


I remember Liz Smith was a big admirer of Lena Horne and I was invited to a function dedicated to her.  Her daughter came in her place if memory serves me right. 


Lena Horne was very humble and down played her talents but she truly was a compelling performer, a great beauty, a loved Mother and an activist that made a difference and will be missed.


She was born here 92 years old and she passed away her in NYC...full circle fully loved...


I think of Alicia Keys singing "Empire State of Mind" so beautifully and I think of Lena Horne now  eternally beautiful;  her great contributions remain with us in spirit.  Thank you and Bless you Lena Horne.

Giuseppi Logan son's video post by Suzannah B. Troy

As any of the good people following my blogs and YouTubes know I discovered Giuseppi Logan playing "Begin the Beguine" 2 years ago on a freezing cold day and I knew I captured something amazing. I ran home and I followed GL's instructions to research him on the internet. I immediately found a YouTube posted on ESP channel of a British film maker's showing Giuseppi Logan in the very same park, Tompkins Square Park in the East Village but from 1966. Giuseppi's son Jaee happily plays in the park with little girls as Giuseppi's original composition plays in the background. Peter Gershon, the publisher of "Signal to Noise" wrote a powerful piece on Giuseppi Logan "Out from the Shadow" and I was deeply moved by what Pete wrote about my contribution and my work in this exciting discovery... Giuseppi Logan was in fact a live. He had made 2 successful records in the 1960's before he vanished. Where did he vanish to? His demons got the better of him. More on that later. I have a poem in the park..."miss you, miss people, neighborhood, trees, NYC idiosyncrcasies" at the base of the fountain with the word "Hope" you will see in the video I am posting that was sent to me. Giuseppi Logan was standing just a foot away from my poem with the words "Hope" above my poem like a shining light. Who would know I would stand next to Jaee Logan 2 years later and Jaee will be talking to us about broken family trees...not only had Jaee Logan lost his Father but he has lost his only son to random gun violence. His son Jaee was shot 3 times in the back of the head. What you will see is Giuseppi Logan and his son Jaee reunited after 40 years thanks to my YouTubes. When Giuseppi self destructed Jaee's Mom took him to the west coast which is his home base. He has his Dad's musical gifts and the first time I conferenced called them as we talked -- Giuseppi would play music and it spoke to Jaee in a way I could not through is music. I was deeply moved. I have had to deal with the dark side of YouTube and blogger owned by Google and I have had to turn to the NYPD and lawyers but this is the best side of YouTube and Google. I call this a YouTube miracle and I am so honored to be part of it.