Anna Marie Wooldridge (August 6, 1930 – August 14, 2010), known professionally as Abbey Lincoln, was an American

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

vocalist, songwriter, and actress. She was a civil rights activist beginning in the 1960s. Lincoln made a career out of delivering deeply felt presentations of standards as well as writing and singing her own material.

Musician

Born in Chicago but raised in Calvin Center, Cass County, Michigan, Lincoln was one of many singers influenced by

Billie Holiday Billie Holiday (born Eleanora Fagan; April 7, 1915 – July 17, 1959) was an American jazz and swing music singer. Nicknamed "Lady Day" by her friend and music partner, Lester Young, Holiday had an innovative influence on jazz music and pop si ...

. Her debut album, ''Abbey Lincoln's Affair – A Story of a Girl in Love'', was followed by a series of albums for

Riverside Records Riverside Records was an American jazz record company and label. Founded by Orrin Keepnews and Bill Grauer, Jr, under his firm Bill Grauer Productions in 1953, the label played an important role in the jazz record industry for a decade. Riverside ...

. In 1960 she sang on

Max Roach Maxwell Lemuel Roach (January 10, 1924 – August 16, 2007) was an American jazz Jazz drumming, drummer and composer. A pioneer of bebop, he worked in many other styles of music, and is generally considered one of the most important drummers in h ...

's landmark

civil rights Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from infringement by governments, social organizations, and private individuals. They ensure one's entitlement to participate in the civil and political life of ...

-themed recording, ''

We Insist! ''We Insist!'' (subtitled ''Max Roach's Freedom Now Suite'') is a jazz album released on Candid Records in 1961. It contains a suite which composer and drummer Max Roach and lyricist Oscar Brown had begun to develop in 1959 with a view to its perf ...

'' Lincoln's lyrics were often connected to the

civil rights movement The civil rights movement was a nonviolent social and political movement and campaign from 1954 to 1968 in the United States to abolish legalized institutional Racial segregation in the United States, racial segregation, Racial discrimination ...

in America. After a tour of Africa in the mid-1970s, she adopted the name Aminata Moseka. During the 1980s, Lincoln's creative output was smaller and she released only a few albums. Her song " For All We Know" is featured in the 1989 film ''

Drugstore Cowboy ''Drugstore Cowboy'' is a 1989 American crime drama film directed by the American filmmaker Gus Van Sant. Written by Van Sant and Daniel Yost and based on an autobiographical novel by James Fogle, the film stars Matt Dillon, Kelly Lynch, Heather ...

''. During the 1990s and until her death, however, she fulfilled a 10-album contract with

Verve Records Verve Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group (UMG). Founded in 1956 by Norman Granz, the label is home to the world's largest jazz catalogue, which includes recordings by artists such as Ella Fitzgerald, Nina Simon ...

. These albums are highly regarded and represent a crowning achievement in Lincoln's career. ''Devil's Got Your Tongue'' (1992) featured

Rodney Kendrick Rodney Kendrick (born April 30, 1960) is an American jazz pianist, composer, and record producer. He has been described as a "hard swinging player and composer with a delightful Thelonious Monk, Monkish wit and drive". Career At twenty-one, Kendr ...

Grady Tate Grady Tate (January 14, 1932 – October 8, 2017) was an American jazz and soul-jazz drummer and baritone vocalist. In addition to his work as sideman, Tate released many albums as leader and lent his voice to songs in the animated '' Schoolhou ...

, Yoron Israel,

J. J. Johnson J.J. Johnson (January 22, 1924 – February 4, 2001), born James Louis Johnson and also known as Jay Jay Johnson, was an American jazz trombonist, composer and arranger. Johnson was one of the earliest trombonists to embrace bebop. Biograph ...

Stanley Turrentine Stanley William Turrentine (April 5, 1934 – September 12, 2000) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. He began his career playing R&B for Earl Bostic and later soul jazz recording for the Blue Note label from 1960, touched on jazz fusion dur ...

Babatunde Olatunji Michael Babatunde Olatunji (April 7, 1927 – April 6, 2003) was a Nigerian drummer, educator, social activist, and recording artist. Early life Olatunji was born in the village of Ajido, near Badagry, Lagos State, in southwestern Niger ...

and

The Staple Singers The Staple Singers were an American gospel, soul, and R&B singing group. Roebuck "Pops" Staples (December 28, 1914 – December 19, 2000), the patriarch of the family, formed the group with his children Cleotha (April 11, 1934 – February 21 ...

, among others. In 2003, Lincoln received a

National Endowment for the Arts The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal ...

Jazz Master Award. Her lyrics often reflected the ideals of the civil rights movement and helped in generating passion for the cause in the minds of her listeners. In addition to her musical career, she ventured into acting as well and appeared in movies such as ''

The Girl Can't Help It ''The Girl Can't Help It'' is a 1956 American musical comedy film starring Jayne Mansfield in the titular role, Tom Ewell, Edmond O'Brien, Henry Jones, and Julie London. The picture was produced and directed by Frank Tashlin, with a screenplay ...

'', '' Nothing But a Man'' and ''

For Love of Ivy ''For Love of Ivy'' is a 1968 romantic comedy film directed by Daniel Mann. The film stars Sidney Poitier, Abbey Lincoln, Beau Bridges, Nan Martin, Lauri Peters, and Carroll O'Connor. The story was written by Poitier with screenwriter Robert Alan ...

''. She explored more philosophical themes during the later years of her songwriting career and remained professionally active until well into her seventies. She often visited the

Blue Note In jazz and blues, a blue note is a note that—for expressive purposes—is sung or played at a slightly different pitch from standard. Typically the alteration is between a quartertone and a semitone, but this varies depending on the musical co ...

jazz club in New York City.

Actress

Greg Morris Abbey Lincoln Mission Impossible 1970

In 1956 Lincoln appeared in ''

'', for which she wore a dress that had been worn by

Marilyn Monroe Marilyn Monroe (; born Norma Jeane Mortenson; 1 June 1926 4 August 1962) was an American actress. Famous for playing comedic " blonde bombshell" characters, she became one of the most popular sex symbols of the 1950s and early 1960s, as wel ...

in '' Gentlemen Prefer Blondes'' (1953), and interpreted the theme song, working with

Benny Carter Bennett Lester Carter (August 8, 1907 – July 12, 2003) was an American jazz saxophonist, clarinetist, trumpeter, composer, arranger, and bandleader. With Johnny Hodges, he was a pioneer on the alto saxophone. From the beginning of his career ...

. With

Ivan Dixon Ivan Nathaniel Dixon III (April 6, 1931 – March 16, 2008) was an American actor, director, and producer best known for his series role in the 1960s sitcom '' Hogan's Heroes'', and for his starring roles in the 1964 independent drama '' No ...

, she co-starred in '' Nothing But a Man'' (1964), an independent film written and directed by

Michael Roemer Michael Roemer (born January 1, 1928) is a film director, producer and writer. He has won several awards for his films. He is the recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship. A professor at Yale University, he is the author of ''Telling Stories''. Ea ...

. In 1968 she co-starred with Sidney Poitier and

Beau Bridges Lloyd Vernet "Beau" Bridges III (born December 9, 1941) is an American actor and director. He is a three-time Emmy, two-time Golden Globe and one-time Grammy Award winner, as well as a two-time Screen Actors Guild Award nominee. Bridges was a ...

in ''

'' and received a 1969

Golden Globe The Golden Globe Awards are accolades bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association beginning in January 1944, recognizing excellence in both American and international film and television. Beginning in 2022, there are 105 members of t ...

nomination for her appearance in the film. Television appearances began in 1968 with '' The Name of the Game''. In March 1969 for WGBH-TV Boston, in one of a 10-episode series of individual dramas written, produced and performed by blacks, "On Being Black," was her work in

Alice Childress Alice Childress (October 12, 1916 – August 14, 1994) was an American novelist, playwright, and actress, acknowledged as "the only African-American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic ...

's ''Wine in the Wilderness''. She appeared in '' Mission: Impossible'' (1971), the

telemovie A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie or TV film/movie, is a feature-length film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a television network, in contrast to theatrical films made for ...

''Short Walk to Daylight'' (1972), ''

Marcus Welby, M.D. Marcus, Markus, Márkus or Mărcuș may refer to: * Marcus (name), a masculine given name * Marcus (praenomen), a Roman personal name Places * Marcus, a main belt asteroid, also known as (369088) Marcus 2008 GG44 * Mărcuş, a village in Dobârl ...

'' (1974), and ''

All in the Family ''All in the Family'' is an American television sitcom that aired on CBS for nine seasons, from January 12, 1971, to April 8, 1979. Afterwards, it was continued with the spin-off series '' Archie Bunker's Place'', which picked up where ''All in ...

'' (1978). In the 1990

Spike Lee Shelton Jackson "Spike" Lee (born March 20, 1957) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, and actor. His production company, 40 Acres and a Mule Filmworks, has produced more than 35 films since 1983. He made his directorial debut ...

movie '' Mo' Better Blues'', Abbey Lincoln played the young Bleek's mother, Lillian.

Personal life

Lincoln was married from 1962 to 1970 to drummer

, whose daughter from a previous marriage, Maxine, appeared on several of Lincoln's albums. Lincoln died on August 14, 2010, in

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

, eight days after her 80th birthday. Her death was announced by her brother, David Wooldridge, who told ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' that she had died in a Manhattan nursing home after suffering deteriorating health ever since undergoing open-heart surgery in 2007. No cause of death was officially given. She was cremated and her ashes were scattered.Notice of death of Abbey Lincoln
Thedeadrockstarsclub.com; accessed August 2010.

Discography

As leader

* ''Abbey Lincoln's Affair...A Story of a Girl in Love'' (Liberty, 1957) * '' That's Him!'' (Riverside, 1957) * ''

It's Magic "It's Magic" is a popular song written by Jule Styne, with lyrics by Sammy Cahn, published in 1947. They wrote the song for Doris Day in her Warner Brothers film debut, ''Romance on the High Seas'' (retitled ''It's Magic'' in the United Kingdom ...

'' (Riverside, 1958) * ''

Abbey Is Blue ''Abbey Is Blue'' is the fourth album by American jazz vocalist Abbey Lincoln featuring tracks recorded in 1959 for the Riverside label.

'' (Riverside, 1959) * '' Straight Ahead'' (Candid, 1961) * ''People in Me'' (Philips, 1973) * ''Live in Misty'' (Kiva, 1973) * ''Sessions, Live'' with Buddy Collette (Calliope, 1976) * ''Sounds as a Roach'' with Max Roach (Joker, 1977) * ''Golden Lady'' (Inner City, 1981) * ''Talking to the Sun'' (Enja, 1984) * ''Abbey Sings Billie'' (Enja, 1989) * ''The World Is Falling Down'' (Verve, 1990) * ''You Gotta Pay the Band'' with Stan Getz (Verve, 1991) * '' Devil's Got Your Tongue'' (Verve, 1992) * ''Abbey Sings Billie Volume 2'' (Enja, 1992) * ''When There Is Love'' with Hank Jones (Verve/Gitanes Jazz, 1993) * ''Live/Music Is the Magic'' (ITM, 1994) * ''A Turtle's Dream'' (Verve/Gitanes Jazz, 1995) * ''Who Used to Dance'' (Verve/Gitanes Jazz, 1997) * ''Wholly Earth'' (Verve/Gitanes Jazz, 1998) * ''Love for Sale'' with Max Roach (West Wind, 1999) * ''Over the Years'' (Verve/Gitanes Jazz, 2000) * ''It's Me'' (Verve/Gitanes Jazz, 2003) * ''Abbey Sings Abbey'' (Verve/Universal, 2007) * ''Sophisticated Abbey: Live at the Keystone Korner'' (HighNote, 2015) – live recorded in 1980 * ''Love Having You Around: Live at the Keystone Korner Vol. 2'' (HighNote, 2016) – live recorded in 1980

As guest

With

* ''

Moon Faced and Starry Eyed ''Moon Faced and Starry Eyed'' is an album by American jazz drummer Max Roach, featuring vocalist Abbey Lincoln on two tracks, recorded in 1959 and released on the Mercury label.We Insist! ''We Insist!'' (subtitled ''Max Roach's Freedom Now Suite'') is a jazz album released on Candid Records in 1961. It contains a suite which composer and drummer Max Roach and lyricist Oscar Brown had begun to develop in 1959 with a view to its perf ...

'' (Candid, 1960) * '' Percussion Bitter Sweet'' (Impulse!, 1961) * '' It's Time'' (Impulse!, 1962) With others *

Eric Dolphy Eric Allan Dolphy Jr. (June 20, 1928 – June 29, 1964) was an American jazz alto saxophonist, bass clarinetist and flautist. On a few occasions, he also played the clarinet and piccolo. Dolphy was one of several multi-instrumentalists to gai ...

and

Benny Bailey Ernest Harold "Benny" Bailey (August 13, 1925 – April 14, 2005) was an American jazz trumpeter. Biography A native of Cleveland, Ohio, Bailey briefly studied flute and piano before turning to trumpet. He attended the Cleveland Conserva ...

, ''

Newport Rebels ''Newport Rebels'' is an album by various artists released under the Jazz Artists Guild, led by bassist Charles Mingus and drummer Max Roach, that was recorded in November 1960 and released on the Candid label.Frank Morgan Francis Phillip Wuppermann (June 1, 1890 – September 18, 1949), known professionally as Frank Morgan, was an American character actor. He was best known for his appearances in films starting in the silent era in 1916, and then numerous sound ...

, '' A Lovesome Thing'' (Antilles, 1991) *

Bheki Mseleku Bhekumuzi Hyacinth Mseleku, generally known as Bheki Mseleku (3 March 1955 – 9 September 2008), was a jazz musician from South Africa. He was a pianist, saxophonist, guitarist, composer and arranger who was entirely self-taught.John Fordham"Bh ...

, ''Timelessness'' (Verve, 1994) *

Mal Waldron Malcolm Earl "Mal" Waldron (August 16, 1925 – December 2, 2002) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and arranger. He started playing professionally in New York in 1950, after graduating from college. In the following dozen years or so Wa ...

, ''Soul Eyes'' (BMG/RCA Victor, 1997) *

Cedar Walton Cedar Anthony Walton Jr. (January 17, 1934 – August 19, 2013) was an American hard bop jazz pianist. He came to prominence as a member of drummer Art Blakey's band, The Jazz Messengers, before establishing a long career as a bandleader and com ...

, '' The Maestro'' (Muse, 1981) *

Steve Williamson Steve Williamson (born 28 June 1964) is an English saxophonist and composer (tenor saxophone, soprano saxophone, alto saxophone, keyboard and composition). He has been called "one of the most distinctive saxophone voices in contemporary Britis ...

, ''

A Waltz for Grace ''A Waltz for Grace'' is the debut album by English saxophonist Steve Williamson that was released on the Verve label in 1990. Reception AllMusic awarded the album with 3 stars and its review by Scott Yanow states: "At 25, Williamson displayed ...

'' (Verve, 1990)

References

External links

*
Bio at Verve Records

Abbey Lincoln Discography at ''www.JazzDiscography.com''

Abbey Lincoln at NPR Music

Tribute and image.
"Remembering Jazz Singer and Activist Abbey Lincoln"
at NPR Music: Music News {{DEFAULTSORT:Lincoln, Abbey 1930 births 2010 deaths American women jazz singers American jazz singers African-American women singer-songwriters Liberty Records artists Verve Records artists Riverside Records artists Capitol Records artists Inner City Records artists Enja Records artists Candid Records artists People from Cass County, Michigan People from Chicago American Ahmadis American Muslims Jazz musicians from Illinois Jazz musicians from Michigan HighNote Records artists 20th-century African-American women singers 21st-century African-American women singers Singer-songwriters from Michigan Singer-songwriters from Illinois