Biography
Abbey Lincoln, born Anna Marie Wooldridge on 6 August 1930 in Chicago, Illinois, and who died on 14 August 2010 in New York City, was an American jazz vocalist, songwriter and actress. She performed under several early stage names including Gaby Lee, Anna Marie and Gaby Woolridge before adopting the professional name Abbey Lincoln in 1956.
Lincoln began her career singing in nightclubs and appeared in films such as The Girl Can't Help It (1956), Nothing But a Man (1964), For Love of Ivy (1968) and Mo' Better Blues (1990). She had television roles including in Mission: Impossible (1966) and All in the Family (1971), and featured via archive footage in Summer of Soul (...Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised) (2021). She was married to jazz drummer Max Roach from 1962 to 1970 and was active in the civil rights movement from the 1960s. In 2003 she received the National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Masters Award.
