Abbey Lincoln

Abbey Lincoln, born Anna Marie Wooldridge on August 6, 1930, in Chicago, was an American jazz vocalist, songwriter, and actress whose career spanned more than five decades. She began as a supper-club singer in the 1950s with a glamorous stage persona before transforming into one of the most artistically and politically serious voices in jazz. Her collaboration with drummer Max Roach, to whom she was married for a time, produced landmark work including the civil-rights-themed «We Insist! Freedom Now Suite», on which her wordless screams and cries became one of the most searing vocal statements in jazz history.

Over time Lincoln moved away from interpreting standards toward writing her own material, developing a body of original songs noted for their poetic, unflinching lyrics about love, aging, dignity, and Black identity. Albums such as those she recorded for Verve in the 1990s, including sessions drawing on songs like «Throw It Away», showcased her matured, world-weary contralto and her gift for turning personal reflection into universal statement.

Lincoln also had a notable acting career, appearing in films including «Nothing But a Man» and «For Love of Ivy». She remained active as a civil rights advocate and mentor to younger jazz singers until her death on August 14, 2010. She is remembered as a singular figure who fused jazz vocal artistry with social conscience and literary ambition.