Abbey Lincoln, once upon a woman

She died six years ago, on the 14th of August 2016: Anna Marie, then Gaby Lee, and Gaby Wooldridge too. All were names for Anna Marie Wooldridge, born on the 6th of August 1930 in Chicago. In 1956, she'd pick Abbey Lincoln and it would stick. It's also the name that appears on her first record with Benny Carter... A jazz singer with such a distinct voice, she was also an activist for civil rights, a grand lady of protest, and a worthy heir to Billie Holiday... Three sides of her personality appear on this Video of the Day. First of all in 1956 with Spread The Word, which she sings in the cult rock'n'roll film "The Girl Can't Help It". After that we feature her with her "ex" Max Roach, in Freedom Suite from 1960. Finally, and more recently, Abbey Lincol sings People In Me, a song she wrote in 1973 after a trip to Africa that would forever change her.

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