Lana Eleanor Cantrell[1] AM (born 7 August 1943)[2] is an Australian-American singer and entertainment lawyer.[3] She was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best New Artist in the Grammy Awards of 1968.[4][5][6]
Lana Cantrell | |
|---|---|
 Cantrell c. 1970s | |
| Born | Lana Eleanor Cantrell 7 August 1943 |
| Alma mater | |
| Occupations |
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Music career
editCantrell recorded six albums for RCA Victor during the 1960s.[7][3] Her preferred style of music was pop standards, but she later made contemporary pop rock a significant part of her performances.[8] Cantrell commented in a 1994 profile, "Think of how few people can still make their careers by singing standards.... There's Tony Bennett and Barbra Streisand, and I don't know anyone else."[9]
Cantrell was a frequent guest on television shows including The Ed Sullivan Show, The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, and The Mike Douglas Show.[3][9][10] However, she never had a top 40 hit in the Billboard Hot 100,[11] hitting #63 in 1975 with "Like a Sunday Morning".
Television
edit| Year | Title | Role | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1961-1963; 1966 | Bandstand | Guest - Herself/Performer | TV series Australia, 5 episodes |
| 1965 | Gypsy | Herself | TV series US, 2 episodes |
| 1966 | The Pat Boone Show | Herself - Singer/Performer | TV series US, 2 episodes |
| 1966-1971 | The Ed Sullivan Show | Guest - Herself/Singer | TV series US, 13 episodes |
| 1966-1977 | The Mike Douglas Show | Guest Singer | TV series US, 7 episodes |
| 1967; 1970 | The Hollywood Palace | Herself - Singer | TV series US, 2 episodes |
| 1967 | The Steve Allen Comedy Hour | Herself - Musical Guest | TV series US, 1 episode |
| 1967 | Spotlight | Herself | TV series US, 1 episode |
| 1967; 1968 | The Red Skelton Show | Herself - Guest Singer | TV series US, 2 episodes |
| 1967-1977 | The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson | Guest - Herself/Singer | TV series US, 24 episodes |
| 1968; 1972 | The Dick Cavett Show | Guest - Herself | TV series US, 2 episodes |
| 1968 | The Jonathan Winters Show | Herself - Guest | TV series US, 1 episode |
| 1968 | The Joey Bishop Show | Herself | TV series US, 2 episodes |
| 1968 | The Kraft Music Hall | Herself | TV series US, 2 episodes |
| 1969 | The John Davidson Show | Guest Singer | TV series UK, 1 episode |
| 1970 | The Engelbert Humperdinck Show | Guest - Herself | TV series UK, 1 episode |
| 1972 | The Bob Braun Show | Herself - Guest Singer | TV series US, 1 episode |
| 1973 | The Graham Kennedy Show | Guest - Herself sings | TV series Australia, 1 episode |
| 1973; 1975 | The Mike Walsh Show | Guest Singer | TV series Australia, 2 episodes |
| 1975 | The Don Lane Show | Guest - Herself/Singer | TV series Australia, 1 episode |
| 1975 | The Merv Griffin Show | Guest - Herself | TV series US, 1 episode |
| 1976 | Dinah! | Guest - Herself | TV series US, 1 episode |
| 1977 | This Is Your Life: Peter Allen | Guest - Herself | TV series Australia, 1 episode |
| 1981 | Ryan's Hope | Herself | TV series US, 1 episode |
| 1982 | Cabaret with Martin Schaffer | Guest - Herself | TV series US, 1 episode |
| 1992 | Peter Allen: The Boy from Oz | Herself | TV special US/Australia |
| 1996 | The South Bank Show | Herself | TV series UK, 1 episode |
| 2001 | This Is Your Life: Trisha Noble | Guest - Herself | TV series Australia, 1 episode |
Transition to law career
editCantrell eventually decided to make a transition out of music in the 1980s due to a decline in the number of venues where she could sing in her preferred style, the size of her audiences, and her working conditions.[3][9] Although she had once been able to tour at supper clubs that would furnish a 20-piece orchestra for her and her conductor, in later years she toured with only a five-piece band that she had to pay herself.[3] She decided to pursue a law career in part because a former manager had spent much of her earnings over the years and she wanted to protect other performers from similar experiences.[3][9]
In 1986, Cantrell enrolled at Marymount Manhattan College, where she majored in history.[9] After receiving her bachelor's degree, she attended Fordham University School of Law.[9] After graduation, she began practicing law with the firm of Ballon Stoll Bader & Nadler in New York City.[3]
In 2019, Cantrell's license to practice law in the state of New York was suspended due to an undisclosed medical condition.[12] Before having her license suspended, she operated a private practice in Mattituck, NY.[13]
Honours and awards
editIn 1966, Cantrell won the Amber Nightingale award for singing at a festival in Sopot, Poland.[14]
In 2003, Cantrell was named a member of the Order of Australia.[15] The honour was conferred for "service to the entertainment industry, and for assistance to the Australian community in New York."[1]
Personal life
editIt was reported in 1973 that Cantrell was engaged to Australian television personality Graham Kennedy.[16] This turned out to be a hoax.[17] Kennedy later claimed that his romance with Cantrell was purely an invention of the Sunday Observer, although Kennedy himself had confirmed publicly at the time that the relationship was real.[18] Judy Carne, of Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In claimed she had a love affair with Cantrell.[19]
Discography
editAlbums
edit- And Then There Was Lana, RCA Victor LSP-3755, 1967
- Another Shade of Lana, RCA Victor LSP-3862, 1967
- Act III, RCA Victor LSP-3947, 1968
- Lana!, RCA Victor LSP-4026, 1968
- The Now of Then, RCA Victor LSP-4121, 1969
- The 6th of Lana, RCA Victor LSP-4263, 1969
- The Best of Lana Cantrell, RCA ANL1-1049, 1975
Eps
edit- Introducing Lana Cantrell, REX, 1961
- Australia’s Great Talent, FESTIVAL FX-11,327, ????
Reissues
editBeginning in 2017, Lana Cantrell's RCA Victor albums have been reissued for the first time on compact disc in Hi-Res audio, replacing years of poor quality bootlegs on YouTube. Her six studio albums have been reissued from 2017 to 2019. All reissues were published by the RCA-Legacy label. Singles or B-sides that did not appear on her albums are not available at the moment.
References
edit- ^ a b "Search Australian Honours". It's an Honour. Australian Government. Retrieved 27 July 2009.
- ^ Lana Cantrell at AllMusic
- ^ a b c d e f g Ziegel, Vic (29 April 1995). "Lana Sings Different Tune". Daily News. New York. Retrieved 27 July 2009.
- ^ "1967 Grammy Awards Finalists". Billboard. 17 February 1968. p. 10. Retrieved 6 September 2009.
- ^ "Whatever happened to Grammy's Best New Artists?". www.cbsnews.com. Retrieved 31 August 2022.
- ^ Maglio, Tony (20 November 2019). "2020 Grammy Nominations: Lizzo, Billie Eilish and Lil Nas X Lead the Pack". Retrieved 31 August 2022.
- ^ "Lana Cantrell on Move Again". Billboard. 7 October 1967. p. 20. Retrieved 27 July 2009.
- ^ Holden, Stephen (12 April 1985). "Lana Cantrell and Trio at the Park Ten". The New York Times. p. C28.
Her small sultry alto, which breaks into a wide vibrato at the ends of musical phrases, is much better suited to quiet, intimate ballads than to the contemporary pop-rock that takes up two-thirds of her show.
- ^ a b c d e f Kaufman, Michael T. (13 July 1994). "About New York; Spotlight Gives Way to Statutes". The New York Times. p. B3.
- ^ Vilanch, Bruce (18 April 1975). "Lana: The image now fits". Chicago Tribune. p. B5.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2000). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits. New York: Billboard Books. ISBN 0-8230-7690-3.
- ^ "FindLaw's New York Supreme Court, Appellate Division case and opinions". Findlaw. Retrieved 6 February 2021.
- ^ Top Attorneys of North America
- ^ "Miss Cantrell Wins Pole Festival Award". Chicago Tribune. Associated Press. 28 August 1966. p. B14.
- ^ Stephens, Tony (27 January 2003). "Politics and religion left behind on honours list". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 27 July 2009.
- ^ Goodwin, Richard (24 September 1973). "I'll chat with Lana on the show: Kennedy". The Age. Melbourne. p. 2. Retrieved 27 July 2009.
- ^ Gressor, Megan (26 April 2003). "King of comedy, fears of a clown". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 27 July 2009.
- ^ Dale, David (25 April 1985). "Stay in Touch". The Sydney Morning Herald. p. 10. Archived from the original on 13 January 2022. Retrieved 27 July 2009.
- ^ Lisanti, Paul. p. 91