Lana Cantrell
Encyclopedia
Lana Eleanor Cantrell AM
(born 7 August 1943) is an Australia
n-American
singer and entertainment law
yer. She was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best New Artist
in the Grammy Awards of 1968
.
a significant part of her performances. 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."
Cantrell was a frequent guest on television shows including The Ed Sullivan Show
, The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
, and The Mike Douglas Show
. However, she never had a top 40 hit in the Billboard Hot 100
.
In 1986, Cantrell enrolled at Marymount Manhattan College
, where she majored in history. After receiving her bachelor's degree, she attended Fordham University School of Law
. After graduation, she began practicing law with the firm of Ballon Stoll Bader & Nadler in New York City
.
in Sopot
, Poland
.
In 2003, Cantrell was named a member of the Order of Australia
. The honour was conferred for "service to the entertainment industry, and for assistance to the Australian community in New York."
. This turned out to be a hoax -- Kennedy was homosexual, although this did not become public knowledge until late in his life. Kennedy later claimed that his romance with Cantrell was purely an invention of the Sunday Observer
, although at the time Kennedy himself had publicly portrayed the relationship as real.
Order of Australia
The Order of Australia is an order of chivalry established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, "for the purpose of according recognition to Australian citizens and other persons for achievement or for meritorious service"...
(born 7 August 1943) is an Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n-American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
singer and entertainment law
Entertainment law
Entertainment law or media law is a term for a mix of more traditional categories of law with a focus on providing legal services to the entertainment industry. The principal areas of Entertainment Law overlap substantially with the well-known and conventional field of intellectual property law...
yer. She was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best New Artist
Grammy Award for Best New Artist
The Grammy Award for Best New Artist has been awarded since 1959. Years reflect the year in which the Grammy Awards were handed out, for records released in the previous year. The award was not presented in 1967...
in the Grammy Awards of 1968
Grammy Awards of 1968
The 10th Grammy Awards were held February 29, 1968. They recognized accomplishments of musicians for the year 1967.-Award winners:*Record of the Year**Johnny Rivers & Marc Gordon & The 5th Dimension for "Up, Up and Away"*Album of the Year...
.
Music career
Cantrell recorded for RCA Victor Records, releasing seven albums. Her preferred style of music was pop standards, but she later made contemporary pop rockPop rock
Pop rock is a music genre which mixes a catchy pop style and light lyrics in its guitar-based rock songs. There are varying definitions of the term, ranging from a slower and mellower form of rock music to a subgenre of pop music...
a significant part of her performances. Cantrell commented in a 1994 profile, "Think of how few people can still make their careers by singing standards.... There's Tony Bennett
Tony Bennett
Tony Bennett is an American singer of popular music, standards, show tunes, and jazz....
and Barbra Streisand
Barbra Streisand
Barbra Joan Streisand is an American singer, actress, film producer and director. She has won two Academy Awards, eight Grammy Awards, four Emmy Awards, a Special Tony Award, an American Film Institute award, a Peabody Award, and is one of the few entertainers who have won an Oscar, Emmy, Grammy,...
, and I don't know anyone else."
Cantrell was a frequent guest on television shows including The Ed Sullivan Show
The Ed Sullivan Show
The Ed Sullivan Show is an American TV variety show that originally ran on CBS from Sunday June 20, 1948 to Sunday June 6, 1971, and was hosted by New York entertainment columnist Ed Sullivan....
, The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson is a talk show hosted by Johnny Carson under the Tonight Show franchise from 1962 to 1992. It originally aired during late-night....
, and The Mike Douglas Show
The Mike Douglas Show
The Mike Douglas Show is an American daytime television talk show hosted by Mike Douglas that aired in syndication from 1961 to 1982, distributed by Westinghouse Broadcasting and for much of its run, originated from studios of two of the company's TV stations.The program featured light banter with...
. However, she never had a top 40 hit in the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
.
Transition to law career
Cantrell 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. Although she had once been able to tour at supper clubs which would furnish a 20-piece orchestra for her and her conductor, in later years she toured with only a five-piece band whom she had to pay herself. 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.In 1986, Cantrell enrolled at Marymount Manhattan College
Marymount Manhattan College
Marymount Manhattan College is an urban, coeducational, independent, private, liberal arts college located in Manhattan, New York City, New York with a focus in performing arts. The mission of the College is to educate a socially and economically diverse student body by fostering intellectual...
, where she majored in history. After receiving her bachelor's degree, she attended Fordham University School of Law
Fordham University School of Law
Fordham University School of Law is a part of Fordham University in the United States. The School is located in the Borough of Manhattan in New York City, and is one of eight ABA-approved law schools in that city.-Overview:According to the U.S. News & World Report, 1,516 J.D. students attend...
. After graduation, she began practicing law with the firm of Ballon Stoll Bader & Nadler in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
.
Honors and awards
In 1966, Cantrell won the Amber Nightingale award for singing at a festivalSopot International Song Festival
The Sopot International Song Festival is an international song contest held in Sopot, Poland. It was the biggest Polish music festival altogether with the National Festival of Polish Song in Opole, and one of the biggest annual song contest in Europe...
in Sopot
Sopot
Sopot is a seaside town in Eastern Pomerania on the southern coast of the Baltic Sea in northern Poland, with a population of approximately 40,000....
, Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
.
In 2003, Cantrell was named a member of the Order of Australia
Order of Australia
The Order of Australia is an order of chivalry established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, "for the purpose of according recognition to Australian citizens and other persons for achievement or for meritorious service"...
. The honour was conferred for "service to the entertainment industry, and for assistance to the Australian community in New York."
Personal life
It was reported in 1973 that Cantrell was engaged to Australian television personality Graham KennedyGraham Kennedy
Graham Cyril Kennedy, AO was an Australian radio, television and film performer, often called Gra Gra and The King of Australian television.-Childhood:...
. This turned out to be a hoax -- Kennedy was homosexual, although this did not become public knowledge until late in his life. Kennedy later claimed that his romance with Cantrell was purely an invention of the Sunday Observer
Melbourne observer
The Melbourne Observer newspaper was established by transport magnate Gordon Barton in September 1969 as a Sunday newspaper, Melbourne's first...
, although at the time Kennedy himself had publicly portrayed the relationship as real.