Real Name: Dorothy Jean Dandridge.
Profile: American actress and popular singer.
Born : November 09, 1922 in Cleveland, Ohio.
Died : September 08, 1965 in West Hollywood, California. (Embolism or Overdose)
Was the first African American to be nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress
Actress/singer Dorothy Dandridge was Hollywood's first African-American superstar, becoming the first black performer ever nominated for a Best Actress Oscar. Born November 9, 1923 in Cleveland, she was the daughter of actress Ruby Dandridge, and with sister Vivian teamed in the song-and-dance duo the Wonder Children. The family relocated to Los Angeles during the mid-'30s, and in 1937 Dandridge briefly made her film debut in the Marx Brothers classic A Day at the Races.
Carmen Jones [Original Soundtrack] Concurrently she continued her singing career, and with Vivian performed as the Dandridge Sisters, sharing stages with the likes of Jimmie Lunceford and Cab Calloway as well as recording with Louis Armstrong. During the early '40s Dorothy appeared in a series of musical film shorts, and as the decade progressed she became a sensation on the nightclub circuit. Dandridge's mainstream breakthrough was her title role in Otto Preminger's 1954 screen musical Carmen Jones, a performance which earned her an Academy Award nomination and made her a star; nevertheless, she did not reappear onscreen until 1957's Island in the Sun, and despite winning a Golden Globe for her work in 1959's Porgy and Bess she was offered virtually no future film roles, returning to nightclubs by the early '60s.
Smooth Operator Plagued by years of personal hardships as well as professional hurdles, Dandridge was found dead of an overdose of anti-depressants on September 8, 1965. Three decades later her career enjoyed a kind of renaissance with an acclaimed 1997 biography by film historian Donald Bogle in addition to Introducing Dorothy Dandridge, a 1999 HBO telefilm starring Halle Berry. Smooth Operator, a long-unreleased recording date from 1958 featuring the Oscar Peterson trio, was finally issued in 1999 as well. web
Smooth Operator explores a little-known aspect of the beautiful, troubled African-American actress Dorothy Dandridge: her vocal abilities. Most of this album comes from a 1958 recording session featuring Dandridge's lovely interpretations of "When Your Lover Has Gone," "Body & Soul" and the title track. That her backing band is an augmented version of the Oscar Peterson Trio makes her album even more special, and a must for jazz fans and film buffs. by Heather Phares
Tracklist
1 It's Easy To Remember 2:24
Written-By – Richard Rogers-Lorenz Hart
2 What Is There To Say? 3:11
Written-By – E.Y. Harburg, Vernon Duke
3 That Old Feeling 3:05
Written-By – Lew Brown, Sammy Fain
4 The Touch Of Your Lips 2:58
Written-By – Ray Noble
5 When Your Lover Has Gone 2:59
Written-By – E. A. Swan
6 The Nearness Of You 3:17
Written-By – Hoagy Carmichael, Ned Washington
7 (In This World) I'm Glad There Is You 4:02
Written-By – Jimmy Dorsey, Paul Madeira
8 I've Grown Accustomed To Your Face 1:48
Written-By – Alan J. Lerner-Frederick Loewe
9 Body And Soul 3:38
Written-By – Edward Heyman, Frank Eyton, Johnny Green, Robert Sour
10 How Long Has This Been Going On? 3:30
Written-By – George and Ira Gershwin
11 I've Got A Crush On You 2:28
Written-By – George and Ira Gershwin
12 I Didn't Know What Time It Was 2:37
Written-By – Richard Rogers-Lorenz Hart
13 Somebody 2:48
Written-By – Harry Warren , Jack Brooks
14 Stay With It 2:35
Written-By – Dotty Wayne, Ray Rasch
15 It's A Beautiful Evening 2:38
Written-By – Dotty Wayne, Ray Rasch
16 Smooth Operator 3:06
Written-By – Clyde Otis, Murray Stein
Credits
Bass – Ray Brown (tracks: 1-12)
Bongos – Alvin Stoller (tracks: 4, 12)
Celesta – Oscar Peterson (tracks: 4, 8, 11)
Drums – Alvin Stoller (tracks: 1-3, 5-7, 9-11)
Guitar – Herb Ellis (tracks: 1-12)
Orchestra – Unknown Artist (tracks: 13-16)
Piano – Oscar Peterson (tracks: 1-3, 5-7, 9-10)
Vocals – Dorothy Dandridge
