Ann Henry

American singer, dancer, choreographer, comedienne, composer, and arranger, from Chicago Henry was an all-around entertainer, and the originator of the Co-op Dance Group in Chicago. As a dancer, she toured with Duke Ellington, Louis Jordan, and Count Basie. Her first singing break came when she replaced Eartha Kitt in the musical revue, "New Faces of 1952," and subsequently, she was hired to become a member of the original cast of "New Faces of 1956." In 1959, she had a three-month stint in the UK, where she appeared in an ITV television show called "On the Air." On returning to the United States, she performed in Las Vegas night clubs, and signed a recording contract with Dynasty (6) in August 1959. But eventually she grew weary of the night club shows, and wanted to focus on composing and songwriting. In the mid-1960s, while working with pianist Daryl Kaufmann in Vancouver, Washington, she was hospitalized and diagnosed for spinal meningitis. After two years of treatment she had partially recovered and was able to move to Mount Angel Abbey in Oregon where she became a musical composer-in-residence. During her time in the abbey, she studied theology, and wrote a number of hymns and songs, and longer works such as the Everyman's Mass in Honor of St. Benedict. Her composition, "Pockets: It's Amazing When Love Goes On Parade," was performed by Duke Ellington And His Orchestra when the abbey's Alvar Aalto library was dedicated in May 1970, and she also sang with the orchestra. In 1994, the abbey honored Henry with an award for her accomplishments.