McKinney, Nina Mae
McKinney, Nina Mae
McKinney, Nina Mae, jazz singer; b. Lancaster, S.C, 1912; d. N.Y., May 1967. She was raised in Philadelphia, came to N.Y. as a dancer, worked in Blackbirds of 1928, and was picked for a starring role in the film Hallelujah. During the late 1920s and 1930s she appeared in many films, including Safe in Hell, Reckless, The Lost Lady, and In Old Kentucky. She did extensive tours as a solo artist, first appearing in Europe from December 1932 (accompanied by Garland Wilson). During one of her visits to Britain she co-starred with Paul Robeson in Sanders of the River. During the early 1940s she specialized in theater and cabaret work, then returned to regular filming, appearing in Without Love, Dark Waters, and Night Train to Memphis.
—John Chilton (Who’s Who of Jazz)/Lewis Porter