Abbey Lincoln

Abbey Lincoln was an American jazz singer, songwriter and actress from New York who played with Stan Getz and The Staple Singers among others. Her singing is often compared to that of Billie Holiday. She is probably best known for her contribution to the American Civil Rights anthem 'We Insist! Freedom Now Suite' written by her future husband Max Roach.

Born Anna Marie Wooldridge, she took the stage name Abbey Lincoln with reference to President Abraham Lincoln and Westminster Abbey on the advice of her then manager in 1956. During a 1972 tour of the African continent she was given two honorary names: Moseka (meaning 'Goddess of Love') and Aminata ('Mother of the Christ Child'). She would occasionally combine both names. As political as she was musical, Lincoln also appeared in movies with a civil rights flavour. She continued to record and write music until three years before her death in Manhattan in 2010.