Lola Falana then
The first time singer, dancer and actress Lola Falana performed on stage was at the age of sixteen in a local Philadelphia nightclub, when she was invited to join Dina Washington on stage. That was the very beginning of her career. In the early sixties, the young American singer was discovered by Sammy Davis Jr., who gave her a role in the 1964 Broadway musical Golden Boy.
It was Falana who bravely ended her working relationship with Sammy Davis Jr. in 1969 so she could spread her wings, although he’s the one who allowed her to jump-start her career in the entertainment industry. Falana made her memorable film debut in 1970 with The Liberation of L.B. Jones, for which she received a Golden Globe Award. Throughout the decade, she made headlines for some controversial modeling jobs – but you know what they say in the business, no publicity is bad publicity.