Lana Eleanor Cantrell AM (born 7 August 1943) is an Australian-American singer and entertainment lawyer. She was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best New Artist in the Grammy Awards of 1968.
Music career Cantrell recorded six albums for RCA Victor during the 1960s. Her preferred style of music was pop standards, but she later made contemporary pop rock a significant part of her performances. Cantrell commented in a 1994 profile, "Think of how few people can still make their careers by singing standards.... There's Tony Bennett and Barbra Streisand, and I don't know anyone else."
Cantrell was a frequent guest on television shows including The Ed Sullivan Show, The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, and The Mike Douglas Show. However, she never had a top 40 hit in the Billboard Hot 100, hitting #63 in 1975 with "Like a Sunday Morning".
Television +Year Title Role Type 1961-1963; 1966 Bandstand Guest - Herself/Performer TV series Australia, 5 episodes 1965 Gypsy Herself TV series US, 2 episodes 1966 The Pat Boone Show Herself - Singer/Performer TV series US, 2 episodes 1966-1971 The Ed Sullivan Show Guest - Herself/Singer TV series US, 13 episodes 1966-1977 The Mike Douglas Show Guest Singer TV series US, 7 episodes 1967; 1970 The Hollywood Palace Herself - Singer TV series US, 2 episodes 1967 The Steve Allen Comedy Hour Herself - Musical Guest TV series US, 1 episode 1967 Spotlight Herself TV series US, 1 episode 1967; 1968 The Red Skelton Show Herself - Guest Singer TV series US, 2 episodes 1967-1977 The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson Guest - Herself/Singer TV series US, 24 episodes 1968; 1972 The Dick Cavett Show Guest - Herself TV series US, 2 episodes 1968 The Jonathan Winters Show Herself - Guest TV series US, 1 episode 1968 The Joey Bishop Show Herself TV series US, 2 episodes 1968 The Kraft Music Hall Herself TV series US, 2 episodes 1969 The John Davidson Show Guest Singer TV series UK, 1 episode 1970 The Engelbert Humperdinck Show Guest - Herself TV series UK, 1 episode 1972 The Bob Braun Show Herself - Guest Singer TV series US, 1 episode 1973 The Graham Kennedy Show Guest - Herself sings TV series Australia, 1 episode 1973; 1975 The Mike Walsh Show Guest Singer TV series Australia, 2 episodes 1975 The Don Lane Show Guest - Herself/Singer TV series Australia, 1 episode 1975 The Merv Griffin Show Guest - Herself TV series US, 1 episode 1976 Dinah! Guest - Herself TV series US, 1 episode 1977 This Is Your Life: Peter Allen Guest - Herself TV series Australia, 1 episode 1981 Ryan's Hope Herself TV series US, 1 episode 1982 Cabaret with Martin Schaffer Guest - Herself TV series US, 1 episode 1992 Peter Allen: The Boy from Oz Herself TV special US/Australia 1996 The South Bank Show Herself TV series UK, 1 episode 2001 This Is Your Life: Trisha Noble Guest - Herself TV series Australia, 1 episode
Transition to law career Cantrell eventually decided to make a transition out of music in the 1980s due to a decline in the number of venues where she could sing in her preferred style, the size of her audiences, and her working conditions. Although she had once been able to tour at supper clubs that would furnish a 20-piece orchestra for her and her conductor, in later years she toured with only a five-piece band that she had to pay herself. She decided to pursue a law career in part because a former manager had spent much of her earnings over the years and she wanted to protect other performers from similar experiences.
In 1986, Cantrell enrolled at Marymount Manhattan College, where she majored in history. After receiving her bachelor's degree, she attended Fordham University School of Law. After graduation, she began practicing law with the firm of Ballon Stoll Bader & Nadler in New York City.
In 2019, Cantrell's license to practice law in the state of New York was suspended due to an undisclosed medical condition. Before having her license suspended, she operated a private practice in Mattituck, NY.Top Attorneys of North America
Honours and awards In 1966, Cantrell won the Amber Nightingale award for singing at a festival in Sopot, Poland.
In 2003, Cantrell was named a member of the Order of Australia. The honour was conferred for "service to the entertainment industry, and for assistance to the Australian community in New York."
Personal life It was reported in 1973 that Cantrell was engaged to Australian television personality Graham Kennedy. This turned out to be a hoax. Kennedy later claimed that his romance with Cantrell was purely an invention of the Sunday Observer, although Kennedy himself had confirmed publicly at the time that the relationship was real. Judy Carne, of Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In claimed she had a love affair with Cantrell.Lisanti, Paul. p. 91
Discography
Albums And Then There Was Lana, RCA Victor LSP-3755, 1967 Another Shade of Lana, RCA Victor LSP-3862, 1967 Act III, RCA Victor LSP-3947, 1968 Lana!, RCA Victor LSP-4026, 1968 (No. 166 US) The Now of Then, RCA Victor LSP-4121, 1969 The 6th of Lana, RCA Victor LSP-4263, 1969 The Best of Lana Cantrell, RCA ANL1-1049, 1975
Eps Introducing Lana Cantrell, REX, 1961 Australia’s Great Talent, FESTIVAL FX-11,327, ????
Reissues
Beginning in 2017, Lana Cantrell's RCA Victor albums have been reissued for the first time on compact disc in Hi-Res audio, replacing years of poor quality bootlegs on YouTube. Her six studio albums have been reissued from 2017 to 2019. All reissues were published by the RCA-Legacy label. Singles or B-sides that did not appear on her albums are not available at the moment.
References
External links