She is a pioneering singer and dancer, who broke barriers even as she entertained the masses. With roots in African-American, Cuban, and Puerto Rican heritage, Lola Falana has had an incredible artistic journey.
Falana's rise to fame began in the 1960s as a dancer in prestigious nightclubs like the Copacabana in New York City. Her captivating stage presence and incredible talent propelled her to stardom. Notably, in the 1970s, Lola Falana was a groundbreaking figure as one of the first African-American women to have her own television variety show, "The Lola Falana Show." She also transitioned into acting and appeared in several films and became a regular in Las Vegas and on television variety shows.
She is a pioneering singer and dancer, who broke barriers even as she entertained the masses. With roots in African-American, Cuban, and Puerto Rican heritage, Lola Falana has had an incredible artistic journey.
Falana's rise to fame began in the 1960s as a dancer in prestigious nightclubs like the Copacabana in New York City. Her captivating stage presence and incredible talent propelled her to stardom. Notably, in the 1970s, Lola Falana was a groundbreaking figure as one of the first African-American women to have her own television variety show, "The Lola Falana Show." She also transitioned into acting and appeared in several films and became a regular in Las Vegas and on television variety shows.
Falana had more limited success as a recording artist, but in 1975 -- around the time she was married to Butch Tavares of the popular soul quintet -- she released a horn-filled jam that deserved more attention than it received. "There's a Man Out There Somewhere" was written by Falana and issued on the RCA label, and showed a confident artist strutting her vocal stuff, with a groove that was consistent with her big Vegas shows.
Health problemss (she suffered from multiple sclerosis) and a religious conversion took Falana in an different direction by the end of the 80s, and she continued to attract people around the world with her talent and incredible life story.
For our latest SoulTracks Lost Gem, we take a look back at the song that should have been a hit for Falana. Even though "There's A Man Out There Somewhere" didn't make a big splash, Lola Falana the person certainly did. Check it out below.