For Once In My Life - Music

Barbara McNair March 4 1934 - February 4 2007 Was An African-American Singer And Actress. Born In Chicago Illinois And Raised In Racine Wisconsin McNair Studied Music At The American Conservatory Of Music In Chicago. Her Big Break Came With A Win On Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts Which Led To Bookings At The Purple Onion And The Cocoanut Grove. She Soon Became One Of The Country's Most Popular Headliners And A Guest On Such Television Variety Shows As The Steve Allen Show Hullabaloo The Bell Telephone Hour And The Hollywood Palace While Recording For The Coral Signature And Motown Labels. Among Her Hits Were You're Gonna Love My Baby And Bobby. In The Early 60s Barbara Made Several Musical Shorts For Scopitone A Franchise Of Coin-Operated Machines That Showed What Were Then The Forerunners Of Today's Music Videos. McNair's Acting Career Began On Television Guesting On Series Such As Dr. Kildare I Spy Mission Impossible Hogan's Heroes And McMillan And Wife. She Caught The Attention Of The Movie-Going Public With Her Much-Publicized Nude Sequences In The Gritty Crime Drama If He Hollers Let Him Go 1968 Opposite Raymond St. Jacques Then Donned A Nun's Habit Alongside Mary Tyler Moore For Change Of Habit 1969 Elvis Presley's Last Feature Film. She Portrayed Sidney Poitier's Wife In They Call Me MISTER Tibbs! 1970 And Its Sequel The Organization 1971 . McNair's Broadway Credits Include The Body Beautiful 1958 No Strings 1962 And A Revival Of The Pajama Game 1973 . McNair Was One Of The Very First African-American Entertainers To Host Her Own Primetime Television Variety Series But It Lasted Only From 1969-71 Despite The Wattage Provided By A-List Guests Like Tony Bennett And Sonny And Cher. She & Her Third Husband Rick Manzi Were Arrested For Heroin Possesion In 1972 And Even After She Was Cleared Of The Charge Career Offers Began To Dwindle . In 1976 Her Husband Rick Manzi Was Murdered And Mafia Boss-Turned-FBI-Informant Jimmy "The Weasel" Frattiano Later Claimed In His Book The Last Mafioso That Manzi Had Been A Mafia Associate Who Tried To Put A Contract On The Life Of A Mob-Associated Tax Attorney With Whom He Had A Legal Dispute. The Ensuing Publicity Did Little To Help McNair's Floundering Career. Her Recordings Include Livin' End I Enjoy Being A Girl And The Ultimate Motown Collection A 2-CD Set With 48 Tracks That Include Her Two Albums For The Label Plus A Non-Album Single And B-Side And An Entire LP That Never Was Released. Into Her Seventies McNair Resided In The Los Angeles Area Playing Tennis And Skiing To Keep In Shape On A Regular Basis And Touring On Occasion. She Died At Age 72 On February 4 2007 After Developing A Skull Based Tumor That Was Originally Overlooked. By The Time It Was Diagnosed It Was Inoperable. read less