Original cast member, Lonette McKee set to SPARKLE too

The Chocolate Pages Show

Sparkle starring the late Whitney Houston and Jordin Sparks, hits theaters on Aug. 17 and fans of the cult film classic can see at least one of the original film's stars in concert. Our guest today, Lonette McKee, was born in Motown. She will perform in concert with vocalist & bass player Michael Henders on on 11/2 at New York City's Aaron Davis Hall. McKee's career began in music in Detroit as a child prodigy, where she started writing music/lyrics, singing, playing keyboards & performing at 7. At 14, she recorded her 1st record, which became an instant regional pop/R&B hit. McKee wrote the title song for the film Quadroon when she was 15. Her career has included leading roles on stage, screen & TV. McKee made a highly praised film debut as the drug-addicted lead singer of a Supremes-like pop group in "Sparkle" (1976) and even has won a Tony nomination on Broadway. McKee has since appeared in some 40 TV & film projects, including a number of Spike Lee movies, such as Jungle Fever, Malcolm X and She Hate Me. She currently teaches at the City College of New York, has a lot of upcoming music, film and TV projects, including an urban tragedy, Dream Street, which will serve as her directorial debut. She was "Sister" in the original Sparkle and is still shining. Hear her talk about her career & "Sparkle, a Night to Remember." LonetteMcKee.com