Lonette McKee
| Lonette McKee | |
|---|---|
| Born |
July 22, 1954 Detroit, Michigan, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | The New School |
| Occupation | Actress, music composer, producer, songwriter, screenwriter, director |
| Years active | 1970–present |
| Spouse(s) | Leo Compton (m.1983–90) |
| Website | Official website |
Lonette McKee (born July 22, 1954) is an American film, television and theater actress, music composer, producer, songwriter, screenwriter and director. She is most known for her role as Sister Williams in the original 1976 musical-drama film Sparkle. She is also known for roles in such movies as The Cotton Club, ATL and Honey. She also appeared on the CW sitcom The Game as Mrs. Pitts, the mother of Jason (played by Coby Bell).
McKee was born in Detroit, Michigan, the second of three daughters of Dorothy McKee, of Swedish descent, and Lonnie McKee, an African American bricklayer and auto manufacturer employee.
McKee's career began in the music business in Detroit as a child prodigy, where she started writing music/lyrics, singing, playing keyboards and performing at the age of seven. At fourteen, she recorded her first record, which became an instant regional pop/R&B hit. McKee wrote the title song for the film Quadroon when she was fifteen. Several years later, McKee was launched to stardom with her critically acclaimed performance in the hit 1976 musical drama film Sparkle.
She has written and produced three solo LPs. Natural Love was produced for Spike Lee's Columbia "40 Acres and A Mule" label in 1992. Ed Hogan, reviewing for AllMusic, wrote: " 'Natural Love' shows that the singer/songwriter's muse knows no stylistic bounds. As with her earlier effort, McKee co-writes all of the songs while sharing production credits with Bryant McNeil, Gene Lake Jr., and labelmate Raymond Jones of State of Art."
...
Wikipedia