Sherman Sneed; Singer, Producer for Lena Horne

Sherman Brooks Sneed, 80, singer and for a quarter of a century the personal manager and producer of legendary entertainer Lena Horne. Sneed conceived and co-produced Horne’s long-running one-woman Broadway show, “Lena Horne: The Lady and Her Music.” He produced her 1994 album “We’ll Be Together Again,” among others. A native of Oklahoma City, Sneed played football at Dillard University in New Orleans and Langston University in Oklahoma. He also sang in college choirs, and during World War II sang with the Army USO. Afterward, he joined the “Wings Over Jordan Choral Ensemble” on CBS radio, and then acted with Cleveland’s Karamu Theatre troupe. In Ohio, he sang with the Karamu Quartette, sang in “The Consul” at the Cleveland Playhouse and directed the Festival Choir at St. James AME Zion Church and the International Brotherhood Speech Ensemble. Sneed based himself permanently in Brooklyn in 1952, when he was cast as Jim in “Porgy and Bess.” After 15 years with singer Harry Belafonte as one of his backup singers and a management assistant, Sneed joined Horne in 1972. On April 19 in Brooklyn, of a heart attack.