Olga James

Olga James AdderleyChandler February 16 1929 January 25 2025 was born into a musical family her father played the saxaphone her mother was a dancer James would attend Julliard in New York City where she studied opera She made her professional debut in 1952 in Paris performing in the opera Four Saints in Three Acts After returning to America James was hired to perform in the allBlack revue at Atlantic Citys Club Harlem It was while performing in the revue that she got an audition for Premingers Carmen Jones an allBlack musical based on Georges Bizets opera Carmen landing the role of Cindy Lou the fiancée of Belafontes Joe Two years after Carmen Jones James gave her first and only Broadway performance in 1956s Mr Wonderful playing the character Ethel Pearson who sings the title song Through her highprofile performances in film and on Broadway James became a prolific and popular nightclub performer She met and in 1962 married the saxophonist Julian Cannonball Adderley their union lasting until his death in 1975 In 1990 James married singer and civil rights activist Len Chandler who died in 2023