By the time she was ten years old, Australian born musical prodigy, Lana Cantrell was already the "Boogie Baby" of her country, singing and playing the piano in jazz concerts at the Sydney Town Hall. She made her television debut on the first show ever to be shown in Australian and during the next four years was a regular on the two biggest variety shows in the country, Bandstand and In Melbourne Tonight.
Her American debut was even more auspicious. Coming to the States at age 19, Lana made 15 appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show as well as numerous appearances on all of the top variety shows, including Kraft Music Hall and The Red Skelton Show. In 1966 she was selected to represent the U.S.A at the International Song Festival, held in Poland. Lana returned to America with the first prize, which was awarded to her for her unique rendition of "I'm All Smiles".
A top recording artist, Lana Cantrell has recorded seven albums for RCA Victor, numerous singles in Australia on the Festival Label, and her hit single, "Like A Sunday Morning" on the Polydor label.
Lana has worked with many summer stock companies, including a summer co-starring with Alfred Drake. She played the role of Dorothy in the summer theatre production of The Wizard Of Oz.
1972 was a homecoming for Lana when she returned to Australia to open the Sydney Opera House. In 1975 she was honoured once again when she was named "International Woman of the Year" and was flown to Paris by the United Nations to sing at the Olympia. In 1978 she co-hosted the Greater New England Emmy Awards Show with Phil Donahue and in 1979 was a judge for the Miss Universe Pageant held in Perth, Australia.
1973 Lana Recorded "Remembering" Theme from the motion picture "England Made Me" nominated for Best Song in a motion picture. However, it shortly became disqualified due to her vocal being recorded over the motion picture title strip at the end of the feature.Billboard Magazine Ad The Academy then confronted East Coast Records and requested the instrumental version be nominated in its place. East Coast Records declined in support of Lana Cantrell. Coincidentally the same problem existed with the motion picture “The Way We Were” The vocal of Barbara Streisand was also sung over the title strip and disqualified the vocal version from being nominated for best song in a motion picture., Marvin Hamlish was then awarded Best Song in a motion picture soundtrack "The Way We Were". Barbara Streisand performed the vocal version the night of the oscars.
For several years Lana literally sang her way around the world, appearing in concerts and nightclubs. She has appeared in concert at the Avery Fisher Hall in New York, the Academy of Music in Philadelphia, Wolf Trapp in Virginia, the Olympia in Paris, the Sydney Opera House and the Monaco Sporting Club. Lana has entertained audiences at the Bijou in Philadelphia, the Sands, the Riviera and the New Frontier Hotels in Las Vegas, the Fairmont Hotels in San Fransisco, Dallas and New Orleans, the Plaza, the St. Regis and the Waldorf-Astoria in New York, the Century Plaza Hotel in Los Angeles, the Shoreham Hotel in Washington D.C., the Royal York Hotel in Toronto, the Hyatt Regency Hotels in Detroit, Atlanta, and Chicago, and the Playboy Clubs in Great Gorge, Lake Geneva, New York and Los Angeles.
Some years ago Lana decided to undertake law studies and now practices law in her home town of New York. In February 1996 she undertook a rare singing engagement when, in her first public singing performances in eight years, she played to a week of standing ovations at the Sydney Festival Club.
The School of Arts Cafe welcomed, with particular pleasure and pride the sensational Lana Cantrell in January 1998.
