Singer Dinah Washington and her seventh husband, football legend Dick “Night Train” Lane, were an unlikely pair. She wasn’t a fan of football, but she was madly in love with Night Train. They each fought bigotry in their own ways – Washington by challenging segregation in the music industry, Lane by changing the perception of Blacks in professional sports.
Night Train’s ominous nickname arose from his ferocious tackling. The face-mask and clothes-line penalties in force today result from injured quarterbacks and the force with which he hit them. Lane hit the color barrier with the same ferocity. He took the bitter lessons of his segregated high school and played standout football in college, as the only black player on the team. His fierce drive for excellence won him the universal respect of fans and players.
Dinah Washington and her husband were very much alike. Both were driven professionals, and both fought hard for equity and equality. Joe Zawinul tells of the time in Odessa, Texas, when she led her entire band through a bathroom window, rather than play in a segregated club. The local sheriff had refused to let Zawinul, the only white musician, join the band on stage. The audience rioted and the band left town.
Here is Dinah Washington, singing one of Night Train’s favorites, “Teach Me Tonight.”
“Soundtrack to the Struggle” is written and produced by Ron Adkins. Executive Producer Dennis Green. Host: Hollis Monroe.
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