Effective period / Period of releases: 1963 - 1982

Betty Allen (17 March 1927 in Campbell, Ohio - 22 June 2009 in Valhalla, New York) was a renowned American operatic mezzo-soprano who had an active international singing career during the 1950s through the 1970s. Allen was part of the first generation of black opera singers to achieve wide success and is viewed as part of an instrumental group of performers who helped break down the barriers of racial prejudice in the opera world.