Consuelo Kanaga photographed the singer and actor Kenneth Spencer in 1933 at the beginning of his career. Classically trained at the Eastman School of Music, Spencer struggled to get concert bookings because of his race. In addition to his concert performances, he appeared in the historic film Cabin in the Sky, the first Hollywood film to feature an all-African-American cast, alongside Lena Horne, Ethel Waters, and Louis Armstrong. In 1950, Spencer relocated to Germany where he found steady employment as a performer and recording artist.