Legendary jazz singer, actress, and civil-rights activist Abbey Lincoln passed away over the weekend. Lincoln started out as a nightclub singer, but as the civil rights movement heated up in the late 1950s, so did Lincoln’s musical career. WBEZ’s Richard Steele speaks with Maggie Brown, who talked about her relationship with Lincoln, and about how Lincoln found herself as an artist and a person.

Maggie Brown will perform her tribute to Lincoln, “Maggie Plays Abbey,” on Saturday, September 4 at the Chicago Jazz Festival.