Hope Foye

Hope Foye, born Frances Hope Wainwright on September 2, 1921, was an American folk singer and Broadway performer. She died on January 6, 2025, in Las Vegas at the age of 103.

Foye's Broadway career spanned 1950 to 1951, during which she appeared in two productions: The Green Pastures and Dance Me a Song. The latter was Bob Fosse's first musical, and it was in that production that Foye premiered the song "Lilac Wine."

Beyond Broadway, Foye was active in the American folk music scene, performing alongside Pete Seeger, Paul Robeson, and The Weavers. Her association with The Weavers was close enough that she was at one point described as the group's unofficial "fifth" member.

Foye's career in the United States was disrupted by the McCarran Committee, and she subsequently relocated, building a career in Mexico and Europe. A 2011 documentary titled The Red Hope? The Blacklisting of Hope Foye, produced by Permanent Productions, examined this period of her life. The film's soundtrack was also released that year through permproductions.com.