Shirley Horn

Shirley Horn (born May 1, 1934, Washington, D.C., U.S.—died Oct. 20, 2005, Cheverly, Md.) was an American jazz artist whose ballads, sung in a breathy contralto to her own piano accompaniment, earned her both critical acclaim and popular renown. Horn was raised in Washington, D.C., and attended the Junior School of Music at Howard University, where she studied classical piano. She sang in local jazz bars and rose to prominence when Miles Davis asked her...