Shirley Horn(1934-2005)
- Actress
- Soundtrack
Shirley Horn was a child prodigy who studied piano at Howard University
in her hometown of Washington DC from the age of twelve to the age of
eighteen. When she was unable to take advantage of a scholarship to
Juilliard due to financial constraints, she returned to Howard with the
intent to become a classical pianist. After graduation, she played
piano in local bars, restaurants, and nightclubs, where her piano
mastery along with her unique vocals soon gave her a name amongst many
jazz greats, including Miles Davis, who invited her to open for him at
the Village Vanguard in Greenwich Village in 1960. Although she stayed
close to her home base of Washington to raise her daughter, Shirley
Horn made many recordings with a number of jazz greats, including
Davis, Theolonious Monk, Elvin Jones, Wynton Marsalis and his brother
Bradford. Complications from diabetes led to the loss of her right foot
in later years, but she never stopped playing and performing.