Lena Horne
Lena Horne (born in
1917) is an
American popular singer. While she has recorded and performed extensively with
jazz musicians (notably
Artie Shaw and Teddy Wilson), she is usually not considered a jazz singer because she does not improvise.
She was the first African American performer to sign a long-term contract with a major Hollywood studio, and became famous in 1943 for her rendition of Stormy Weather in the movie of the same name.