My father says he saw her in Manhattan in the early 1940's. Maybe. She was around, to be sure. Whether true or not, there is no doubt that Lena Horne, who passed away at 92, had a long, varied career. While not a pure jazz performer like Billie Holliday or Ella Fitzgerald, she could sing jazz. What she did best, though, was add some soul to the lifeless, white pop music Tin Pan Alley poured out its windows and doors. Her signature song, "Stormy Weather", was performed by many, done best by Lady Day (of course), but is certainly memorable.
Here she is doing a Rogers & Hart standard, "Where or When".
Finally, Ms. Horne refused to be limited to music from the 1940's. Here she is doing the late Jim Croce's "I Got A Name", making the song her own.
