Shirley Horn was a classically trained pianist and vocalist who forged a friendship with jazz legend Miles Davis, enjoying a career resurgence in her late ‘40s. The Washington, D.C. native was born May 1, 1934.
Horn began studying piano at the age of four. She studied composition and piano at the Howard University Junior School of Music before attending and graduating from the college. She was accepted at the Julliard School of Music, but her parents could not afford the tuition.