A superior ballad singer and a talented pianist, Shirley Horn put off potential success until finally becoming a major attraction while in her 50s. She studied piano from the age of four. After attending Howard University, Horn put together her first trio in 1954 and was encouraged in the early '60s by Miles Davis and Quincy Jones. She recorded three albums during 1963-65 for Mercury and ABC-Paramount but chose to stick around Washington D.C. and raise a family instead of pursuing her career. In the early '80s she began recording for SteepleChase but Shirley Horn really had her breakthrough in 1987 when she started making records for Verve, an association that continues to the present day. 

~Scott Yanow