Singer Lena Horne

In 1994, Lena Horne released the first of three comeback records. Reviews of "We'll Be Together Again," as well as "Being Myself" (1998), and "Soul" (1999) confirmed that Horne's voice was as compelling as ever.

She was born in 1917 in Brooklyn to an alleged racketeer and struggling actress. Shuttled between relatives in New York and the South for most of her childhood, Horne dropped out of high school to support an ailing mother. With her stunning good looks, Horne quickly landed a role in the chorus at Harlem's famous Cotton Club. But it was her singing that led her to fame.

Throughout her career, Horne struggled against racial stereotypes among her mostly white audiences. But the fair-skinned Horne also had to fight for a place with fellow African-Americans. Her marriage to Lennie Hayton, a white man, in 1947 estranged many supporters. In the 1960s, she played a visible role in the civil rights movement.

In 1981, Horne made Broadway history with the autobiographical "The Lady and Her Music," which became the longest running one-woman show.

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