The Lena Horne reference article from the English Wikipedia on 24-Apr-2004
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Lena Horne

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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.