Lena Mary Calhoun Horne was born in Brooklyn, New York on June 30, 1917 to Edwin and Edna Horne. Unfortunately, Horne's father left the family when she was only three years old. Because her mother was an actress with a traveling black theater company, she lived in places like Georgia and Miami. She also stayed with her grandparents for a while. After their deaths, Horne went to live with a family friend. Shortly after, she moved back in with her mother, who had just gotten married. When she was younger, Horne often dreamed of becoming an artist, which shocked her middle-class family. They had college degrees and prominent positions in the NAACP and the Urban League. She pursued her dreams and was hired at the Cotton Club in Harlem at age 16. In 1934, with no singing experience, Horne was assigned a duet with Avon Long (Porgy and Bess). The duet, being a success, inspired her to take singing lessons. . In 1935 she joined the "Noble Sissle Society Orchestra" as a singer and dancer. Shortly thereafter she had her first child and married Louis L. Jones, the father of both of her children. The two ...