The Howard Theatre

The Howard Theatre was primarily a jazz venue in the 1930s and '40s, but starting in the '50s, the venue booked more R&B and rock 'n' roll acts. Because of this, Horn's performance in 1958 was a bit of a throwback to that earlier time. (Credit: Theresa C. Sanchez on Flickr. Used via Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic License.)

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The Show Must Go On: Shirley Horn at the Howard Theatre

Washington DC
 by
Holly McDonald

By the late 1950s, Shirley Horn had performed all up and down the U Street corridor a countless number of times, but her show at the Howard Theatre one October night in 1958 was particularly memorable for her. The jazz pianist and singer happened to be in the ninth month of her pregnancy at the time and was expecting the baby to be due any day.

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Last Updated: May 12, 2022