In her 60-year career, she broke down numerous racial barriers. In the 1940s, she was one of the first black singers with a major white band, the first to perform at the famous Copacabana nightclub, and the first to sign a long-term Hollywood contract.
She later became an active campaigner for civil rights and was a powerful voice of the movement.
A classy lady passes.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kgwKWT8_Ur8
