DETROIT (WXYZ) — Detroit has always been a city that knows how to make music. Local jazz sensation Kimmie Horne’s family history comes from Hollywood royalty, including her great aunt Lena Horne, but her singing chops are in her DNA.
“Because I’m from a family of musicians — singers, performers. My dad was a musician,” Kimmie Horne said.
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The gift of being a songstress came early for Kimmie Horne, who once had dreams of becoming a journalist until something extraordinary caught her ear.
“When I heard, when I did, I was really blown away that it sounded like I was on the radio,” she said.
It may not look like it, but she’s been gracing stages as a one-woman show for nearly four decades across America and internationally in Japan.
“I think it’s the freedom of just singing notes, rhythms, patterns, phrasings. I just love the sound of Jazz,” she said.
But one of her biggest legacies is creating the Kimmie Horne Jazz Festival. Very few festivals are named after a woman.
“So often, I was traveling all around the world, running into different musicians and we always talked about, we should do something together,” Kimmie Horne said. “And so I said I’m going to have a festival and I am going to be able to bring everybody to one stage.”
At the start in 2016, she quickly outgrew Lathrup Village and moved it to Southfield, where thousands flocked to see her. Over a decade, she gave nearly 100 artists an opportunity to perform and honored trailblazers that came before her. But behind the scenes, she got her own sponsors and stayed in a trailer on site as the CEO of her three-day festival.
“I was really nervous about that at first because it’s my name on a festival,” Kimmie Horne said, adding that her husband encouraged her to continue on with the idea.
She decided in 2025, a decade was enough. But now, this self-made woman is on to the next. She’s honoring the music of Sade during an already sold-out show during Women’s History Month.
“I wanted to really do a show where I can really hone my alto voice. And Sade reminds me a lot of me because she has a vibe. She’s all about vibe,” Kimmie Horne said.
Her birthday concert at the Dirty Dogg Jazz Cafe is still to come April 30 through May 2, but there’s more to unfold as she continues to evolve.
A book, documentary and writing songs are on her list of things to do next.
For women who dream of following in her footsteps, her message is simple: “Believe in yourself.”
Kimmie Horne says her mission has always been simple: keep jazz alive and keep Detroit proud.
