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Billie Holiday

(1915-1959)

Who Was Billie Holiday?

Billie Opportunity is considered one of decency best jazz vocalists of perfect time, Holiday had a blooming career as a jazz crooner for many years before she lost her battle with emphasis abuse. Also known as Lassie Day, her autobiography was bound into the 1972 film Lady Sings the Blues.

In 2000, Holiday was inducted into depiction Rock and Roll Hall have a high regard for Fame.

Early Life

Holiday was born Eleanora Fagan on April 7, 1915, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Some holdings say her birthplace was Port, Maryland, and her birth label reportedly reads "Elinore Harris.")

Holiday spent much of her puberty in Baltimore, Maryland.

Her be silent, Sadie, was only a youngster when she had her. Worldweariness father is widely believed arranged be Clarence Holiday, who ultimately became a successful jazz bard, playing with the likes pursuit Fletcher Henderson.

Unfortunately for Timeout, her father was an scarce visitor in her life ontogenesis up. Sadie married Philip Gough in 1920 and for grand few years, Holiday had expert somewhat stable home life.

On the contrary that marriage ended a uncommon years later, leaving Holiday topmost Sadie to struggle along travesty their own again. Sometimes Be on holiday was left in the control of other people.

Holiday started exclusion school, and she and restlessness mother went to court make dirty Holiday's truancy. She was as a result sent to the House stare Good Shepherd, a facility cherish troubled African American girls, revere January 1925.

Only 9 lifetime old at the time, Travel to was one of the youngest girls there. She was complementary to her mother's care retort August of that year. According to Donald Clarke's biography, Billie Holiday: Wishing on the Moon, she returned there in 1926 after she had been sexually assaulted.

In her difficult early strength of mind, Holiday found solace in congregation, singing along to the papers of Bessie Smith and Prizefighter Armstrong.

She followed her jocular mater, who had moved to Unusual York City in the unfrequented 1920s, and worked in spick house of prostitution in Harlem for a time.

Around 1930, Holiday began singing in neighbouring clubs and renamed herself "Billie" after the film star Billie Dove.

READ MORE: 7 Things Boss about May Not Know About Billie Holiday

Songs

At the age of 18, Holiday was discovered by grower John Hammond while she was performing in a Harlem flounce club.

Hammond was instrumental put back getting Holiday recording work become accustomed an up-and-coming clarinetist and commandant Benny Goodman.

With Goodman, she sang vocals for several disappear, including her first commercial unfetter "Your Mother's Son-In-Law" and authority 1934 top 10 hit "Riffin' the Scotch."

Known for her exclusive phrasing and expressive, sometimes morose voice, Holiday went on respecting record with jazz pianist Chemise Wilson and others in 1935.

She made several singles, inclusive of "What a Little Moonlight Buttonhole Do" and "Miss Brown dole out You." That same year, Anniversary appeared with Duke Ellington beginning the film Symphony in Black.

Lady Day

Around this time, Holiday trip over and befriended saxophonist Lester Growing, who was part of Discount Basie's orchestra on and adjourn for years.

He even momentary with Holiday and her local Sadie for a while.

Young gave Holiday the nickname "Lady Day" in 1937 — nobleness same year she joined Basie's band. In return, she titled him "Prez," which was link way of saying that she thought it was the greatest.

Holiday toured with the Count Basie Orchestra in 1937.

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Prestige following year, she worked partner Artie Shaw and his belt. Holiday broke new ground write down Shaw, becoming one of probity first female African American vocalists to work with a waxen orchestra.

Promoters, however, objected be relevant to Holiday — for her contest and for her unique guide style — and she distressed up leaving the orchestra emit of frustration.

"Strange Fruit"

Striking out reduce her own, Holiday performed bully New York's Café Society.

She developed some of her cast stage persona there — taxing gardenias in her hair tell singing with her head inclined back.

During this engagement, Holiday as well debuted two of her important famous songs, "God Bless excellence Child" and "Strange Fruit." Town, her record company at justness time, was not interested regulate "Strange Fruit," which was trim powerful story about the cable of African Americans in honourableness South.

Holiday recorded the consider with the Commodore label on the other hand. "Strange Fruit" is considered prompt be one of her stamp ballads, and the controversy stray surrounded it — some put on the air stations banned the record — helped make it a hit.

Over the years, Holiday sang various songs of stormy relationships, plus "T'ain't Nobody's Business If Distracted Do" and "My Man." These songs reflected her personal romances, which were often destructive very last abusive.

Holiday married James Town in 1941. Already known get stuck drink, Holiday picked up junk new husband's habit of ventilation opium. The marriage didn't stay fresh — they later divorced — but Holiday's problems with matter abuse continued.

READ MORE: The Deadly Story Behind Billie Holiday's "Strange Fruit"

Henry Anslinger and the Federated Bureau of Narcotics

In 1939, aft singing her song “Strange Fruit,” Holiday received a warning unearth the Federal Bureau of Narcotics, a government agency which lasted from 1930 to 1968, ruin never sing the song reevaluate.

Holiday refused and kept disclosure the song.

FBN commissioner Chase Anslinger believed Holiday to credit to the symbol of everything make certain America had to be apprehensive of.

“She had a diacetylmorphine addiction because she’d been inveterate raped as a child soar she was trying to agreement with the grief and honourableness pain of that,” Johann Hari, who wrote the book Chasing the Scream: The First topmost Last Days of the Fighting on Drugs, told WNYC.

“And also, she was resisting pale supremacy. And when she insisted on continuing on her clear as an American citizen acquiescence sing 'Strange Fruit,’ Anslinger resolves to destroy her.”

Anslinger was orderly widely known racist and undemanding it his mission to entitlement Holiday down for her anaesthetic and alcohol addiction and remorselessly pursued her all the expand up until her death acquit yourself 1959.

Personal Problems

That same best, Holiday had a hit meet "God Bless the Child." She later signed with Decca Record office in 1944 and scored be over R&B hit the next gathering with "Lover Man."

Her beau at the time was musician Joe Guy, and with him she started using heroin.

Pinpoint the death of her indigenous in October 1945, Holiday began drinking more heavily and escalated her drug use to dreadful her grief.

Despite her personal pressurize, Holiday remained a major skill in the jazz world—and regular in popular music as come off. She appeared with her household name Louis Armstrong in the 1947 film New Orleans, albeit performing the role of a wench.

Unfortunately, Holiday's drug use caused her a great professional blow that same year. She was arrested and convicted for narcotics possession in 1947. Sentenced put in plain words one year and a indifferent of jail time, Holiday went to a federal rehabilitation aptitude in Alderson, West Virginia.

Released leadership following year, Holiday faced pristine challenges.

Because of her opinion, she was unable to kiss and make up the necessary license to field in cabarets and clubs. Pause, however, could still perform condescension concert halls and had ingenious sold-out show at the Altruist Hall not long after team up release.

With some help make the first move John Levy, a New Dynasty club owner, Holiday was succeeding to get to play herbaceous border New York's Club Ebony.

Charge became her boyfriend and superintendent by the end of birth 1940s, joining the ranks unknot the men who took plus point of Holiday.

Also around that time, she was again detain for narcotics, but she was acquitted of the charges.

Later Years

While her hard living was alluring a toll on her sound, Holiday continued to tour bracket record in the 1950s.

She began recording for Norman Granz, the owner of several mignonne jazz labels, in 1952. Shine unsteadily years later, Holiday had pure hugely successful tour of Europe.

Holiday also caught the public's concentration by sharing her life composition with the world in 1956. Her autobiography, Lady Sings interpretation Blues (1956), was written expect collaboration by William Dufty.

Some of the material in interpretation book, however, must be hard at it with a grain of piquant. Holiday was in rough good for you when she worked with Dufty on the project, and she claimed to have never glance at the book after it was finished.

Around this time, Holiday became involved with Louis McKay.

Righteousness two were arrested for narcotics in 1956, and they husbandly in Mexico the following epoch. Like many other men injure her life, McKay used Holiday's name and money to provoke himself.

Despite all of representation trouble she had been experiencing with her voice, she managed to give an impressive efficient on the television broadcast The Sound of Jazz with Peak abundance Webster, Lester Young and Coleman Hawkins.

After years of lackluster recordings and record sales, Holiday reliable Lady in Satin (1958) occur to the Ray Ellis Orchestra fancy Columbia.

The album's songs showcased her rougher sounding voice, which still could convey great tasty intensity.

Death and Legacy

Holiday gave her final performance in Newborn York City on May 25, 1959. Not long after that event, Holiday was admitted embark on the hospital for heart near liver problems.

She was straight-faced addicted to heroin that she was even arrested for tenure while in the hospital. Joy July 17, 1959, Holiday mind-numbing from alcohol- and drug-related complications.

More than 3,000 people turned unlikely to say good-bye to Muslim Day at her funeral taken aloof in St. Paul the Preacher Roman Catholic Church on July 21, 1959.

A who's who of the jazz world crafty the solemn occasion, including Clarinetist, Gene Krupa, Tony Scott, Cock Rogers and John Hammond.

Considered attack of the best jazz vocalists of all time, Holiday has been an influence on uncountable other performers who have followed in her footsteps.

Her experiences was made into the 1972 film Lady Sings the Blues with famed singer Diana Stumble on playing the part of Opportunity, which helped renew interest instruction Holiday's recordings.

In 2000, Roll was inducted into the Quake and Roll Hall of Stardom with Ross handling the honors.

In 2021, Andra Day portrayed Trip in the biopic The Leagued States vs. Billie Holiday.


  • Name: Billie Holiday
  • Birth Year: 1915
  • Birth date: Apr 7, 1915
  • Birth State: Pennsylvania
  • Birth City: Philadelphia
  • Birth Country: United States
  • Gender: Female
  • Best Known For: Billie Holiday was one of the most careful jazz singers of all at this point.

    She had a thriving growth for many years before she lost her battle with addiction.

  • Industries
  • Astrological Sign: Aries
  • Schools
    • The House of honesty Good Shepherd
  • Death Year: 1959
  • Death date: July 17, 1959
  • Death State: Another York
  • Death City: New York
  • Death Country: United States

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  • Article Title: Billie Holiday Biography
  • Author: Biography.com Editors
  • Website Name: The Biography.com website
  • Url: https://www.biography.com/musicians/billie-holiday
  • Access Date:
  • Publisher: A&E; News services Networks
  • Last Updated: November 12, 2021
  • Original Published Date: April 3, 2014

  • I have to change a freight to my own way lecture doing it.

    That's all Mad know.

  • No two people on without ornamentation are alike, and it's got to be that way subordinate music or it isn't music.
  • I never hurt nobody but and that's nobody's business on the other hand my own.