Billie Holiday
Billie Holiday in 1949 photograph by Carl Van Vechten
Background information
Birth name	Eleanora Fagan
Also known as	Lady Day
Born	April 7, 1915(1915-04-07)
Origin	Baltimore, Maryland, United States
Died	July 17, 1959 (aged 44)
Genre(s)	Vocal jazz, jazz blues, torch songs, ballads, swing
Occupation(s)	Jazz singer, Composer
Instrument(s)	Vocals
Years active	1933-1959
Label(s)	Columbia Records (1933-1942, 1958) Commodore Records (1939, 1944) Decca Records (1944-1950) Verve Records (1952-1959)
Associated acts	Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan
Website	Billie Holiday Official Site

Billie Holiday (born Eleanora Fagan; April 7, 1915 – July 17, 1959) was an American jazz singer and songwriter. Carl Van Vechten ( June 17, 1880 &ndash December 21, 1964) was an American Writer and Photographer who was a Events 529 - First draft of Corpus Juris Civilis (a fundamental work in Jurisprudence) is issued by Eastern Roman Emperor Year 1915 ( MCMXV) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Events 180 - Twelve inhabitants of Scillium in North Africa are executed for being Christians The year 1959 ( MCMLIX) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. A music genre is a categorical and typological construct that identifies musical sounds as belonging to a particular category and type of music that can be distinguished from other Jazz Singing can be defined by the instrumental approach to the voice where the singer can match the instruments in their stylistic approach to the lyrics improvised or otherwise or Jazz blues is a Musical style that combines Jazz and Blues. The term also refers to any tune that follows the standard 12-bar blues chord progression Torch Song was a British Synthpop and dance band of the early 1980s consisting of William Orbit, Laurie Mayer and Grant Gilbert A ballad is a Poem usually set to Music; thus it often is a story told in a Song. Swing music, also known as swing jazz, is a form of Jazz music that developed in the early 1930s and had solidified as a distinctive style by 1935 in the United Jazz is an American Musical art form which originated in the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States A composer (literally meaning 'one who puts together' is a person who creates Music, usually in the medium of notation, for Interpretation and Performance A musical instrument is a device constructed or modified for the purpose of making Music. Year 1933 ( MCMXXXIII) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The year 1959 ( MCMLIX) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. In the Music industry, a record label can be a Brand and a Trademark associated with the Marketing of music recordings and Music Columbia Records is an American Record label founded in 1888 Columbia is the oldest surviving Brand name in pre-recorded sound being the first record company Year 1933 ( MCMXXXIII) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Year 1942 ( MCMXLII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (the link will display the full 1942 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Year 1958 ( MCMLVIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Commodore Records was a United States -based Independent record label known for issuing many well regarded recordings of Jazz and Swing music. Year 1939 ( MCMXXXIX) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Year 1944 ( MCMXLIV) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Decca Records is a British Record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis. Year 1950 ( MCML) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Verve Records is an American Jazz Record label now owned by the Universal Music Group. Year 1952 ( MCMLII) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Ella Jane Fitzgerald (April 25 1917 &ndash June 15 1996 also known as " Lady Ella " and the "First Lady of Song" is considered one of the most influential Sarah Lois Vaughan (nicknamed " Sassy " and " The Divine One ") ( March 27 1924, &ndash April Events 529 - First draft of Corpus Juris Civilis (a fundamental work in Jurisprudence) is issued by Eastern Roman Emperor Year 1915 ( MCMXV) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year Events 180 - Twelve inhabitants of Scillium in North Africa are executed for being Christians The year 1959 ( MCMLIX) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Jazz is an American Musical art form which originated in the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States A songwriter is someone who writes the Lyrics to songs the Musical composition (chords or Melody to songs or both

Nicknamed Lady Day^[1] by her sometime collaborator Lester Young, Holiday was a seminal influence on jazz, and pop singing. Lester Willis Young ( August 27, 1909 &ndash March 15, 1959) nickname 'Prez' was an American Jazz tenor Saxophonist Her vocal style — strongly inspired by instrumentalists — pioneered a new way of manipulating wording and tempo, and also popularized a more personal and intimate approach to singing. Critic John Bush^[2] wrote that she "changed the art of American pop vocals forever. " She co-wrote only a few songs, but several of them have become jazz standards, notably "God Bless the Child," "Don't Explain," and "Lady Sings the Blues. A jazz standard is a Jazz tune that is held in continuing esteem and which is widely known performed and recorded among jazz musicians as part of the jazz musical repertoire " God Bless the Child " is a song written by Billie Holiday and Arthur Herzog Jr "Lady Sings the Blues" is a song written by Jazz Singer Billie Holiday, and Jazz Pianist Herbie Nichols. "

Biography

Early life

Photograph of a two-year-old Holiday

Billie Holiday had a difficult childhood, which greatly affected her life and career. Much of her childhood is clouded by conjecture and legend, some of it propagated by her autobiography, Lady Sings the Blues, co-authored by William Dufty and published in 1956, but later revealed to contain many inaccuracies. William Francis Dufty (1916–2002 was an American writer Playwright, no examples given perhaps not notably so --> and Nutrition activist. ^[3]

Her professional pseudonym was taken from Billie Dove, an actress she admired, and Clarence Holiday, her probable father. Billie Dove (born May 14 1903 An actor, actress, player or thespian (see terminology) is a person who Acts in a Dramatic production and who works Clarence Holiday (1898 - 1937 was a jazz guitarist Clarence Holiday is primarily remembered today as the father of Billie Holiday, but he never married Billie's mother At the outset of her career, she spelled her last name "Halliday," presumably to distance herself from her neglectful father, but eventually changed it back to "Holiday. "

There is some controversy regarding Holiday's paternity, stemming from a copy of her birth certificate in the Baltimore archives that lists the father as a "Frank DeViese". Some historians consider this an anomaly, probably inserted by a hospital or government worker. ^[4]

Thrown out of her parents' home in Baltimore, Billie's mother, Sadie Fagan, moved to Philadelphia where Billie was born. Philadelphia (ˌfɪləˈdɛlfiə Mother and child eventually settled in a poor section of Baltimore. Her parents married when she was three, but they soon divorced, leaving her to be raised largely by her mother and other relatives. At the age of 10, she reported that she had been raped. Rape, also referred to as Sexual assault, is an Assault by a person involving Sexual intercourse with or Sexual penetration of another person ^[5] That claim, combined with her frequent truancy, resulted in her being sent to The House of the Good Shepherd, a Catholic reform school, in 1925. Truancy is any intentional unauthorized absence from Compulsory schooling. It was only through the assistance of a family friend that she was released two years later. ^[6] Scared by these experiences, Holiday moved to New York City with her mother in 1928. The City of New York In 1929 Holiday's mother discovered a neighbor, Wilbert Rich, in the act of raping her daughter; Rich was sentenced to three months in jail.

Early singing career

Photo by Ralph F. Seghers

According to Billie Holiday's own account, she was recruited by a brothel, worked as a prostitute in 1930, and was eventually imprisoned for a short time for solicitation. It was in Harlem in the early 1930s that she started singing for tips in various night clubs. Harlem is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Manhattan, long known as a major African American cultural and business center The 1930s were described as an abrupt shift to more radical and conservative lifestyles as countries were struggling to find a solution to the Great Depression. According to legend, penniless and facing eviction, she sang "Travelin All Alone" in a local club and reduced the audience to tears. She later worked at various clubs for tips, ultimately landing at Pod's and Jerry's, a well known Harlem jazz club. Her early work history is hard to verify, though accounts say she was working at a club named Monette's in 1933 when she was discovered by talent scout John Hammond. John Henry Hammond II ( December 15, 1910 – July 10, 1987) was a Record producer, musician and music critic from the 1930s to the ^[7]

Hammond arranged for Holiday to make her recording debut on a 1933 Benny Goodman date, and Goodman was also on hand in 1935, when she continued her recording career with a group led by pianist Teddy Wilson. Theodore Shaw "Teddy" Wilson ( November 24 1912 &ndash July 31 1986) was a jazz pianist from the United States Their first collaboration included "What A Little Moonlight Can Do" and "Miss Brown To You", which helped to establish Billie Holiday as a major vocalist. She began recording under her own name a year later, producing a series of extraordinary performances with groups comprising the Swing Era's finest musicians. The Swing Era was the period of time (1935&ndash1946 when Big band Swing music was the most popular music in America.

Wilson was signed to Brunswick by John Hammond for the purpose of recording current pop tunes in the new Swing style for the growing jukebox trade. Brunswick Records is a United States based Record label. The label is currently distributed by Koch Entertainment. They were given free rein to improvise the material. Holiday's amazing method of improvising the melody line to fit the emotion was revolutionary (Wilson and Holiday took pedestrian pop tunes like "Twenty Four Hours A Day" or "Yankee Doodle Never Went To Town" and turned them into jazz classics with their arrangements). With few exceptions, the recordings she made with Wilson or under her own name during the 1930s and early 1940s are regarded as important parts of the jazz vocal library.

Among the musicians who accompanied her frequently was tenor saxophonist Lester Young, who had been a boarder at her mother's house in 1934 and with whom she had a special rapport. Lester Willis Young ( August 27, 1909 &ndash March 15, 1959) nickname 'Prez' was an American Jazz tenor Saxophonist "Well, I think you can hear that on some of the old records, you know. Some time I'd sit down and listen to 'em myself, and it sound like two of the same voices, if you don't be careful, you know, or the same mind, or something like that. "^[8] Young nicknamed her "Lady Day" and she, in turn, dubbed him "Prez. " She did a three-month residency at Clark Monroe's Uptown House in New York in 1937. Clark Monroe's Uptown House, sometimes shortened to Monroe's Uptown House or simply Monroe's, was a Nightclub in New York City. In the late 1930s, she also had brief stints as a big band vocalist with Count Basie (1937) and Artie Shaw (1938). William "Count" Basie ( August 21, 1904 &ndash April 26, 1984) was an American jazz pianist, Organist Arthur Jacob Arshawsky ( May 23, 1910 &ndash December 30, 2004) better known as Artie Shaw, was an American Jazz The latter association placed her among the first black women to work with a white orchestra, an arrangement that went against the temper of the times.

The Commodore Years and "Strange Fruit"

Holiday was recording for Columbia in the late 1930s when she was introduced to "Strange Fruit," a song based on a poem about lynching written by Abel Meeropol, a Jewish schoolteacher from the Bronx. Columbia Records is an American Record label founded in 1888 Columbia is the oldest surviving Brand name in pre-recorded sound being the first record company " Strange Fruit " is a song performed most famously by Billie Holiday. Lynching is an Extrajudicial punishment meted out by a mob Lynching an enumerated Felony in some states in the United States, is defined by some Abel Meeropol ( February 10, 1903 - October 30, 1986) was an American writer best known under his pseudonym Lewis Allan PLEASE TAKE NOTE************ Meeropol used the pseudonym "Lewis Allan" for the poem, which was set to music and performed at teachers' union meetings. It was eventually heard by Barney Josephson, proprietor of Café Society, an integrated nightclub in Greenwich Village, who introduced it to Holiday. Café society was the collective description for the so-called "beautiful people" and "bright young things" who gathered in fashionable cafes and restaurants in Greenwich Village (ˌgrɛnɪtʃ ˈvɪlɪdʒ often simply called the Village, is a largely residential area on the west side of downtown (southern Manhattan She performed it at the club in 1939, with some trepidation, fearing possible retaliation. Holiday later said that the imagery in "Strange Fruit" reminded her of her father's death, and that this played a role in her persistence to perform it. In a 1958 interview, she also bemoaned the fact that many people did not grasp the song's message: "They'll ask me to 'sing that sexy song about the people swinging'," she said. ^[9]

When Holiday's producers at Columbia found the subject matter too sensitive, Milt Gabler agreed to record it for his Commodore Records. Milton Gabler ( May 20, 1911 - July 20, 2001) was an American Record producer, responsible for many innovations in the recording Commodore Records was a United States -based Independent record label known for issuing many well regarded recordings of Jazz and Swing music. That was done in April, 1939 and "Strange Fruit" remained in her repertoire for twenty years. She later recorded it again for Verve. Verve Records is an American Jazz Record label now owned by the Universal Music Group. While the Commodore release did not get airplay, the controversial song sold well, though Gabler attributed that mostly to the record's other side, "Fine and Mellow," which was a jukebox hit. " Fine and Mellow " is a Jazz standard written by Billie Holiday, who first recorded it on April 20, 1939 on the Commodore ^[10]

Decca Records and "Lover Man"

In addition to owning Commodore Records, Milt Gabler was an A&R man for Decca Records, and he signed Holiday to the label in 1944. Artists and Repertoire ( A&R) is the division of a Record label that is responsible for talent scouting and artist development Decca Records is a British Record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis. Her first recording for Decca, "Lover Man," was a song written especially for her by Jimmy Davis, Roger "Ram" Ramirez, and Jimmy Sherman. " Lover Man (Oh Where Can You Be? " (often called simply " Lover Man " is a 1941 Popular song written by Jimmy Davis Roger ("Ram" Although its lyrics describe a woman who has never known love ("I long to try something I never had"), its theme—a woman longing for a missing lover—and its refrain, "Lover man, oh, where can you be?", struck a chord in wartime America and the record became one of her biggest hits.

Holiday continued to record for Decca until 1950, including sessions with the Duke Ellington and Count Basie orchestras, and two duets with Louis Armstrong. Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington (April 29 1899 &ndash May 24 1974 was an American Composer, Pianist, and Bandleader. William "Count" Basie ( August 21, 1904 &ndash April 26, 1984) was an American jazz pianist, Organist Louis Armstrong (August 4 1901 &ndash July 6 1971 nicknamed Satchmo or Sachimo and Pops, was an American Jazz Trumpeter Holiday's Decca recordings featured big bands and, sometimes, strings, contrasting her intimate small group Columbia accompaniments. Some of the songs from her Decca repertoire became signatures, including "Don't Explain" and "Good Morning Heartache". "Good Morning Heartache" ( Decca Records) is a song written by Irene Higgenbotham, Ervin Drake, and Dan Fisher

Film

Holiday made one major film appearance, opposite Louis Armstrong in New Orleans (1947). Louis Armstrong (August 4 1901 &ndash July 6 1971 nicknamed Satchmo or Sachimo and Pops, was an American Jazz Trumpeter New Orleans is a 1947 musical drama featuring Billie Holiday as a singing maid and Louis Armstrong as a bandleader Holiday and Armstrong perform together The musical drama featured Holiday singing with Armstrong and his band and was directed by Arthur Lubin. Arthur Lubin ( July 25, 1898 - May 12, 1995) was a film director and producer who directed several Abbott & Costello films

Later life and death

Her personal life was as turbulent as the songs she sang. Holiday stated that she began using hard drugs in the early 1940s. She married trombonist Jimmy Monroe on August 25, 1941. While still married to Monroe, she took up with trumpeter Joe Guy, her drug dealer, as his common law wife. Common law refers to law and the corresponding legal system developed through decisions of courts and similar tribunals rather than through legislative statutes or executive She finally divorced Monroe in 1947, and also split with Guy. In 1947 she was jailed on drug charges and served eight months at the Alderson Federal Correctional Institution for Women in West Virginia. Alderson Federal Prison Camp, also known as Federal Prison Camp Alderson or FPC Alderson, is a federal Prison in the United States West Virginia ( is a state in the Appalachian Upland South, and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States, bordered by Her New York City Cabaret Card was subsequently revoked, which kept her from working in clubs there for the remaining 12 years of her life, except when she played at the Ebony Club in 1948, where she opened under the permission of John Levy. From Prohibition until 1967 a permit called the New York City Cabaret Identification Card was required of all workers including performers in New York City nightclubs John Levy (b April 11, 1912, in New Orleans Louisiana) is an African-American jazz Double-bassist and businessman

By the 1950s, Holiday's drug abuse, drinking, and relations with abusive men led to deteriorating health. As evidenced by her later recordings, Holiday's voice coarsened and did not project the vibrance it once had. However, she had retained — and, perhaps, strengthened — the emotional impact of her delivery (See below). Billie Holiday (born Eleanora Fagan; April 7 1915 – July 17 1959 was an American Jazz singer and songwriter

On March 28, 1952, Holiday married Louis McKay, a mafia enforcer. McKay, like most of the men in her life, was abusive, but he did try to get her off drugs. They were separated at the time of her death, but McKay had plans to start a chain of Billie Holiday vocal studios, a la the Arthur Murray dance schools. Arthur Murray ( April 4, 1895 &ndash March 3, 1991) was a Dance instructor and Businessman, whose name is most often associated Holiday also had a relationship with Orson Welles. George Orson Welles (May 6 1915 – October 10 1985 was an Academy Award -winning director, writer actor and producer for film stage radio and television

Her late recordings on Verve constitute about a third of her commercial recorded legacy and are as well remembered as her earlier work for the Columbia, Commodore and Decca labels. In later years her voice became more fragile, but it never lost the edge that had always made it so distinctive. On November 10, 1956, she performed before a packed audience at Carnegie Hall, a major accomplishment for any artist, especially a black artist of the segregated period of American history. Carnegie Hall (generally ˌkɑrnɨgi ˈhɔːl is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City located at 881 Seventh Avenue, occupying the east Her performance of "Fine And Mellow" on CBS's The Sound of Jazz program is memorable for her interplay with her long-time friend Lester Young; both were less than two years from death. CBS Broadcasting Inc ( CBS) is an American radio and Television network. The Sound of Jazz was a landmark Television program that was part of CBS 's Seven Lively Arts series Lester Willis Young ( August 27, 1909 &ndash March 15, 1959) nickname 'Prez' was an American Jazz tenor Saxophonist (see the clip here)

Holiday first toured Europe in 1954, as part of a Leonard Feather package that also included Buddy DeFranco and Red Norvo. Leonard Geoffrey Feather ( 13 September 1914 &ndash 22 September 1994) was a British -born Jazz pianist, Boniface Ferdinand Leonard "Buddy" DeFranco (born February 17, 1923 in Camden New Jersey) is a Jazz Clarinet player Red Norvo ( 31 March 1908 &ndash 6 April 1999) was one of Jazz 's early vibraphonists. When she returned, almost five years later, she made one of her last television appearances for Granada's "Chelsea at Nine," in London. Her final studio recordings were made for MGM in 1959, with lush backing from Ray Ellis and his Orchestra, who had also accompanied her on Columbia's Lady in Satin album the previous year — see below). Ray Ellis (born July 28, 1923 in Philadelphia Pennsylvania) is an American Record producer, Arranger and conductor Lady in Satin is a 1958 album by the Jazz singer Billie Holiday and featuring bandleader Ray Ellis. The MGM sessions were released posthumously on a self-titled album, later re-titled and re-released as Last Recordings. Her final public appearance, a benefit concert at the Phoenix Theater in New York's Greenwich Village, took place on May 25, 1959. According to the evening's masters of ceremony, jazz critic Leonard Feather and TV host Steve Allen, she was only able to make it through two songs, one of which was "Ain't Nobody's Business If I Do. Leonard Geoffrey Feather ( 13 September 1914 &ndash 22 September 1994) was a British -born Jazz pianist, Steve Allen, born Stephen Valentine Patrick William Allen ( December 26 1921 – October 30 2000) was an American "

On May 31, 1959, she was taken to Metropolitan Hospital in New York suffering from liver and heart disease. Liver disease is a broad term describing any number of Diseases affecting the Liver. Heart disease is an Umbrella term for a variety for different diseases affecting the Heart. On July 12, she was placed under house arrest at the hospital for drug possession, despite evidence suggesting the drugs may have been planted on her. Holiday remained under police guard at the hospital until she died from cirrhosis of the liver on July 17 1959 at the age of 44. Cirrhosis is a consequence of chronic Liver Disease characterized by replacement of liver tissue by fibrous Scar tissue as well as regenerative In the final years of her life, she had been progressively swindled out of her earnings, and she died with only $0. 70 in the bank and $750 (a tabloid fee) on her person.

Billie Holiday is interred in Saint Raymond's Cemetery, The Bronx, New York. Saint Raymond's Cemetery is a Roman Catholic cemetery at 2600 Lafayette Avenue in The Bronx, New York City. New York ( is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous

Voice

Billie Holiday photographed by Carl Van Vechten, 1949

Her distinct delivery made Billie Holiday's performances instantly recognizable throughout her career. Carl Van Vechten ( June 17, 1880 &ndash December 21, 1964) was an American Writer and Photographer who was a Years of abuse eventually altered the texture of her voice and gave it a prepossessing fragility, but the emotion with which she imbued each song remained intact. ^[11]. Her last major recording, a 1958 album entitled Lady in Satin, features the backing of a 40-piece orchestra conducted and arranged by Ray Ellis, who said of the album in 1997:

I would say that the most emotional moment was her listening to the playback of "I'm a Fool to Want You. Lady in Satin is a 1958 album by the Jazz singer Billie Holiday and featuring bandleader Ray Ellis. Ray Ellis (born July 28, 1923 in Philadelphia Pennsylvania) is an American Record producer, Arranger and conductor Year 1997 ( MCMXCVII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1997 Gregorian calendar " There were tears in her eyes . . . After we finished the album I went into the control room and listened to all the takes. I must admit I was unhappy with her performance, but I was just listening musically instead of emotionally. It wasn't until I heard the final mix a few weeks later that I realized how great her performance really was.

References and tributes

In 1972, Diana Ross portrayed her in a film that was loosely based on Lady Sings the Blues, the 1959 autobiography Holiday co-authored with William Dufty, which earned Ross an Oscar nomination for Best Actress. Diana Ross (born March 261944 is an American twelve-time Grammy and Oscar -nominated singer Record producer and actress whose musical repertoire An autobiography, from the Greek αὐτός autos "self" βίος bios "life" and γράφειν graphein "to write" William Francis Dufty (1916–2002 was an American writer Playwright, no examples given perhaps not notably so --> and Nutrition activist. "The Oscar" redirects here for the film see The Oscar (film. Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS to In 1987, Billie Holiday was posthumously awarded the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. The Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award is awarded by the Recording Academy to "performers who during their lifetimes have made creative contributions of outstanding In 1994, the United States Postal Service introduced a Billie Holiday postage stamp,^[12] she ranked #6 on VH1's 100 Greatest Women in Rock n' Roll in 1999, and she was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000. A postage stamp is an adhesive paper evidence of pre-paying a fee for postal services VH1 (known as VH-1 Video Hits One from 1985 to 1994 and VH1 Music First until 2003) is an American Cable television The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum is a Museum located on the shores of Lake Erie in downtown Cleveland Ohio, United States Over the years, there have been many recorded tributes to Billie Holiday, including "Angel of Harlem," a 1988 release by the group U2. " Angel of Harlem " is the second single from U2 's 1988 album Rattle and Hum. Tupac Shakur also mentions her in 'Thugz Mansion'

In his 2001 book, writer David Sedaris chronicles his youthful dreams of being able to "sing in the voice of Billie Holiday. Tupac Amaru Shakur (June 16 1971 &mdash September 13 1996 also known by his Stage names 2Pac and Makaveli, was an American rapper David Sedaris (born December 26, 1956) is a Grammy Award -nominated American Humorist, Writer, Comedian, bestselling " In the audio book version of the book, you can actually hear him perform several commercial jingles as Billie might have. He also sings "Away in a Manger" as Billie on "Santaland Diaries," in 1998's "Holidays on Ice. "

Songs composed by Holiday

• "Billie's Blues" (1936)
• "Don't Explain" (1944)
• "Everything Happens For The Best" (1939)
• "Fine and Mellow" (1939)
• "God Bless the Child" (1941)
• "Lady Sings the Blues" (1956)
• "Long Gone Blues" (1939)
• "Now or Never"(1949)
• "Our Love Is Different" (1939)
• "Stormy Blues" (1954)

Selective awards

Grammy Hall of Fame

Billie Holiday was posthumously inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame, which is a special Grammy award established in 1973 to honor recordings that are at least twenty-five years old, and that have "qualitative or historical significance. " Billie's Blues " is a blues song written by the legendary Jazz Singer Billie Holiday, composing it just before the recording session Year 1936 ( MCMXXXVI) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. "Don't Explain" is a song written by Jazz Singer Billie Holiday and Arthur Herzog Jr Year 1944 ( MCMXLIV) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Everything Happens For The Best is a song written by Billie Holiday. Year 1939 ( MCMXXXIX) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. " Fine and Mellow " is a Jazz standard written by Billie Holiday, who first recorded it on April 20, 1939 on the Commodore Year 1939 ( MCMXXXIX) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. " God Bless the Child " is a song written by Billie Holiday and Arthur Herzog Jr Year 1941 ( MCMXLI) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (the link will display 1941 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. "Lady Sings the Blues" is a song written by Jazz Singer Billie Holiday, and Jazz Pianist Herbie Nichols. Year 1956 ( MCMLVI) was a Leap year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Year 1939 ( MCMXXXIX) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. "Now or Never" is a Jazz song written by Singer Billie Holiday, and composer Curtis Reginald Lewis. Year 1949 ( MCMXLIX) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Our Love Is Different is a song written by Billie Holiday, R Conway Basil G Year 1939 ( MCMXXXIX) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Stormy Blues is a song written by Billie Holiday Recording session Session #71 Los Angeles, September 3, 1954 Year 1954 ( MCMLIV) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1954 Gregorian calendar) The Grammy Hall of Fame Award is a special Grammy award established in 1973 to honor recordings that are at least twenty-five years old and that have "qualitative Year 1973 ( MCMLXXIII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar of the 1973 Gregorian calendar. "

Grammy Best Historical Album

The Grammy Award for Best Historical Album has been presented since 1979. "Embraceable You" is a popular Song, with music by George Gershwin and lyrics by Ira Gershwin. Lady in Satin is a 1958 album by the Jazz singer Billie Holiday and featuring bandleader Ray Ellis. " Lover Man (Oh Where Can You Be? " (often called simply " Lover Man " is a 1941 Popular song written by Jimmy Davis Roger ("Ram" " Strange Fruit " is a song performed most famously by Billie Holiday. Wikipedia_talkFeatured_lists#Proposed_change_to_all_featured_lists for an explanation of this and other inclusion tags below -->The recordings preserved The Library of Congress is the De facto National library of the United States and the research arm of the United States Congress " God Bless the Child " is a song written by Billie Holiday and Arthur Herzog Jr The Grammy Awards (originally called the Gramophone Awards)—or Grammys —are presented annually by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences The Grammy Award for Best Historical Album has been presented since 1979 Year 1979 ( MCMLXXIX) was a Common year starting on Monday (link displays the 1979 Gregorian calendar)

Other honors

Music samples

More music by Billie Holiday:

• Sophisticated Lady (Duke Ellington) [1]
• Miss Brown to You (Leo Robin, Ralph Rainger, Richard Whiting) [2]
• Summertime (George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin) [3]
• Strange Fruit [4]
• I'm Pulling Through [5]
• If I Were You [6]
• You Go To My Head (Haven Gillespie, J. Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington (April 29 1899 &ndash May 24 1974 was an American Composer, Pianist, and Bandleader. George Gershwin (September 26 1898 &ndash July 11 1937 was an American Composer. Ira Gershwin ( 6 December 1896 &ndash 17 August 1983) was an American Lyricist who collaborated with his younger Fred Coots) [7]
• Body and Soul (Edward Heyman, Frank Eyton, Johnny Green, Robert Sour) [8]

References in literature

Frank O'Hara's 1959 poem "The Day Lady Died" is written in tribute to her. Francis Russell O'Hara ( June 27, 1926 – July 25, 1966) was an American poet who along with John Ashbery, James Schuyler

Jewelle Gomez's 1987 short fictional story "Don't Explain" takes its title from Holiday's song. Holiday appears in the story, which is set in 1959 Boston, and she also functions as a symbol.

Seamus Heaney's 1975 poem "Strange Fruit" is titled after and influenced by Billie Holiday's song of the same name.

Discography

Holiday recorded extensively for four labels:

• Columbia Records (1933-1942, 1958) [ Brunswick Records (1935-1939), Vocalion Records (later OKeh Records) (1936-1942)]
• Commodore Records (1939, 1944)
• Decca Records (1944-1950)
• Verve Records (1952-1959)

Studio Recordings

Note: To avoid repetition (and a very long discography) most of Holiday's individual albums are omitted, as almost all the material from these albums is available on the box sets listed below. Columbia Records is an American Record label founded in 1888 Columbia is the oldest surviving Brand name in pre-recorded sound being the first record company Brunswick Records is a United States based Record label. The label is currently distributed by Koch Entertainment. Vocalion Records was a Record label historically active in the United States and in the United Kingdom. Okeh Records began as an Independent record label based in the United States of America in Commodore Records was a United States -based Independent record label known for issuing many well regarded recordings of Jazz and Swing music. Decca Records is a British Record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis. Verve Records is an American Jazz Record label now owned by the Universal Music Group.

Box Sets

• Lady Day: The Complete Billie Holiday on Columbia 1933-1944, Columbia Legacy CXK85470, 2001
• The Complete Commodore Recordings (1939, 1944)
• The Complete Decca Recordings (1944-1950)
• The Complete Billie Holiday on Verve (1945-1959)

Studio Albums

• Lady in Satin (Columbia, 1958)
• New Orleans: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (1946) (Giants of Jazz, 1983)
• The Sound of Jazz (Columbia, 1958)

Live recordings

Many live recordings, of varying quality, are also available. Lady in Satin is a 1958 album by the Jazz singer Billie Holiday and featuring bandleader Ray Ellis. New Orleans is a 1947 musical drama featuring Billie Holiday as a singing maid and Louis Armstrong as a bandleader Holiday and Armstrong perform together A selection is listed below:

• At Monterey 1958 (1958)
• Billie Holiday in Europe 1954-1958 (1954-1958)
• The Complete 1951 Storyville Club Sessions (1951)
• Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holiday at Newport (1957) (Holiday's performance is included in the Verve box set; see below)
• Lady Day: The Storyville Concerts [Vol. Debuting on October 3, 1958, the Monterey Jazz Festival (MJF is one of the longest consecutively running Jazz festivals Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holiday at Newport is a 1958 (see 1958 in music) Live album by Ella Fitzgerald, and Billie Holiday 1 and 2] (1951, 1953, 1959)
• A Midsummer Night's Jazz at Stratford '57 (1957)
• Summer of '49 (1948-1949)

The Columbia box set includes live recordings of Holiday's performances with the Count Basie Orchestra (1937) and Benny Goodman (1939), and her performance at the 1944 Esquire Jazz Concert. Stratford is a city on the Avon River in Perth County in Southwestern Ontario, Canada with The Count Basie Orchestra is a 16 to 18 piece Big band, one of the most prominent jazz performing groups of the Swing era, founded by Count Basie. Esquire is a Men's magazine by the Hearst Corporation with a strong literary tradition

The Verve box set includes the following live recordings:

• Jazz at the Philharmonic performances (1945-1947)
• Jazz Club USA (1954)
• 1956 Carnegie Hall concerts, with a narrator reading portions of her autobiography, Lady Sings the Blues
• 1957 Newport Jazz Festival
• Seven Ages of Jazz Festival (1958)

Videography

• Symphony in Black, 1935 short (with Duke Ellington)
• New Orleans, 1947
• The Sound of Jazz, CBS Television, December 8, 1957

Notes

References

• Jack Millar, Fine and Mellow: A Discography of Billie Holiday, 1994, ISBN 1-899161-00-7
• Julia Blackburn, With Billie, ISBN 0-375-40610-7
• John Chilton, Billie's Blues: The Billie Holiday Story 1933-1959, ISBN 0-306-80363-1
• Donald Clarke, Billie Holiday: Wishing on the Moon, ISBN 0-306-81136-7
• Angela Y. Davis, Blues Legacies and Black Feminism: Gertrude "Ma" Rainey, Bessie Smith, and Billie Holiday, ISBN 0-679-77126-3
• Leslie Gourse, The Billie Holiday Companion: Seven Decades of Commentary, ISBN 0-02-864613-4
• Farah Jasmine Griffin, If You Can't Be Free, Be A Mystery: In Search of Billie Holiday, ISBN 0-684-86808-3
• Billie Holiday with William Dufty, Lady Sings the Blues, ISBN 0-14-006762-0
• Chris Ingham, Billie Holiday, ISBN 1-56649-170-3
• Burnett James, Billie Holiday, ISBN 0-946771-05-7
• Stuart Nicholson, Billie Holiday, ISBN 1-55553-303-5
• Robert O'Meally, "Lady Day: The Many Faces of Billie Holiday", ISBN 1-55970-147-1

External links

• Official Site
• Official Billie Holiday @ Sony BMG
• Billie Holiday Discography
• Complete Billie Holiday Discography
• Billie Holiday's Music - Pure Vintage
• Brief biography at Jazz (PBS)
• Brief biography at American Masters (PBS)
• The African American Registry - Billie Holiday
• "Essential Billie Holiday Recordings" by Stuart Nicholson, Jazz.com.
• Billie Holiday Timeline
• Billie Holiday's Gravesite
• Billie Holiday’s Small Band Recordings of 1935-1939