The great Billie Holiday

“Billie Holiday, One of the best jazz singers of all time”

Billie Holiday was born, Eleanor Fagan on April 7th 1915  in Philadephia and sadly died July 17th 1959 at the age of  44 years old. Billie Holiday as a child, had a some what unstable and very troubled childhood.

During her difficult early years, she found her love for music, singing along to Bessie Smith and Louis Armstrong. She followed her mother to New York in the late 1920’s, she worked in a house of prostitution in Harlem. Around 1930 she began to sing in local clubs and took the name “Billie” which she took from the film star Billie Dove. While performing in a Harlem Jazz Club at the age of 18, she was discovered by producer John Hammond, he organized her get together with a then up and coming clarinetist named Benny Goodman, she made several tracks and achieved her first top ten hit “Riffin” the Scotch. 

In 1937 she joined  Count Basie’s orchestra, this is where she got the nickname “Lady Day”, In 1938 she worked with Artie Shaw and his orchestra, finally breaking out on her own as a solo artist, she performed at the “New York’s Cafe Society” this is where her trademark was born, wearing gardenias in her hair and singing with her head tilting back. 

In 1941 she married James Monroe, this is where she picked up his habit of smoking Opium, they later divorced but her problems with substance abuse continued. In 1944 her boyfriend at the time was trumpeter Joe Guy and sadly with him she started to use Heroin. Despite her personal problems she remained a major star in the jazz world. In 1947, she was sentenced to one year and one day of jail time.

Billie Holiday shared her life story in 1956, her autobiography “Lady Sings the Blues”

In 1959 Billie Holiday died from alcohol and drug related complications.

Here are just a few of her great musical hits, followed by a video of her chosen by me singing “All of you”

1934………………………………….”Your Mothers Son in Law”

                                                                “Riffin” the Scotch

1935………………………………….”What a Little Moonlight can do”

                                                                 “Miss Brown to You”

1939………………………………….”God Bless the Child”

                                                                 “Strange Fruit”

1940………………………………….”T’aint Nobody’s Business”

                                                                  “My Man”

1944…………………………………..”Lover Man”

                                                                  Film Louis Armstrong/Billie Holiday titled New Orleans.

1952…………………………………..Tour of Europe

1956…………………………………..Lady sings the blues

1958…………………………………..Lady in Satin

Hope you enjoy the video !