By Katarina Friesen

“ LADY DAY”BILLIE HOLIDAY

Born on April 7, 1915 with the name of Eleanora Fagan Gough. Father eventually became a famous jazz musician, Clarence

Holiday. He left Billie and her mother when she was very young. Mother was 16 when she had Billie and she was a maid. While

she would work, Billie was either in the hands of abusive relatives or out fending for herself.

In Billie’s difficult early life, she found solace in music, singing along to records of Bessie Smith and Louis Armstrong

She had only completed schooling up to the 5th grade. Late 1920’s she moved to New York City, where she worked in a

house of prostitution. Choose the stadge name Billie Holiday after film star Billie Dove

when she auditioned at Monettes in Harlem, NY The first popular jazz singer to move audiences with her intense

and personal feeling of the classic blues.

BIOGRAPHY

She also changed the American pop vocals forever. On July 17, 1959 she died because of the struggles

that she had faced with addiction.

CONT. BIOGRAPHY

“GIVE ME A SONG THAT I CAN FEEL, AND IT’S NEVER WORK”

Her first singing gig was at a night club that was across the street from where she worked.

Benny Goodman( clarinetist and bandleader) liked Billie’s singing so much he offered to record an album with her. Recorded “Your Mothers Son in Law and Riffin the Scotch( Nov. 1933. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u7UqVomYQZY

Your Mothers Son-in Law was her first commercial release.

Riffin the Scotch became the top ten hit in 1934.

John Hammond also had seen her sing at the night club and asked to record with her.

She was the age of 18 when John Hammond had seen her and had asked her to record an album with him as well.

They recorded with Teddy Wilson & band.

Recorded songs: I only have eyes for you; I cover the waterfront.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XbLSNDmDR5Q

EARLY CAREER

Original civil rights protest song Was a poem that was written by Lewis Allan( high school

teacher) Written about the 1930 lynching of 2 black men in Marion,

Indiana and he later set the poem to music. Billie was daring enough to perform this song about the

lynching of African Americans in the South. This song reminded her of how and why her father had died. This song also became Billie’s signature ballad #16 on the charts in July 22,1939; even though this song was

banned from the radio

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h4ZyuULy9zs

STRANGE FRUIT( 1939)

Written by Billie Holiday and Aruthr Herzog 1939 This song was written because she had gotten into a fight

with her mother about money The anger from the argument led her to the starting

point of this song

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bKNtP1zOVHw This song was first recorded in NY,NY with Eddie

Haywood and band in 1941. Sold more than a million copies This song was honored with the Grammy Hall of Fame

award in 1976.

GOD BLESS THE CHILD

Written by Billie Holiday in 1937 This song was written about her husband, Jimmy Monroe.

He came home with lipstick on his collar. He tried to explain to her what had happen and she told him to not explain.

Recorded in New York, New York in 1944 at the Decca with Toots Camarata and his orchestra.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XxwJ9lh-id4

DON’T EXPLAIN

Lover Man written in 1941 by Jimy Davis, Roger Ramirez and James Sherman. Was recorded by Billie in 1944 with Toots Camaratas orchestra in the Decca. Also was #5 on the R&B charts in 1945.

Trav’lin Light was one of her Biggest selling records in 1944.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p2vYTAKxtPw My Man Night and Day with Bobby Tucker

OTHER SONGS PERFORMED

On March 27, 1948, just out of a correctional prison on charges of possesion. She performed at Carnegie Hall. She sung 30 songs that night.

In 1950, she went on a tour of Europe. She also in the same year wrote her autobiography “ The Lady Sings the Blues”.

In 1956, her caberet license was revoked after she had been in jail for drug possesion. This prevented her from performing at venues serving alcohol in New York City.

Billie recorded her last album called “Lady in Satin” with Columbia records in 1958 a year before she died.

LATER CAREER

Lady Songs the Blues; The 50th Anniversary Edition; By: Billie Holiday with Wiliam Dufty; Copyright 1959

“ Strange Fruit”: the story of a song; Peter Daniels; published on 02/08/2012; World Scocialist Website; http://www.wsws.org/articles/2002/feb2002/frut-f08.shtml

http://rockhall.com/inductees/billie-holiday/bio/ http://www.pophistorydig.com/?tag=lady-in-satin-1958 http://

www.biography.com/people/billie-holiday-9341902?page=1

REFERANCES