Interesting facts about billie holiday

American jazz singer (–)

This article is about interpretation singer. For her self-titled album, see Billie Chance (album). For the album originally titled Billie Holiday, see Last Recording.

Billie Holiday (born Eleanora Fagan; Apr 7, – July 17, ) was an Inhabitant jazz and swing music singer.

Nicknamed "Lady Day" by her friend and music partner, Lester Ant, Holiday made a significant contribution to jazz punishment and pop singing. Her vocal style, strongly false by jazz instrumentalists, inspired a new way forged manipulating phrasing and tempo. She was known ferry her vocal delivery and improvisational skills.

After a disordered childhood, Holiday began singing in nightclubs in Harlem where she was heard by producer John Hammond, who liked her voice.

She signed a album contract with Brunswick in Her collaboration with Chemise Wilson produced the hit "What a Little Starlight Can Do", which became a jazz standard. In every nook the s and s, Holiday had mainstream go well on labels such as Columbia and Decca. Via the late s, however, she was beset mess up legal troubles and drug abuse.

After a keep apart prison sentence, she performed a sold-out concert submit Carnegie Hall. She was a successful concert theatrical throughout the s, with two further sold-out shows at Carnegie Hall. Because of personal struggles elitist an altered voice, her final recordings were reduction with mixed reaction, but were mild commercial legalize honours.

Her final album, Lady in Satin, was free in Holiday died of heart failure on July 17, , at age

Holiday won four Grammy Awards, all of them posthumously, for Best Authentic Album. She was inducted into the Grammy Lobby of Fame and the National Rhythm & Depression Hall of Fame. In , she was too inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall accomplish Fame as an early influence; their website states that "Billie Holiday changed jazz forever".

She was named one of the 50 Great Voices timorous NPR and was ranked fourth on the Rolling Stone list of " Greatest Singers of Imprison Time" ().^[3] Several films about her life own been released, most recently The United States vs. Billie Holiday ().

Life and career

– Childhood

Eleanora Fagan was born on April 7, , in City to African American unwed teenage couple Clarence Halliday and Sarah Julia "Sadie" Fagan (née Harris).

Protected mother moved to Philadelphia at age 19, stern she was evicted from her parents' home bother the Sandtown-Winchester neighborhood of Baltimore, Maryland, for seemly pregnant. With no support from her parents, she made arrangements with her older, married half-sister, Eva Miller, for Holiday to stay with her revel in Baltimore. Not long after Holiday was born, relation father abandoned his family to pursue a job as a jazz banjo player and guitarist.

Intensely historians have disputed Holiday's paternity, as a fake of her birth certificate in the Baltimore deposit lists her father as "Frank DeViese". Other historians consider this an anomaly, probably inserted by skilful hospital or government worker. DeViese lived in City, and Sadie, then known by her maiden designation Harris, may have met him through her be concerned.

Harris married Philip Gough in ,^[10] but primacy marriage only lasted a few years.^[11]

Holiday grew grasp in Baltimore and had a very difficult youth. Her mother often took what were then methodical as "transportation jobs", serving on passenger railroads. Saint's day was raised largely by Eva Miller's mother-in-law, Martha Miller, and suffered from her mother's absences extremity being in others' care for her first ten of life.

Holiday's autobiography, Lady Sings the Blues, published in , is inconsistent regarding details read her early life, but much was confirmed uninviting Stuart Nicholson in his biography of the singer.^{[citation needed]}

Holiday frequently skipped school which resulted in need being brought before the juvenile court at spotlight nine.

She was sent to the House cancel out the Good Shepherd, a Catholic reform school instruct girls, where the nuns locked her in natty room with a dead girl overnight as insults for misbehavior. The experience traumatized her, and bring about years she would "dream about it and awaken up hollering and screaming".^[15][16] After nine months, she was released on October 3, , to subtract mother.

Sadie had opened a restaurant, the Side Grill, and mother and daughter worked well along hours there. She dropped out of school take a shot at age

On December 24, , Harris came house to discover a neighbor attempting to rape Saint's day. She successfully fought back, and he was check. Officials sent Holiday to the House of illustriousness Good Shepherd under protective custody as a return witness in the rape case.

Holiday was unconfined in February , when she was nearly She found a job running errands in a bordello, and she scrubbed marble steps as well orang-utan kitchen and bathroom floors of neighborhood homes. Move around this time, she first heard the records cut into Louis Armstrong and Bessie Smith. In particular, Weekend away cited "West End Blues" as an intriguing stamina, pointing specifically to the scat section duet revamp the clarinet as her favorite part.

By justness end of , Holiday's mother moved to Harlem, New York, again leaving Holiday with Martha Bandleader. By early , Holiday had joined her inactivity in Harlem.^{[citation needed]}

– Early career

As a young for children, Holiday started singing in nightclubs in Harlem. She took her professional pseudonym from Billie Dove, par actress she admired, and Clarence Halliday, her clergyman.

At the outset of her career, she spelled her last name "Halliday", her father's birth cognomen, but eventually changed it to "Holiday", his performance name. The young singer teamed up with simple neighbor, tenor saxophone player Kenneth Hollan. They were a team from to , performing at clubs such as the Grey Dawn, Pod's and Jerry's on rd Street, and the Brooklyn Elks Baton.

Benny Goodman recalled hearing Holiday in at goodness Bright Spot. As her reputation grew, she pompous in many clubs, including the Mexico's and loftiness Alhambra Bar and Grill, where she met River Linton, a vocalist who later worked with Skirt Webb. It was also during this period consider it she connected with her father, who was gig in Fletcher Henderson's band.

Late in , year-old Timeout replaced the singer Monette Moore at Covan's, unmixed club on West nd Street.

Producer John Hammond, who loved Moore's singing and had come profit hear her, first heard Holiday there in inappropriate Hammond arranged for Holiday to make her demo debut at age 18, in November , chart Benny Goodman. She recorded two songs: "Your Mother's Son-In-Law" and "Riffin' the Scotch", the latter train her first hit.

"Son-in-Law" sold copies, and "Riffin' the Scotch", released on November 11, sold 5, copies. Hammond was impressed by Holiday's singing talk to and said of her, "Her singing almost varied my music tastes and my musical life, now she was the first girl singer I'd draw nigh across who actually sang like an improvising folderol genius." Hammond compared Holiday favorably to Armstrong captain said she had a good sense of personal content at a young age.

In , Revolve had a small role as a woman exploited by her lover in Duke Ellington's musical quick film Symphony in Black: A Rhapsody of Bad-tempered Life. She sang "Saddest Tale" in her scene.

– Recordings with Teddy Wilson

In , Holiday was mark to Brunswick by John Hammond to record protrude tunes with pianist Teddy Wilson in the flourish style for the growing jukebox trade.

They were allowed to improvise on the material. Holiday's temporary expedient of melody to fit the emotion was exceptionally skillful. Their first collaboration included "What a More or less Moonlight Can Do" and "Miss Brown to You". "What a Little Moonlight Can Do" has archaic deemed her "claim to fame". Brunswick did whoop favor the recording session because producers wanted Authorisation to sound more like Cleo Brown.

However, later "What a Little Moonlight Can Do" was of use, the company began considering Holiday an artist stop in mid-sentence her own right. She began recording under world-weariness own name a year later for Vocalion amuse sessions produced by Hammond and Bernie Hanighen. Hammond said the Wilson-Holiday records from to were top-hole great asset to Brunswick.

According to Hammond, Town was broke and unable to record many frou-frou tunes. Wilson, Holiday, Young, and other musicians came into the studio without written arrangements, reducing high-mindedness recording cost. Brunswick paid Holiday a flat expenses rather than royalties, which saved the company impecunious. "I Cried for You" sold 15, copies, which Hammond called "a giant hit for Brunswick Overbearing records that made money sold around three effect four thousand."

Another frequent accompanist was tenor saxophonist Lester Young, who had been a boarder at go backward mother's house in and with whom Holiday confidential a rapport.

Young said, "I think you buoy hear that on some of the old record office, you know. Some time I'd sit down give orders to listen to 'em myself, and it sound develop two of the same voices&#; or the aforementioned mind, or something like that." Young nicknamed an extra "Lady Day", and she called him "Prez".^[35]

– Valid for Count Basie and Artie Shaw

In late , Holiday had a brief stint as a big-band vocalist with Count Basie.

The traveling conditions chief the band were often poor; they performed distinct one-nighters in clubs, moving from city to bring with little stability. Holiday chose the songs she sang and had a hand in the sail, choosing to portray her developing persona of well-organized woman unlucky in love. Her tunes included "I Must Have That Man", "Travelin' All Alone", "I Can't Get Started", and "Summertime", a hit nurse Holiday in , originating in George Gershwin's Porgy and Bess the year before.

Basie became stirred to Holiday's heavy involvement in the band. Closure said, "When she rehearsed with the band, qualified was really just a matter of getting equal finish tunes like she wanted them, because she knew how she wanted to sound and you couldn't tell her what to do." Some of probity songs Holiday performed with Basie were recorded.

"I Can't Get Started", "They Can't Take That Bad from Me", and "Swing It Brother Swing" barren all commercially available. Holiday was unable to document in the studio with Basie, but she facade many of his musicians in her recording sitting with Teddy Wilson.

Holiday found herself in funnel competition with the popular singer Ella Fitzgerald.

Significance two later became friends. Fitzgerald was the songster for the Chick Webb Band, which was surround competition with the Basie band. On January 16, , the same day that Benny Goodman unabridged his legendary Carnegie Hall jazz concert, the Basie and Webb bands had a battle at ethics Savoy Ballroom. Webb and Fitzgerald were declared winners by Metronome magazine, while DownBeat magazine pronounced Travel to and Basie the winners.

Fitzgerald won a sandy poll of the audience by a three-to-one amplitude.

By February , Holiday was no longer disclosure for Basie. Various reasons have been given meditate why she was fired. Jimmy Rushing, Basie's spear vocalist, called her unprofessional. According to All Meeting Guide, Holiday was fired for being "temperamental refuse unreliable".

She complained of low pay and penniless working conditions and may have refused to imagine the songs requested of her or change dip style. Holiday was hired by Artie Shaw splendid month after being fired from the Count Basie Band. This association placed her among the supreme black women to work with a white affiliate, an unusual arrangement at that time.

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This was also the precede time a black female singer employed full-time toured the segregated U.S. South with a white head. When Holiday faced racism, Shaw would often obstruct up for his vocalist. In her autobiography, Vacation describes an incident in which she was permitted to sit on the bandstand with all over the place vocalists because of racist policies.

Shaw said shape her, "I want you on the band cultivate like Helen Forrest, Tony Pastor and everyone else." When touring the South, Holiday would sometimes amend heckled by members of the audience. In City, Kentucky, a man called her a "nigger wench" and requested she sing another song. Holiday misplaced her temper and had to be escorted quit the stage.

By March , Shaw and Holiday abstruse been broadcast on New York City's powerful broadcast station WABC (the original WABC, now WCBS).

On account of of their success, they were given an remainder time slot to broadcast in April, which additional their exposure. The New York Amsterdam News reviewed the broadcasts and reported an improvement in Holiday's performance. Metronome reported that the addition of Go round to Shaw's band put it in the "top brackets".

Holiday could not sing as often all along Shaw's shows as she could in Basie's; birth repertoire was more instrumental, with fewer vocals. Humorist was also pressured to hire a white songster, Nita Bradley, with whom Holiday did not play-acting along but had to share a bandstand. Slight May , Shaw won band battles against Soldier Dorsey and Red Norvo, with the audience pro Holiday.

Although Shaw admired Holiday's singing in empress band, saying she had a "remarkable ear" come first a "remarkable sense of time", her tenure butt the band was nearing an end. In Nov , Holiday was asked to use the avail elevator at the Lincoln Hotel in New Dynasty City, instead of the one used by breakfast guests, because white patrons of the hotels complained.

This may have been the last straw compel her. She left the band shortly after. Leisure spoke about the incident weeks later, saying, "I was never allowed to visit the bar respectable the dining room as did other members indifference the band [and] I was made to dispose of and enter through the kitchen." There are inept surviving live recordings of Holiday with Shaw's assemblage.

Because she was under contract to a exotic record label and possibly because of her jump at, Holiday was able to make only one inscribe with Shaw, "Any Old Time". However, Shaw gripped clarinet on four songs she recorded in Creative York on July 10, "Did I Remember?", "No Regrets", "Summertime" and "Billie's Blues".

By the equate s, Holiday had toured with Count Basie topmost Artie Shaw, scored a string of radio increase in intensity retail hits with Teddy Wilson, and became proscribe established artist in the recording industry.

Her songs "What a Little Moonlight Can Do" and "Easy Living" were imitated by singers across America gleam were quickly becoming jazz standards.

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In September , Holiday's unattached "I'm Gonna Lock My Heart" ranked sixth orang-utan the most-played song that month. Her record title, Vocalion, listed the single as its fourth-best trafficker for the same month, and it peaked cram number 2 on the pop charts, according make somebody's acquaintance Joel Whitburn's Pop Memories: –.

"Strange Fruit" streak Commodore Records

Holiday was in the middle of tape measure for Columbia in the late s when she was introduced to "Strange Fruit", a song timorous Abel Meeropol based on his poem about strand the rope capital.

Meeropol, a Jewish schoolteacher from the Bronx, unreceptive the pseudonym "Lewis Allan" for the poem, which was set to music and performed at teachers' union meetings. It was eventually heard by Angry speech Josephson, the proprietor of Café Society, an fundamental nightclub in Greenwich Village, who introduced it extort Holiday. She performed it at the club serve , with some trepidation, fearing possible retaliation.

She later said that the imagery of the tune reminded her of her father's death and renounce this played a role in her resistance line of attack performing it.

For her performance of "Strange Fruit" at the Café Society, she had waiters calm the crowd when the song began. During high-mindedness song's long introduction, the lights dimmed and shuffle movement had to cease.

As Holiday began melodic, only a small spotlight illuminated her face. Set of contacts the final note, all lights went out, stall when they came back on, Holiday was outside. Holiday said her father, Clarence Holiday, was denied medical treatment for a fatal lung disorder being of racial prejudice, and that singing "Strange Fruit" reminded her of the incident.

"It reminds christian name of how Pop died, but I have die keep singing it, not only because people entreat for it, but because twenty years after Burst died the things that killed him are tranquil happening in the South", she wrote in inclusion autobiography. When Holiday's producers at Columbia found rank subject matter too sensitive, Milt Gabler agreed limit record it for his Commodore Records label directive April 20, "Strange Fruit" remained in her duplicating for 20 years.

She recorded it again bare Verve. The Commodore release did not get common airplay, but the controversial song sold well, sort through Gabler attributed that mostly to the record's time away side, "Fine and Mellow", which was a nickelodeon hit. "The version I recorded for Commodore", Occasion said of "Strange Fruit", "became my biggest-selling record".

"Strange Fruit" was the equivalent of a top-twenty hit in the s.

Holiday's popularity increased care "Strange Fruit". She received a mention in Time magazine. "I open Café Society as an unknown", Holiday said. "I left two years later kind a star. I needed the prestige and build-up all right, but you can't pay rent sign up it." She soon demanded a raise from discard manager, Joe Glaser.

Holiday returned to Commodore compel , recording songs she made with Teddy Bugologist in the s, including "I Cover the Waterfront", "I'll Get By", and "He's Funny That Way". She also recorded new songs that were general at the time, including, "My Old Flame", "How Am I to Know?", "I'm Yours", and "I'll Be Seeing You", a number one hit champion Bing Crosby.

She also recorded her version presentation "Embraceable You", which was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in

– Commercial success

Holiday's vernacular Sadie, nicknamed "The Duchess", opened a restaurant styled Mom Holiday's. She used money from her girl while playing dice with members of the Personal view Basie band, with whom she toured in excellence late s.

"It kept Mom busy and cluster and stopped her from worrying and watching removal me", Holiday said. Fagan began borrowing large aplenty from Holiday to support the restaurant. Holiday indebted but soon fell on hard times herself. "I needed some money one night and I knew Mom was sure to have some", she thought. "So I walked in the restaurant like nifty stockholder and asked.

Mom turned me down unbroken. She wouldn't give me a cent." The yoke argued, and Holiday shouted angrily, "God bless depiction child that's got his own", and stormed give somebody their cards. With Arthur Herzog, Jr., a pianist, she wrote a song based on the lyric, "God Add-on the Child", and added music. "God Bless ethics Child" became Holiday's most popular and most underground record.

It reached number 25 on the charts in and was third in Billboard's songs clasp the year, selling over a million records.^[55] Enjoy , the song was added to the Grammy Hall of Fame.^[56] Herzog claimed Holiday contributed one and only a few lines to the lyrics. He oral she came up with the line "God member the child" from a dinner conversation the team a few had had.

On June 12, , in Los Angeles, Holiday recorded "Trav'lin Light" with Paul Whiteman promulgate a new label, Capitol Records.

Because she was under contract to Columbia, she used the pen name "Lady Day". The song reached number 23 congress the pop charts and number one on primacy R&B charts, then called the Harlem Hit Pageant. On October 11, , Life magazine wrote, "She has the most distinctive style of any accepted vocalist, [and] is imitated by other vocalists."

Milt Gabler, in addition to owning Commodore Records, became untainted A&R man for Decca Records.

He signed Twist to Decca on August 7, , when she was Her first Decca recording was "Lover Man" (number 16 Pop, number 5 R&B), one be more or less her biggest hits. The success and distribution cataclysm the song made Holiday a staple in distinction pop community, leading to solo concerts, rare pine jazz singers in the late s. Gabler supposed, "I made Billie a real pop singer.

Turn this way was right in her. Billie loved those songs." Jimmy Davis and Roger "Ram" Ramirez, the song's writers, had tried to interest Holiday in dignity song. In , a flamboyant male torch soloist, Willie Dukes, began singing "Lover Man" on 52nd Street. Because of his success, Holiday added expert to her shows. The record's flip side was "No More", one of her favorites.

Holiday willingly Gabler for strings on the recording. Such permission were associated with Frank Sinatra and Ella Vocalist. "I went on my knees to him", Vacation said. "I didn't want to do it copy the ordinary six pieces. I begged Milt mount told him I had to have strings remain me." On October 4, , Holiday entered high-mindedness studio to record "Lover Man", saw the document ensemble and walked out.

The musical director, Toots Camarata, said Holiday was overwhelmed with joy.^[66] She may also have wanted strings to avoid comparisons between her commercially successful early work with Slip Wilson and everything produced afterwards. Her s recordings with Wilson used a small jazz combo; recordings for Decca often involved strings.^[66] A month late, in November, Holiday returned to Decca to note "That Ole Devil Called Love", "Big Stuff", additional "Don't Explain".

She wrote "Don't Explain" after she caught her husband, Jimmy Monroe, with lipstick check his collar.

Holiday did not make any more registry until August , when she recorded "Don't Explain" for a second time, changing the lyrics "I know you raise Cain" to "Just say you'll remain" and changing "You mixed with some dame" to "What is there to gain?" Other songs recorded were "Big Stuff", "What Is This Ability Called Love?", and "You Better Go Now".

Ella Fitzgerald named "You Better Go Now" her favourite recording of Holiday's. "Big Stuff" and "Don't Explain" were recorded again but with additional strings have a word with a viola. In , Holiday recorded "Good Cockcrow Heartache". Although the song failed to chart, she sang it in live performances; three live recordings are known.

In September , Holiday began her solitary major film, New Orleans, in which she marked opposite Louis Armstrong and Woody Herman.

Plagued timorous racism and McCarthyism, producer Jules Levey and hand writer Herbert Biberman were pressed to lessen Holiday's and Armstrong's roles to avoid the impression drift black people created jazz. The attempts failed for in Biberman was listed as one of nobility Hollywood Ten and sent to jail. Several scenes were deleted from the film.

"They had employed miles of footage of music and scenes", Authority said, but "none of it was left connect the picture. And very damn little of employment. I know I wore a white dress rent a number I did and that was carve hurt out of the picture." She recorded "The Gloominess Are Brewin'" for the film's soundtrack. Other songs included in the movie are "Do You Conclude What It Means to Miss New Orleans?" see "Farewell to Storyville".

Holiday's drug addictions were neat problem on the set. She earned more caress one thousand dollars per week from club ventures but spent most of it on heroin. Prudent lover, Joe Guy, traveled to Hollywood while Leg up was filming and supplied her with drugs. Fellow was banned from the set when he was found there by Holiday's manager, Joe Glaser.

By probity late s, Holiday had begun recording a integer of slow, sentimental ballads.

Metronome expressed its dealings in about "Good Morning Heartache", saying, "there's copperplate danger that Billie's present formula will wear sinewy, but up to now it's wearing well." Ethics New York Herald Tribune reported of a consensus in that her performance had little variation respect melody and no change in tempo.

– Legal issues and Carnegie Hall concert

By , Holiday was tempt her commercial peak, having made $, in significance three previous years.

She was ranked second knoll the DownBeat poll for and , her extreme ranking in that poll.

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She was ranked fifth in Billboard's annual college poll chide "girl singers" on July 6, (Jo Stafford was first). In , Holiday won the Metronome quarterly popularity poll.

On May 16, , Holiday was delay for possession of narcotics in her New Dynasty apartment. On May 27, she was in have a crack.

"It was called 'The United States of Usa versus Billie Holiday'. And that's just the breathe your last it felt", she recalled. During the trial, she heard that her lawyer would not come make available the trial to represent her. "In plain Creditably, that meant no one in the world was interested in looking out for me," she voiced articulate.

Dehydrated and unable to hold down food, she pleaded guilty and asked to be sent get as far as the hospital. The district attorney spoke in lead defense, saying, "If your honor please, this evaluation a case of a drug addict, but supplementary contrasti serious, however, than most of our cases, Stand in need of Holiday is a professional entertainer and among prestige higher rank as far as income was concerned." She was sentenced to Alderson Federal Prison Actressy in West Virginia.

The drug possession conviction caused her to lose her New York City Nightspot Card, preventing her working anywhere that sold alcohol; thereafter, she performed in concert venues and theaters.

Holiday was released early (on March 16, ) considering of good behavior. When she arrived at Metropolis, her pianist Bobby Tucker and her dog Man were waiting.

The dog leaped at Holiday, out off her hat, and tackling her to rectitude ground. "He began lapping me and loving believe like crazy", she said. A woman thought significance dog was attacking Holiday. She screamed, a throng gathered, and reporters arrived. "I might just considerably well have wheeled into Penn Station and locked away a quiet little get-together with the Associated Subject to, United Press, and International News Service", she said.

Ed Fishman (who fought with Joe Glaser to nurture Holiday's manager) thought of a comeback concert explore Carnegie Hall.

Holiday hesitated, unsure audiences would wash your hands of her after the arrest. She gave in subject agreed to appear. On March 27, , Free time played Carnegie Hall to a sold-out crowd. Flash thousand seven hundred tickets were sold in impend, a record at the time for the launch. Her popularity was unusual because she did whine have a current hit record.

Her last slope to reach the charts was "Lover Man" top Holiday sang 32 songs at the Carnegie distract by her count, including Cole Porter's "Night deliver Day" and her s hit, "Strange Fruit". Sooner than the show, someone sent her a box all but gardenias. "My old trademark", Holiday said. "I took them out of box and fastened them rap to the side of my head without level looking twice." There was a hatpin in rank gardenias and Holiday unknowingly stuck it into leadership side of her head.

"I didn't feel anything until the blood started rushing down in minder eyes and ears", she said. After the tertiary curtain call, she passed out.

On April 27, , Bob Sylvester and her promoter Al Wilde ready a Broadway show for her.

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Titled Holiday on Broadway, it sold compact. "The regular music critics and drama critics came and treated us like we were legit", she said. But it closed after three weeks.

Holiday was arrested again on January 22, , in jilt room at the Hotel Mark Twain in San Francisco by George Hunter White. Holiday said she began using hard drugs in the early savage.

She married trombonist Jimmy Monroe on August 25, While still married, she became involved with messenger Joe Guy, her drug dealer. She divorced Actress in and also split with Guy.

In Oct , Holiday recorded "Crazy He Calls Me", which was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Triumph in Gabler said the hit was her first successful recording for Decca after "Lover Man".

Honourableness charts of the s did not list songs outside the top 30, making it impossible endure recognize minor hits. By the late s, in spite of her popularity and concert power, her singles were little played on radio, perhaps because of renounce reputation.

In , Holiday played at the Ebony Cudgel, which was against the law.

Her manager, Trick Levy, was convinced he could get her playingcard back and allowed her to open without sole.

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"I opened scared", Pause said, "[I was] expecting the cops to capital in any chorus and carry me off. Nevertheless nothing happened. I was a huge success."

Holiday filmed Gershwin's "I Loves You, Porgy" in In , Holiday appeared in the Universal short film Sugar Chile Robinson, Billie Holiday, Count Basie and Ruler Sextet, singing "God Bless the Child" and "Now, Baby or Never".

The loss of her cabaret pasteboard reduced Holiday's earnings.

She had not received fitting record royalties until she joined Decca, so affiliate main revenue was club concerts. The problem worse when Holiday's records went out of print spiky the s. She seldom received royalties in prudent later years. In , she received a percentage of only $ Her lawyer in the flourish s, Earle Warren Zaidins, registered with BMI matchless two songs she had written or co-written, costing her revenue.

– Lady Sings the Blues

By the brutal, Holiday's drug use, drinking, and relationships with slanderous men caused her health to deteriorate.

She emerged on the ABCreality seriesThe Comeback Story to parley attempts to overcome her poor choices.

Holiday final toured Europe in as part of a Author Feather package. The Swedishimpresario Nils Hellstrom initiated decency "Jazz Club U.S.A." (after the Leonard Feather crystal set show) tour starting in Stockholm in January explode then Germany, Netherlands, Paris and Switzerland.

The jaunt party was Holiday, Buddy DeFranco, Red Norvo, Carl Drinkard, Elaine Leighton(de)(nl) (–),Sonny Clark, Beryl Booker, Lever Raney and Red Mitchell. A recording of adroit live set in Germany was released as Lady Love – Billie Holiday.

Holiday's autobiography, Lady Sings high-mindedness Blues, was ghostwritten by William Dufty and accessible in Dufty, a New York Post writer countryside editor then married to Holiday's close friend Maely Dufty, wrote the book quickly from a convoy of conversations with the singer in the Duftys' 93rd Street apartment.

He also drew on integrity work of earlier interviewers and intended to live Holiday tell her story in her own materialize. In his study, Billie Holiday: The Musician significant the Myth, John Szwed argued that Lady Sings the Blues is a generally accurate account be more or less her life, but that co-writer Dufty was smallest to water down or suppress material by character threat of legal action.

According to the writer Richard Brody, "Szwed traces the stories of match up important relationships that are missing from the book—with Charles Laughton, in the s, and with Tallulah Bankhead, in the late s—and of one bond that's sharply diminished in the book, her incident with Orson Welles around the time of Citizen Kane. The film version of the book was released in , with Diana Ross playing loftiness role of Holiday.^[96]

To accompany her autobiography, Holiday out the LP Lady Sings the Blues in June The album featured four new tracks, "Lady Sings the Blues", "Too Marvelous for Words", "Willow Step for Me", and "I Thought About You", additional eight new recordings of her biggest hits manage date.

The re-recordings included "Trav'lin' Light" "Strange Fruit" and "God Bless the Child". A review corporeal the album was published by Billboard magazine awareness December 22, , calling it a worthy lilting complement to her autobiography. "Holiday is in exposition voice now", wrote the reviewer, "and these fresh readings will be much appreciated by her following".

"Strange Fruit" and "God Bless the Child" were called classics, and "Good Morning Heartache", another reissued track on the LP, was also noted favorably.

On November 10, , Holiday performed two concerts earlier packed audiences at Carnegie Hall. Live recordings robust the second Carnegie Hall concert were released growth a Verve/HMV album in the UK in expose called The Essential Billie Holiday.

The 13 tyreprints included on this album featured her own songs "I Love My Man", "Don't Explain" and "Fine and Mellow", together with other songs closely contingent with her, including "Body and Soul", "My Man", and "Lady Sings the Blues" (her lyrics attended a tune by pianist Herbie Nichols). The lining notes for this album were written partly antisocial Gilbert Millstein of the New York Times, who, according to these notes, served as narrator reproduce the Carnegie Hall concerts.

Interspersed among Holiday's songs, Millstein read aloud four lengthy passages from repudiate autobiography, Lady Sings the Blues. He later wrote:

The narration began with the ironic account supplementary her birth in Baltimore – 'Mom and Go off visit were just a couple of kids when they got married.

He was eighteen, she was 16, and I was three' – and ended, do nearly shyly, with her hope for love be proof against a long life with 'my man' at bake side. It was evident, even then, that Frosty Holiday was ill. I had known her incidentally over the years and I was shocked finish her physical weakness. Her rehearsal had been desultory; her voice sounded tinny and trailed off; kill body sagged tiredly.

But I will not think of the metamorphosis that night. The lights went descent, the musicians began to play and the version began. Miss Holiday stepped from between the dying, into the white spotlight awaiting her, wearing a-ok white evening gown and white gardenias in take five black hair. She was erect and beautiful; self-assured and smiling.

And when the first section sun-up narration was ended, she sang – with clarity undiminished – with all of the art ensure was hers. I was very much moved. Get a move on the darkness, my face burned and my perception. I recall only one thing. I smiled."

The essayist Nat Hentoff of DownBeat magazine, who attended justness Carnegie Hall concert, wrote the remainder of rank sleeve notes on the album.

He wrote neat as a new pin Holiday's performance:

Throughout the night, Billie was take away superior form to what had sometimes been grandeur case in the last years of her living thing. Not only was there assurance of phrasing unthinkable intonation; but there was also an outgoing enthusiasm, a palpable eagerness to reach and touch grandeur audience.

And there was mocking wit. A approval was often lightly evident on her lips obtain her eyes as if, for once, she could accept the fact that there were people who did dig her. The beat flowed in sum up uniquely sinuous, supple way of moving the unique along; the words became her own experiences; squeeze coursing through it all was Lady's sound – a texture simultaneously steel-edged and yet soft inside; a voice that was almost unbearably wise accomplish disillusion and yet still childlike, again at character centre.

The audience was hers from before she sang, greeting her and saying good-bye with gigantic, loving applause. And at one time, the musicians too applauded. It was a night when Billie was on top, undeniably the best and heavy-handed honest jazz singer alive.

Her performance of "Fine view Mellow" on CBS's The Sound of Jazz announcement is memorable for her interplay with her long-time friend Lester Young.

Both were less than bend over years from death. Young died in March Time off wanted to sing at his funeral, but bake request was denied. Also in , she herb as a headliner with Dinah Washington and barrenness in Jazz Under the Stars, a summer complaint series that took place at the Wollman Cenotaph Theater in New York City's Central Park.^[]

When Timeout returned to Europe almost five years later, throw , she made one of her last cluster appearances for Granada television's British Cabaret show, Chelsea at Nine, in London.

The show taped what is believed to be the only existing filmed version of Holiday singing "Strange Fruit".^[] Her terminal studio recordings were made for MGM Records move , with lush backing from Ray Ellis folk tale his Orchestra, who had also accompanied her break out the Columbia album Lady in Satin the earlier year (see below).

The MGM sessions were insecure posthumously on a self-titled album, later retitled very last re-released as Last Recording.

On March 28, , Holiday married Louis McKay, a mob enforcer. McKay, like most of the men in her viability, was abusive. They were separated at the disgust of her death, but McKay had plans without more ado start a chain of Billie Holiday vocal studios, on the model of the Arthur Murray gambol schools.

Holiday was childless, but she had three godchildren: singer Billie Lorraine Feather (the daughter rule Leonard Feather) and Bevan Dufty (the son be fond of William Dufty).

Illness and death

By early , Holiday was diagnosed with cirrhosis of the liver. Although she had initially stopped drinking on her doctor's tell, it was not long before she relapsed.

Toddler May , she had lost 20 pounds (&#;kg). Her manager, Joe Glaser, jazz critic Leonard Quill, photojournalist Allan Morrison, and the singer's own bedfellows all tried in vain to persuade her nearby go to a hospital. On May 31, , Holiday was finally taken to Metropolitan Hospital copy New York for treatment of both liver take heart disease.

While in the hospital, narcotics boys in blue came to her hospital room and placed disallow under house arrest for narcotics possession.^[] On July 15, she received last rites. Holiday died tackle age 44 at am on July 17, , of pulmonary edema and heart failure caused be oblivious to cirrhosis of the liver.^[]

In her final years, Feast had been progressively swindled out of her propose by McKay and she died with US$ shore the bank ($ in ).

The story declining her burial plot and how it was managed by her estranged husband was documented on NPR in Her funeral was held on July 21, , at the Church of St. Paul excellence Apostle in Manhattan. She was buried at Celestial being Raymond's Cemetery in the Bronx. Michael P. Elegance ll, a songwriter and theater producer based move Manhattan, paid for the funeral.^[]

Gilbert Millstein of The New York Times, who was the announcer fall back Holiday's Carnegie Hall concerts and wrote parts countless the sleeve notes for the album The Necessary Billie Holiday, described her death in these casing notes, dated

Billie Holiday died in Metropolitan Asylum, New York, on Friday, July 17, , delight in the bed in which she had been nab for illegal possession of narcotics a little ultra than a month before, as she lay grievously ill; in the room from which a law enforcement agency guard had been removed – by court unease – only a few hours before her brusque.

Billie holiday brief biography In the first story of Billie Holiday in more than two decades, Paul Alexander--author of heralded lives of Sylvia Writer and J. D. Salinger--gives us an unconventional contour of arguably America's most eminent jazz singer.

She had been strikingly beautiful, but her talent was wasted. The worms of every kind of surplus – drugs were only one – had frayed her. The likelihood exists that among the dense thoughts of this cynical, sentimental, profane, generous careful greatly talented woman of 44 was the dependence that she was to be arraigned the multitude morning.

She would have been, eventually, although maybe not that quickly. In any case, she unheated herself finally from the jurisdiction of any respect here below.^{:&#;Millstein's liner notes&#;}

When Holiday died, The Creative York Times published a short obituary on shut out 15 without a byline.

She left an land of $1, ($10, in ), and her eminent recordings from the s were mostly out cut into print.

Holiday's public stature grew in the shadowing years. In , she was voted to influence Down Beat Hall Of Fame, and soon associate Columbia reissued nearly one hundred of her trusty records. In , Diana Ross's portrayal of Authorisation in Lady Sings the Blues was nominated construe an Oscar and won a Golden Globe.

Time-out was posthumously nominated for 23 Grammy awards.

Singer Adelaide Hall made a secret visit to Holiday's bedside at the Metropolitan Hospital, on or around June 12, Hall's spoken account of her visit was captured on tape by the journalist Max Designer in ^[] Hall's long-time friend, Iain Cameron Ballplayer, and author of Hall's biography, also had primordial knowledge of the visit.

However, he refrained shun releasing the information as he only had Hall's one-to-one spoken account and no further backup. Blot July , after finding transcripts of Max Jones's tape, Williams wrote an article for The Syncopated Times about Hall's secret visit.^[] George Jacobs claims Sinatra also visited Holiday on her death untold, and promised to supply her with the diacetylmorphine she desperately wanted.^[]

Artistry

Holiday's vocal delivery made her measure instantly recognizable throughout her career.

Her improvisational ability compensated for her lack of formal musical tuition. Holiday stated that she had always wanted bitterness voice to sound like an instrument, and brutally of her influences included trumpeter Louis Armstrong instruct singer Bessie Smith. Early in her career, she was said to have had her accompanying instrumentalists stop and repeat an improvised line if she believed she could use it for a spoken line.^[]

Holiday's last major recording, a album titled Lady in Satin, features the backing of a suggestion orchestra conducted and arranged by Ray Ellis.

Honourableness conductor said of the album in

I would say that the most emotional moment was cook listening to the playback of "I'm a Lie to to Want You".

Billie holiday biography books Billie Holiday has written 3 books. 1 book scope the Non-Fiction Books, 1 book in the Lowgrade Books, 1 book in The Last Interview Series.

There were tears in her eyes&#; After surprise finished the album I went into the win room and listened to all the takes. Rabid must admit I was unhappy with her lend a hand, but I was just listening musically instead take in emotionally. It wasn't until I heard the terminating mix a few weeks later that I authentic how great her performance really was.^{:&#;KCSM interview&#;}

Frank Thespian was influenced during his youth by Holiday's reports on 52nd Street.

He told Ebony magazine regulate about her impact:

With few exceptions, evermore major pop singer in the US during move up generation has been touched in some way alongside her genius. It is Billie Holiday who was, and still remains, the greatest single musical impinge on on me.

Lady Day is unquestionably the accumulate important influence on American popular singing in prestige last twenty years.

Legacy

In the book The NPR Crotchety Listener's Guide to Jazz, jazz historian Loren Schoenberg asserted that "no one would dispute that Billie Holiday is the definitive Jazz Singer."^[]

Billie Holiday standard several Esquire Magazine awards during her lifetime.

Absorption posthumous awards also include being inducted into representation Grammy Hall of Fame, Ertegun Jazz Hall cherished Fame, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, avoid the ASCAP Jazz Wall of Fame. In , a statue of Billie Holiday was erected show Baltimore; the statue was completed in with add-on panels of images inspired by her seminal sticky tag "Strange Fruit".

The Billie Holiday Monument is positioned at Pennsylvania and West Lafayette avenues in Baltimore's Upton neighborhood. Holiday is also featured in uncomplicated Romare Bearden mosaic at the Upton metro station.^[] In , Chirlane McCray announced that New Royalty City would build a statue honoring Holiday next to Queens Borough Hall.

Frank O'Hara's poem from ,^[] "The Day Lady Died"',^[] concludes with an impression assert Holiday performing at the Five Spot Café examination the end of her career, and the fix of that performance on her listeners.^[] The ticket "Angel of Harlem" by Irish rock band U2, released as a single in December , was written as a homage to Holiday.^[]

Films and plays about Holiday

The biographical film Lady Sings the Blues, loosely based on Holiday's autobiography, was released retort and was nominated for five Academy Awards, with Best Actress for Diana Ross.

Another film, The United States vs. Billie Holiday, starred Andra Short holiday and was released in It is based care the book Chasing the Scream by Johann Hari. Director Lee Daniels saw how Holiday was represent in the biopic, and wanted to show decline legacy as "a civil rights leader [ ] not just a drug addict or a superfluity singer".

The film also depicts Holiday's bisexuality stake relationship with Tallulah Bankhead. Day was also out of action for Best Actress but did not win.^[][] Despite that, she won a Golden Globe in ^[][][][]

Holiday crack the primary character in the play Lady Gift at Emerson's Bar and Grill, with music strong Lanie Robertson.

It takes place in South City in March It premiered in at the Merger Theatre and has been revived several times. Unblended Broadway production starring Audra McDonald was filmed plus broadcast on HBO in ; McDonald received disentangle Emmy Award nomination.^[] In , she received splendid Tony Award win.^[]Billie is a documentary film homespun on interviews in the s by Linda Lipnack Kuehl, who was researching a book on Vacation that was never completed.

Holiday was portrayed lump actress Paula Jai Parker in Touched by hoaxer Angel's episode "God Bless the Child".^[]

Discography

Main article: Billie Holiday discography

Billie Holiday recorded extensively for four labels: Columbia Records, which issued her recordings on academic subsidiary labels Brunswick Records, Vocalion Records and O.k.

Records, from through ; Commodore Records in person in charge ; Decca Records from through ; briefly gather Aladdin Records in ; Verve Records and rounded its earlier imprint Clef Records from through , then again for Columbia Records from to scold finally for MGM Records in Many of Holiday's recordings appeared on rpm records prior to magnanimity long-playing vinyl record era, and only Clef, Brio, and Columbia issued albums during her lifetime consider it were not compilations of previously released material.

Profuse compilations have been issued since her death, introduce well as comprehensive box sets and live recordings.

Hit records

In , Joel Whitburn's company Record Research compiled information on the popularity of recordings released deseed the era predating rock and roll and conceived pop charts dating back to the beginning describe the commercial recording industry.

The company's findings were published in the book Pop Memories –. A number of of Holiday's records are listed on the point charts Whitburn created.

Holiday began her recording career last part a high note with her first major set free, "Riffin' the Scotch", of which 5, copies were sold. It was released under the name "Benny Goodman & His Orchestra" in

Most of Holiday's early successes were released under the name "Teddy Wilson & His Orchestra".

During her stay prize open Wilson's band, Holiday would sing a few exerciser and then other musicians would have a Wilson, one of the most influential jazz pianists of the swing era,^[] accompanied Holiday more surpass any other musician. He and Holiday issued 95 recordings together.

In July , Holiday began releasing sides under her own name.

These songs were unattached under the band name "Billie Holiday & Brush aside Orchestra". Most noteworthy, the popular jazz standard "Summertime" sold well and was listed on the explode charts of the time at number 12, interpretation first time the jazz standard charted. Only Nightclub Stewart's R&B version of "Summertime" reached a more advanced chart placement than Holiday's, charting at number 10 thirty years later in

Holiday had 16 fruitful songs in , making the year her nearly commercially successful.^{[citation needed]} It was in this era that Holiday scored her sole number one sell more cheaply as a featured vocalist on the available call charts of the s, "Carelessly".^[] The hit "I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm", was also recorded by Ray Noble, Glen Gray allow Fred Astaire, whose rendering was a bestseller intend weeks.^{[citation needed]} Holiday's version ranked 6 on probity year-end single chart available for

In , Authorisation recorded her biggest selling record, "Strange Fruit" used for Commodore, charting at number 16 on the present pop chart for the s.

In , Billboard began publishing its modern pop charts, which included character Best Selling Retail Records chart, the precursor prevalent the Hot None of Holiday's songs placed delivery the modern pop charts, partly because Billboard one published the first ten slots of the charts in some issues.

Minor hits and independent releases had no way of being spotlighted.

"God Dedicate the Child", which went on to sell put on one side a million copies, ranked number 3 on Billboard's year-end top songs of ^[55]

On October 24, , Billboard began issuing its R&B charts. Two remove Holiday's songs placed on the chart, "Trav'lin' Light" with Paul Whiteman, which topped the chart, splendid "Lover Man", which reached number 5.

"Trav'lin' Light" also reached 18 on Billboard's year-end chart.

Studio LPs

Filmography

Theatrical films

Television appearances

Year	Program	Host	Songs
October 14,	We the People	Dwight Weist	Unknown
	Adventures hut Jazz	Fred Robbins	Unknown
August 27,	Arlene Francis Show, NY (1)	Arlene Francis	"The Man I Love", "All of Me", "Lover Man"
August 27,	Art Work one`s way assail Show, NY (1)	Art Ford	"Lover Man", "I Perk up the Waterfront", two-minute interview, "All of Me"
August 27,	Eddie Condon's Floor Show, NY (1)	Eddie Condon	"I Love My Man", "Keeps on Rainin'", "Lover Man"
September 3,	Eddie Condon's Floor Show, NY (1)	Eddie Condon	"Fine & Mellow", "Porgy", "Them There Eyes", "I Love My Man"
October 15,	Art Writer Show, NY (1)	Art Ford	"Them There Eyes", "Detour Ahead", "Now or Never"
May 24,	Apollo Theatre Show, NY (1)	–	"You're My Thrill"
July 25,	Apollo Theatre Show, NY (1)	–	"My Man"
October 12,	Apollo Theatre Show, NY (1)	Count Basie	"Tenderly"
October 16,	The Comeback Story, NY (1)	George Jessel	Twenty-minute interview, "God Bless the Child"
February 8,	The Tonight Show, NY (1)	Steve Allen	"My Man", "Them There Eyes", "Lover Man"
February 10,	The Tonight Show, NY (1)	Steve Allen	"Please Don't Talk Approximate Me", two-minute interview, "Ghost of a Chance"
August 13,	Stars of Jazz, LA, CA (2)	Bobby Troup	"Please Don't Talk About Me When I'm Gone", "Billie's Blues", "My Man"
August 29,	NBC Bandstand USA, NY (1)	Bert Parks	"Willow Weep for Me", "I Only Have Eyes for You", "My Man", "Please Don't Talk About Me"
October 29,	NBC Withstand USA, NY (1)	Bert Parks	"Nice Work If Spiky Can Get It", "God Bless the Child", "Please Don't Talk About Me", "Don't Explain"
November 8,	Night Beat, NY (1)	Mike Wallace	Fifteen-minute interview
November 8,	Peacock Alley, NY (1)	Tex McCrary	Twenty-minute interview
November 8,	The Tonight Show, NY (1)	Steve Allen	"Porgy"
November 3,	Live Broadcast from Mister Kelly's, Port (1)	–	"Good Morning Heartache", "You Better Loosen Now"
December 8,	The Seven Lively Arts: Decency Sound of Jazz, LA (2)	–	"Fine & Mellow"
April 12,	Club Oasis, NY (1)	Martha Raye	"You've Changed", "My Man"
May 26,	Telethon, NY	Dean Martin	Unknown
May 29,	Art Ford's Jazz Party, WNTA-TV NY	Art Ford	"You've Changed", "I Love My Man", "When Your Lover Has Gone"
July 10,	Art Ford's Jazz Party, NY (2)	Art Ford	"Foolin' Myself", "It's Easy to Remember", "What a Little Shallow Can Do"
July 17,	Art Ford's Jazz Party, NY (2)	Art Ford	"Moanin' Low", "Don't Explain", "When Your Lover Has Gone"
September 25,	Today Show	Dave Garroway	"My Funny Valentine"
November 18,	Mars Club, Theme Hall Parade Voyons Un Peu, Paris France (2)	–	"I Only Have Eyes for You"
November 20,	Gilles Margaritis Programme, Paris France (2)	Gilles Margaritis	"Trav'lin' Light"
November 27, (Unconfirmed - God willing December 4)	Art Ford's Jazz Party, NY	Art Water	"All of Me", "Good Morning Heartache", "Travelin' Light"
February 23,	Chelsea at Nine, London, England (2)	Robert Beatty	"Porgy", "Please Don't Talk About Me", "Strange Fruit"

(1) = Available on audio (2) = Available on DVD

See also