On April 7, 1917, Billie Holiday was born in Philadelphia, PA. She first discovered jazz music as a young girl running errands in a Baltimore, MD brothel. Although she never managed to fully escape the demons of her childhood, Holiday emerged as one of the most influential jazz singers of all time. Her revolutionary improvisational style became world famous after the release of her 1939 recording of “Strange Fruit.” Although she died young, Holiday has influenced multiple generations of performers, from Frank Sinatra and Amy Winehouse to Kendrick Lamar. However, to this day, no one can encapsulate raw emotion into a song like the legendary Holiday.
Born as Eleanora Fagan to unwed teens, Holiday spent most of her childhood in Baltimore, MD with her mother, Sarah Fagan. Her father, Clarence Holiday, was a professional musician who abandoned Holiday and her mother soon after she was born. Holiday started working at a young age, running errands and cleaning the marble stoop at a brothel. In 1928, she followed her mother to New York City. At age 13, she was arrested for solicitation. All the while, she sought solace in jazz music, namely the work of Bessie Smith and Louis Armstrong.
At age 15, she started singing at a Harlem nightclub, using the pseudonym, Billie Holiday. She was soon discovered by producer John Hammond who helped her become a popular swing performer and recording artist. By the time she was 20 years old, she had
recorded songs with swing legends like Benny Goodman, including her first hit, “Riffin’ the Scotch.” In 1937, she met the legendary Lester Young, who dubbed her with the nickname, “Lady Day.”
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In 1938, she broke new ground by touring with Artie Shaw as the first African-American woman to work with a white orchestra. She also became the first African-American female singer to tour the segregated South with a white bandleader. However, Holiday left the tour early, frustrated by the discrimination she faced.
When she returned to New York City, she was ready to strike out on her own. In 1939, she performed at Café Society, where she perfected her now-iconic performance style, including her head tilt while she sang, dramatic lighting and the white gardenia in her hair. At the venue, she also debuted two of her most popular songs, “God Bless The Child” and the controversial protest song about lynching, “Strange Fruit.”
Despite her growing success, by the late 1940s, her drinking and drug use escalated. In 1947, she was arrested for narcotics and spent a year in rehab. A testament to her talent and appeal, 10 days after leaving rehab, she played to a packed Carnegie Hall. However, by the early 1950s, her heroin use took a major toll on her voice and health. She died in 1959 at 44 years old. The film based on her autobiography, “Lady Sings The Blues,” starring Diana Ross, became a hit movie in 1972, leading to a renewed appreciation of the legendary artist that still exists today.