Billie Holiday

Americ

an jazz

singer

and

songw

riter

Background

Billie Holiday was born with the name Eleanora

Fagan in 1915. She spent

most of her life in Baltimore,

Maryland. Primarily raised by

her mother and she had only

a tenuous connections with

her father, who was a jazz

guitarist in Fletcher

Henderson’s band.

Billie lived in extreme poverty

which forced her to drop out

of fifth grade. Running

errands for brothel was her

day job. At the age of twelve

Billie Holiday moved to

Harlem with her mother and

was eventually arrested for

prostitution.

Timeline Of Billie Holiday

1939- Becomes one of the first

artists to perform at Café Society.

-Introduces the songs “Strange

Fruit” and “God Bless America”

-Records her major session at

Commodore.

1944- Records her second major

session at Commodore

-holiday sings with Decca Records

1946-Stars in the “New Orleans”

-Headlines New York Town Hall.

1954 –She tours Europe

1959- Holiday makes her final

studio recordings with MGM

-Holiday gives her final

performance in New York City.

-July 17 Holiday dies in New York

City.

1915- April 7, Born in Philadelphia, Penn.1930- Holiday appears in various Harlem clubs with singer Laurence Jackson.1933- Holiday cuts her first records at the age of 18-Discovered by talent agent John Hammond.-Hammond organizes her first commercial recording session with Benny Goodman.1935- Records some of her most memorable sides including “Miss Brown To You”.-Stars alongside Duke Elington in the film “Symphony in Black”1937-Receives the nickname “Lady Day” from sax player Lester Young. -She Teams with the Count Basie Orchestra.1938- She teams with Artie Shaw

Quotes Of Billie Holiday -"I can't stand to sing

the same song the same

way two nights in

succession, let alone two

years or ten years. If you

can, then it ain't music,

it's close-order drill or

exercise or yodeling or

something, not music."

-"Somebody once said

we never know what is

enough until we know

what's more than

enough."

"Don't threaten me with

love, baby. Let's just go

walking in the rain"

"Love is like a faucet, it

turns off and on."

Best Jazz Singer

Considered one of

the best jazz

vocalists of all time,

Holiday had a

thriving career as a

jazz singer for many

years before she lost

her battle with

substance abuse.

Her autobiography

was made into the

1972 film Lady

Sings the Blues. In

2000, Billie Holiday

was inducted into

the Rock and Roll

Hall of Fame.

Ms.Holiday

Holiday began singing in

local clubs and renamed

herself "Billie" after the

film star Billie Dove. At the

age of 18, Holiday was

discovered by producer

John Hammond while she

was performing in a

Harlem jazz club.

Hammond was

instrumental in getting

Holiday recording work

with an up-and-coming

clarinetist and bandleader

Benny Goodman. With

Goodman, she sang vocals

for several tracks,

including her first

commercial release "Your

Mother's Son-In-Law" and

the 1934 top ten hit "Riffin'

the Scotch."

Diamond Bankston