Billie Holiday:Legendary Jazz

Singer

Born: April 7, 1915

Given Name: Eleanora Fagan Gough

Birth place: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Billie Holiday was the most influential jazz singer of her time.

Her contributions to jazz music changed the art of American pop vocals forever.

“Lady Day” was her nickname and she made her music and song her songs through out the years of her life.

A Chaotic Childhood

Holiday’s parents were both teenagers when they had her

Her father abandoned her and her mother when she was an infant

She spent a lot of her childhood with uncaring relatives and often times felt very unloved

2 year old Billie Holiday

Growing-upIn 1925, Holiday was sent to a Catholic reform school, she spent 2 years in the school

In 1927, Holiday moved in with her mother. The helped he mom with domestic jobs by day and moonlighted as a prostitute by night

Holiday sang in night clubs during the 1930-31 and got her big break in 1933 when she was discovered by record producer John Hammond

By early 1935 Holiday made her debut at the Apollo, and appeared in a one real film with Duke Ellington.

God Bless the Child

• Early in her career Billie holiday sought after Louis Armstrong's swing sound and Bessie Smith’s style but she eventually found her own sound

• Billie Holiday devoted a lot of time to her craft she spent countless hours listening to and writing music.

The early years

Her Music

Billie Holiday’s music impacted and entertained many people of her time.

Click to see song list

S pe aking out against injustice

• Billie Holiday deal with racism.She experienced racism in southern states as

well in New York.

~ She was introduced to an emotional poem called “Strange Fruit” about the lynching of black people while working for Columbia Records

~ Columbia would not let her record the piece

because of the controversial subject matter so she recorded the song with an alternate label, Commodore in 1939 .

“Strange Fruit” was band from many radio stations in 1939.

“Strange Fruit”

1915: ~Born in Philadelphia

1930: -Sings in various Harlem clubs as a teenager

1933:•She is discovered By Hammond• She made her first commercial recording with Benny Goodman

1935:- Started along side Duke Ellington in the film “Symphony in Black”

1937:•She received her nickname “Lady Day” from sax player Lester Young

•She works the Count Basie Orchestra

1938: • She works with Artie Shaw

1939:-Introduced the songs “Strange Fruit” and “God Bless the Child.”-She Records a first major session with Commodore Records

1944:-She recorded her 2nd major session with Commodore Records

-She is signed by Decca Records

1946:- She stars in the film “New Orleans”

1954: - She tour Europe

1959:-She makes her final performance in NYC-Holiday dies in NYC on July 17th

1972: - Diana Ross stars as Billie Holiday in the movie “Lady Sings the Blues”

1988:- U2 releases the Billie Holiday tribute song “Angel of Harlem”

2000:Billie Holiday is inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

“Life in time”

Click to view video

Inte re sting facts about lad y d ay

:

On September 18, 1994, the United States Postal Service honored Holiday by introducing a USPS-sponsored stamp.

A statue of Holiday still stands today at the corner of Lafayette and Pennsylvania Avenues in Baltimore