Billie Holiday Was an Icon

Billie Holiday was an icon of the jazz music scene in the 1950s and her musical talent is still admired today. As one commentator states;

Billie Holiday was a true artist of her day and rose as a social phenomenon in the 1950s. Her soulful, unique singing voice and her ability to boldly turn any material that she confronted into her own music made her a superstar of her time.

Biography)

Billie Holiday was born on April 7, 1915, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Her real name was Eleanora Fagan and she was also known as "lady Day." She named herself Billie Holiday after the film star, Billie Dove. Many of the details about her early childhood years are unknown. What is known is that she spent much of her early youth living with relatives and that she later resided in New York with her mother. There is also evidence from various sources that "...she had experienced abuse and prostitution by her mid-teens" (Billie Holiday

1915-1959: BBC). The background to her talent and love for jazz was nurtured in the jazz-rich atmosphere of Baltimore in the 1920s. Her early jazz experience was in small clubs where she served "... her so-called "apprenticeship" by singing along with records by Bessie Smith or Louis Armstrong in after-hours jazz clubs" (Biography).

After she moved to New York she was discovered by Producer John Hammond, reportedly in a Harlem jazz club in 1933. This was to be the start of her journey on the road to fame and she began singing with the bandleader Benny Goodman. It is remarkable that she never had any technical or formal musical training and did not know how to read music. Despite this, working in Harlem nightclubs she "...quickly became an active participant in what was then one of the most vibrant jazz scenes in the country" (Biography). Holiday became well-known for her particular style and for her natural and innate understanding of the jazz medium. She was known for her "... distinctive phrasing and soulful, soft, yet strong voice..." (Billie Holiday Biography 1915-59)

Holiday made a demo recoding for Columbia Studios, after which she made her first commercial recoding debut, 'Your Mother's Son-in-Law' (1933), with a group led by Benny Goodman. She also made her first performance at the Apollo Theater and appeared in a short film with Duke Ellington. (Billie holiday)

In the latter part of the 1930s she began working with the legendary Count Basie Orchestra. She recorded several songs with the orchestra in late January 1937. (Biography) Prior to this her career had receive a firm nudge towards fame when she recorded "What a Little Moonlight Can Do" and "Miss Brown to You," which became popular hits.

However Holiday was still relatively unknown to the wider musical audience and her music was aimed mainly at the "black jukebox audience" ((Billie Holiday: PBS). This situation was about to change and very soon her style and music would catch the "....attention of musicians throughout America" (Billie Holiday: PBS).

Shortly after leaving the Count Basie Orchestra she was hired by the popular Artie Shaw band in 1938. This was a rather historic event from a musical point-of-view in that this was one of the first times that a black female appeared with a white group. However, "Despite the continuing support of the entire band, however, show promoters and radio sponsors soon began objecting to Holiday based on her unorthodox singing style almost as much as her race." (Billie holiday) Holiday eventually left the band and she took a gig at the Cafe Society. This was a club in Greenwich Village "... which quickly became fashionable with intellectuals and the haut monde, especially those on the political left" (Billie Holiday: PBS).

It was at this hip interracial nightspot that she sang, 'Strange Fruit' (1939). The song was about racial injustice and the lynching of African-Americans in the Southern States. The song, which was written by Lewis Allen, became linked to her name and image. 'Strange Fruit' was to become the highlight of her performances. (Billie holiday) Holiday continue to record for the Columbia label until 1942. In 1941 she had a hit with one of her most popular songs, 'God Bless the Child.'

In 1944 she signed a record deal the Decca Record label and had a hit song with 'Lover Main' (1945). (Billie Holiday Biography (1915-59). She continued to record for Decca and produced some of her most popular songs during this period. These included Bessie Smith's 'Tain't Nobody's Business if I Do,' 'Them There Eyes,' and 'Crazy He Calls Me.'

However, as is sadly a common pattern with famous musicians her life began to take a downturn after her success in the 1940's. This was mainly due to problem that she experienced with regard to drug and alcohol abuse, and she was arrested a number of times for possession of drugs. Even though she entered a rehabilitation clinic she was unable to completely stop her addiction. This also had a negative impact on her singing voice. Her substance abuse problem was also to affect other areas of her life. She began smoking opium when she was married to her first husband, Johnnie Monroe. This marriage did not last and her second marriage was to a trumpeter, Joe Guy. During this marriage she began to use heroin. (Billie holiday)

Holiday was also badly affected by the death of her mother in 1947. This was to exacerbate her drug taking and she was arrested for possession of heroin and received a sentence of eight months in prison. This in turn had negative consequences for her career. Due to the fact that she had been arrested on a drug charge she could not get a cabaret card, which meant that she was prevented from giving nightclub performances. The use of drugs also affected her voice.

Holiday still continued to record hit songs into the 1950s. "Though the ravages of a hard life were beginning to take their toll on her voice, many of Holiday's mid-'50's recordings are just as intense and beautiful as her classic work" (Billie holiday). She moved to the Verve recoding label and recorded approximately 100 new songs. In 1956 she recorded an iconic jazz album; Lady Sings the Blues (1956). The music on the album was written in collaboration by William Dufty and was in essence autobiographical. During this time she also toured Europe.

Her last public performance was on the CBS television special 'The Sound of Jazz' in 1957. On this occasion she was backed by Lester Young, and Coleman Hawkins. Her final recoding was made with MGM in March of 1959. (Billie holiday) She died in a New York City hospital on July 17, 1959, from alcohol and drug related complications. The extent of her addiction and way that it had affected her health can be gauged from the following quotation. "Still procuring heroin while on her death bed, Holiday was arrested for possession in her private room and died on 17th July, her system completely unable to fight both withdrawal and heart disease at the same time "(Billie Holiday Biography 1915-59).