Contents
Billie Holiday
Singing Strange Fruit and reshaping jazz through intimate, flexible phrasing.
Strange Fruit · God Bless the Child
- Born
- 7 April 1915
- Birthplace
- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
- Died
- 17 July 1959
More people
Billie Holiday
Billie Holiday was an American jazz singer whose timing could transform a familiar song. Rather than rely on vocal power, she bent melody and rhythm to convey vulnerability, tension and resolve.
Early life
Baltimore childhood
Born Eleanora Fagan and raised mainly in Baltimore in difficult circumstances.
Harlem beginnings
Moved to New York and began singing in clubs while still young.
Career
- 1933
First recordings
Recorded with Benny Goodman after producer John Hammond heard her sing.
- 1937–1938
Big-band work
Sang with Count Basie and Artie Shaw.
- 1939 onwards
Solo engagements
Built a nightclub and recording career closely associated with intimate song interpretation.
Selected work
Strange Fruit
Recorded Abel Meeropol’s protest against lynching.
God Bless the Child
Co-wrote the song with Arthur Herzog Jr.
Lady in Satin
Late album pairing her weathered voice with orchestral arrangements.
Beyond work
Racial barriers
Encountered segregation and discrimination while touring.
A restricted career
A drug conviction and loss of her New York cabaret card limited where she could work.
Sources & photo credit
Biography ↗Life and work ↗Photo: William P. Gottlieb. Public domain · Original image. Cropped and displayed in monochrome.
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