Billie+Holiday

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African American Jazz Singer. Billie Holiday was born, Eleanora Fagan on April 7, 1915, in [|Philadelphia, Pennsylvania]. Some sources say she was actually born in [|Baltimore, Maryland] and that her birth certificate reads "Elinore Harris". Billie was, however, raised in Baltimore, Maryland despite the disputes of where she was actually born. She was born to Sadie Fagan, a teenage mother who raised Billie on her own for most of the years of her life. Her father, Clarence Holiday, was a musician who chose to live his own life and his career over his daughter. Billie's home life was never very stable especially because her mother was a single African-American woman trying to raise a family on her own. Billie's mother later married Philip Gough in 1920. With that marriage came a little stability in her life but it was short lived when the pair divorced a few years later. In her teenage years she began to go by the name of "Billie", after her favorite movie actress, [|Billie Dove]. Billie and her mother moved to New York where she auditioned for her first singing job and was hired on the spot. She began singing in different Harlem night clubs. Her career took off when musician, [|Benny Goodman] used her on one of his records. She was featured in such tracks as "Your Mother's Son-In-Law" and "Riffin' the Scotch." She worked with numerous artists throughout the years which really brought her to international stardom. The names included [|Count Basie] and [|Artie Shaw]. Holiday was one of the first female African American vocalists to perform with an all white orchestra. Through Count Basie Holiday struck up a close bond with tenor saxophonist Lester Young. Young gave Holiday the nickname "Lady Day" and from then on that would be her jazz world name. Billie and Lester made beautiful music for a few years but soon after they stopped recording together but remained the best of friends. Throughout her career she struggled due to her dealings with illegal drugs and alcohol. Billie was arrested on multiple occasions, in fact, on her death bed Holiday was under arrest for the possession of illegal drugs. ===== Holiday was married twice, her first husband was James Monroe, whom she divorced shortly after their marriage due to his abusive habits. Billie then became involved with Joe Guy, from this relationship Billie began to abuse heroin. One of Holiday's best hits "God Bless the Child" was released soon after her divorce from Monroe and despite all of her substance abuse she continued to perform and record hits with many famous musicians, such as, [|Louis Armstrong.]. Billie's single "Strange Fruit" about a lynching was so horrific her record label did not want it released. []

Holiday married Louis McKay in 1957. He used Billie for her money and fame to advance his own career. He was also involved in a lot of Billie's dealings with substance abuse. In 1958 Holiday released Lady in Satin which showcased her new voice which had been a result of her many drug uses. It was a lot more rough, but still conveyed great emotional intensity.

Holiday's autobiography was written in collaboration with author, [|William Dufty]. Most of the autobiography is said to be untrue because Dufty and Holiday were at odds during the entire production of the book. Billie was also not in a state to where her words could be taken very seriously, she was said to never have read the book after it was published. After Holiday's final released she gave her final performance in [|New York City] on May 15, 1959. Not long after this even Holiday admitted into the hospital for heart problems, there she passed away due to drug-alcohol related complications on July 17, 1959.

Billie's autobiography "Lady Sings the Blues" was adapted into a film in 1972, with Diana Ross in the lead role of Billie. They tried to capture the star a little better than in the book and the movie brought back interest in the recordings of Holiday. She was inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000 where Diana Ross handled the honors.