Billie Holiday

Billie Holiday – Jazz Singer Born April 7, 1915 in Philadelphia PA Grew up in jazz talent-rich Baltimore in the 1920s She has one of the greatest jazz voices of all time Died July 17, 1959 in New York City, New York


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h4ZyuULy9zs

Lady of Many Names Born as Eleanora Fagan Gough Changed her name to “Billie Holiday” because of her admiration for film star “Billie Dove.” She was known as “Lady Day”

A Rough Start Her father abandoned the family early Her mother moved away and she was left with mean relatives She worked small jobs with little pay She had very little schooling

Discovering Fame She made her singing debut in Harlem nightclubs She never underwent any technical training and never learned how to read music She would move from one club to another, working for tips  Holiday was spotted by John Hammond and cut her first record as part of a studio group led by Benny Goodman

Honors Awarded the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1987 The United States Postal Service introduced a Billie Holiday postage stamp in 1994 She ranked No. 6 on VH1's 100 Greatest Women in Rock n' Roll in 1999 She was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000

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

Resources http://www.billieholiday.com/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billie_Holiday http://www.pbs.org/jazz/biography/artist_id_holiday_billie.htm