Life of Billie Holiday: A Biography

Billie Holiday was born Eleanora Fagan on the 7th of April, 1915. Her mother's name was Sadie Fagan and her father is believed to be Clarence Holiday. Her childhood was marked by a lot of controversy as much of it is very unclear.

Perhaps her parents never married, or perhaps they were divorced, it is not clearly known. But what is known is that during her childhood she was in trouble with the law and was sent to a Catholic Reform School called The House Of The Good Shepherd. In 1928, she and her mother moved to New York.

Her life in New York was again a struggle. The year after moving there, her mother discovered one of their neighbors in the process of raping her and he was subsequently jailed. Billie also claimed, later on in her biography titled 'Lady Sings The Blues' (1956), that she worked as a prostitute at a brothel and was imprisoned for some time.

Music Career

Facing possible eviction, Bille sang 'Body and Soul' in a local club which brought tears in the listeners eyes. She then began to work at several local nightclubs, the notable ones being 'Pod's and Jerry's' and 'Monette's'. In 1933, she was discovered by talent scout John Hammond.

He arranged for her to record some of her songs. Songs such as 'What A Little Moonlight Can Do' and 'Miss Brown To You', with Benny Goodman and Teddy Wilson were the products of this association. She also had a fantastic rapport with saxophonist Lestor Young. He gave her the nickname of 'Lady Day'. She was also among the first black women to play with an all white orchestra.

It was also during this time, that Billie recorded the song 'Strange Fruit' in 1939. Holiday later remarked that the song reminded her of her father's death and that many people did not really understand the message of the song.

In 1944 she recorded 'Lover Man' which became an instant hit. From that point on to 1950, she continued recording for Decca Records and has produced the finest songs that she has ever sung, like 'Don't Explain' and 'Good Morning Heartache'.

In 1954 she toured Europe with Buddy DeFranco and Red Norvo as a part of the Leonard Feather package.

In 1956, she performed 'Fine and Mellow' to an audience at Carnegie Hall, which was a major accomplishment for any artist at the time. Here she again teamed up with Lester Young.

Personal Life

Bille Holiday had a very troubled personal life. Her childhood was marked by a lot of abuse. And her relationships with men were very often abusive.

She had married Jimmy Monroe in 1941 but then she took up with Joe Guy and became his common law wife. She later divorced Monroe in 1947 and broke off with Guy as well. She was even jailed for drug charges for eight months, in 1947.

Her drinking and drug use also led to her New York City Cabaret Card being revoked so that she could not play in any clubs for the rest of her life.

Her drug abuse also led to the deterioration of her voice. Her voice had an amazing distinctive quality which seemed to vibrate with a life of its own. But her drug abuse managed to weaken and coarsen the voice. For whatever reason, her voice still maintained a particular edge that it used to have.

In 1952 she married Louis McKay. He too was abusive with her, but he tried to get her off drugs.

Death

On the 31st of May, 1959 she was taken to the hospital for liver and heart disease. Bille Holiday finally died of liver cirrhosis on the 17th of July, 1959.

After her death, Bille Holiday was awarded with the Lifetime Achievement Grammy Award in 1994 and in 2000 was inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. She has proved to be an inspiration for many singers across the world because of her distinctive voice quality.