TODAY ONLY
April 7
Lady Day is Born
On this day in 1915, legendary jazz singer Billie Holiday was born in Philadelphia. Her grandfather was one of 17 children of a Black Virginia slave and a white Irish plantation owner.
Hearing the Music. Lady Day ~ as she became known ~ first heard the music of Louis Armstrong and Bessie Smith on a Victrola where she worked as a young girl.
Singing a Song. She sang for the first time in public in a Harlem nightclub, and borrowed her name from Billie Dove, who was a screen star of the time. She went on to tour with Count Basie and Artie Shaw before she went solo.
Recording. Jazz great Benny Goodman took her to her first studio session when she was 18. Between then and her death, she recorded over 200 "sides," though she never received royalties for any of them.
Natural
Talent. Billie Holiday had no technical training, yet she had a
special style of speaking, phrasing, and drama. These combined to make her
an amazing jazz singer.
Like Eating Chinese Roast Duck. Her trademark was a white gardenia, which she wore in her hair. In her autobiography, Ms. Holiday wrote, "Singing songs like 'The Man I Love' or 'Porgy' is no more work than sitting down and eating Chinese roast duck, and I love roast duck. I've lived songs like that."
Songs From Life. Lady Day was not only a singer; she composed a number of her own songs, including "God Bless the Child," "Don't Explain," and "Fine and Mellow."
The Song Ends. She died when she was only 44 years old.
