Billie Holiday
Billie Holiday had a signi cant impact on the music • Date of Birth: April 7, 1915
industry, She is considered one of the greatest jazz • Place of Birth: Philadelphia,
singers of all time and has in uenced generations of Pennsylvania, United States
musicians. Holiday recorded many albums • Date of Death: July 17, 1959
throughout her career, and some of her most famous • Family Information:
• Mother: Sarah Julia "Sadie" Fagan
songs have become jazz standards. • Father: Clarence Holiday
Holiday was nominated for several Grammy Awards • Spouse: Jimmy Monroe (m. 1941–
during her career, and in 2000, the National 1947), Joe Guy (m. 1951–1957)
Endowment for the Arts named her a Jazz Master. • Children: Eleanora Fagan Jr.
(nicknamed "Mystery Lady," born
She was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of 1940; died 2003)
Fame in 2000 and the ASCAP Jazz Wall of Fame in
2005.
As a vocalist, Holiday was known for her unique
phrasing and ability to convey deep emotion through
her music. She worked with many instrumentalists Three of Billie Holiday's most famous songs are
and arrangers throughout her career, including "Strange Fruit," "God Bless the Child," and "Lover
saxophonist Lester Young and pianist Teddy Wilson. Man."
1 choose "Strange Fruit" because it is a powerful song
A fun fact about Billie Holiday is that she was that has had a signi cant impact on the civil rights
movement. The song, which was written by Abel
nicknamed "Lady Day" by her friend and musical Meeropol, is a haunting depiction of the lynching of
collaborator, saxophonist Lester Young. African Americans in the American South. Holiday's
performance is chilling and conveys the weight of the
song's subject matter. The song's somber tone,
haunting lyrics, and Holiday's emotive delivery make
it a powerful and enduring piece of music..
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