Tyronne
Tash Jayasinghe
Cibbuano
Billie Holiday
January 24th 2008 00:02
Mistreated, disrespected Soul
Billie Holiday 1915 - 1959
In the world of legendary jazz Vocalists few reach the mystique and undeniable genius of Billie Holiday. A composer too her legacy to music is far reaching inspiring each generation that has followed.
Something in her way
Born Eleanora Fagan in 1915, her tragic childhood has been a topic of debate with conjecture about who her real father was and the murky accuracy of the biography “Lady Sings the Blues”.
In Baltimore, her parents divorced when she was 3. Raised in poverty Billie was raped at 11 years old.
The vile attack left young Billie scarred and rebellious resulting in her being sent to reform school for 2 years. After her release she moved with her mother to NYC in an attempt to escape distance her from the harrowing events.
Devastatingly in 1929 her mother caught a neighbor in the act of sexually molesting her daughter and at 14 years of age young Holiday had already endured more pain than most in a lifetime.
The advent of Colour
Vulnerable and damaged in the early 1930’s she started working in a brothel and it is in the night club environment she first started singing for tips. Spending some time in the slammer for prostitution, legend has it her exceptional vocals bought an audience to tears before she was discovered by talent scout John Hammond in 1933.
Her first recordings were with the jazz giant Benny Goodman and by the end of the 1930’s her improvised style that focused more on emotions than melody secured her reputation.
It is around this time she first discovered the song that she would forever be associated, the racially charged Strange Fruit. Other big hits include Lover man, Summertime, Embraceable you and a number of classics with Louis Armstrong.
Never recovering from the violent lessons she learnt as a little girl, Billie struggled with drugs and booze plus abusive relationships for most of her public career. She married musician Jimmy Monroe in the early 40’s but ended up as a common law wife to her drug dealer while still wed.
10 years before her death
In the 1950’s she married a Mafia Enforcer though naturally it didn’t last. Despite all the private disasters she continued to perform and recorded her historical verve sessions.
Suffering till the end, her death caused by liver and heart disease in 1959 while under house arrest for drugs was punctuated by the fact she died with only 70 cents in her bank account after being ripped off by most people in her circle.
Information from Wikipedia.com
A rare live recording of Billie Holiday singing Strange Fruit
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Comment by Cibbuano
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Comment by Michaelie
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Michaelie
BTW, that top pic is a really great one of her.
Comment by Theresa
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Penny Smart
So well said....
One of the best songs when you've got the blues is her version of "Good Morning, Heartache".
But she said it all in "God Bless The Child That's Got His Own".
Theresa
Comment by JohnDoe
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Comment by Tyronne
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Melbourne DiaryStar
Your right, what Billie bought to the stage can not be replicated.
Comment by JohnDoe
Film & TV on DVD
Thanks for the comments and I loved that picture too.
Comment by JohnDoe
Film & TV on DVD
Glad your a fan, and I love "Good Morning heartache" too