Billie Holiday Research Paper

Not everyone is blessed with musical talent but when someone has an extraordinary ability, he or she should get the chance to please others with it. Sometimes a career can be made out of musical endowment, and that is what Billie Holiday did. Billie had a life that she may not have dreamed of since it started out rough with her mistreatment from adults and discouraging misfortunes, but she was ambitious and that showed through her singing career. Billie could usually adapt to her life’s problems except for her drug addiction and alcohol abuse, which unfortunately led to her demise. She was a talented woman who sang and helped create hit songs that aided her to rise to fame. Billie Holiday bravely stood up to racism, showed the world her talent, and inspired many of her beloved fans, all while continuing to be herself and not allowing the issues in her life hold her back.

Musical prodigy Mary Lou Williams, also known as Mary Elfrieda Scruggs, was born on May 8, 1910 in Atlanta, Georgia. She was raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania along with her 10 half brothers and sisters. The start of Mary Lou’s piano career began when she was able to replay almost perfectly the song her mother played on the family’s pump organ. Her exceptional gift of perfect pitch and teaching from her mom enabled her to play piano on a professional level at the age of four years old. Mary Lou’s birth name was Mary Elfrieda Scruggs but she changed her name to Mary Lou Burly to take her step father’s last name. She later changed her last name to Williams after her first husband. At a young age Mary Lou performed small gigs around Pittsburgh and at the age of 10, she was known everywhere

Carole King is a musical icon in the world of 20th century popular music, and her longevity and success as an artist have cemented her as one of the influential musicians out of every genre of music. In this essay, I will examine how her musical style and female identity each played roles her incredibly successful musical career.

grandmother, Mary Lou Wiseman. Mary Lou is an 83 year old Caucasian, born in the fall of 1933, in Marble Hill Missouri. She lived in Marble Hill up until 2007. She then moved to Elgin, South Carolina to stay with her second to youngest child David Wiseman, his wife, Tia Wiseman and three younger children, Jamie, Vanessa and Ashley Wiseman. After remaining in South Carolina for three years, she decided to move back to her hometown in Missouri. Over her years, Mary Lou has held several jobs in multiple different fields. Her first job was collecting eggs from her neighbor’s chicken coop.

Buddy Holly is known as “the pioneer of rock and roll.” His career is recognized as one of the most influential parts of the start of early rock. Even though Buddy Holly’s impact on rock music lasted longer than expected. Bands like Weezer, The Grateful Dead and even The Beetles have dedicated songs to Holly’s life and musical influence. Rolling Stone magazine even ranked Holly number 13 on its list of 100 greatest artists of all time.

The Harlem Renaissance was an artistic, social, and cultural explosion during the 1920s in Harlem, York. This flourishing of African-American culture was an accomplishment in itself, given the times. The early 1900s was a difficult time for African-American people, and a difficult time for women, so one can imagine the difficulties that a woman of color would have endured. Ella Fitzgerald defied those odds, transformed the face of the jazz world, and paved a way for other African-American women to achieve stardom.

From www.biography.com . Billie Holiday was one of the most influential jazz singers of all time. She had a thriving career for many years before she lost her battle with substance abuse. Also known as Lady Day, her autobiography was made into the 1972 film “Lady Sings the Blues.” Billie was born Eleanora Fagan on April 7, 1915, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, some sources say her birthplace was Baltimore, Maryland and her birth certificate reportedly reads “Elinore Harris”).

Everyone knows Whitney Houston, Right? Whitney Houston was a singer/actress. Whitney Houston, born August 9, 1963 to John and Emily “Cissy” Houston, was born into a musical family. Her mother, Cissy, was a background singer. She recorded songs for Aretha Franklin at Atlantic Records Studio in New York.

Billie Jean King, the first female athlete to admit her homosexuality, was born on November 22, 1943 in the city of Long Beach, California. Both Billie and her brother Randy excelled in athletics as kids. Billie played softball at the age of 10, but that eventually ended because her parents insisted that she play a more “ladylike” sport. She developed an interest in tennis and began to play and practice at the Long Beach public courts. King started receiving coaching from Alice Marble and won her very first tournament at the age of 14, soon finding herself enmeshed in a country club sport.

Timothy Foley invites Nellie (Bennett) Foley to East St. Louis for a visit and it is from this visit that their relationship blossoms. Timothy, the son of Timothy J. (Muriead) and Julia “Jud” (Diarmuid) (Foley) Foley, live in Shanahill West.* Nellie is the daughter of Daniel “Donal Rua” (Bennett) and Katie (Nagle) Foley. Timothy and Nellie, being 25-years-old, have known each other since they were kids. The marriage takes place at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church in East St. Louis on Tuesday, November 5, 1901. Timothy is a streetcar conductor. Upon immigrating to the United States, Nellie had been living with her brother and sister-in-law, John and Julie (Moriarty) Foley, in Chicago. It is while living in Chicago that she had served as the Maid of Honor at Jerry and Nora (Foley) Flynn’s wedding and as a baptism sponsor for their daughter, Nora. (F14) (F20)

Born on April 3, 1924, Doris Mary Ann von Kappelhoff, also known as Doris Day, was one of the most popular actresses and singers in American history. Starting her career by working with a number of local bandleaders including Barney Rapp and Bob Crosby at the age of 17, Day’s work with Les Brown made her a popular singing sensation right after World War II. Co-written by Les, Doris first hit "Sentimental Journey” was recorded at the ideal time because what she possessed, beyond her beauty and physical grace, was a resplendent voice that conveyed enormous warmth and feeling to the homecoming troops after war service. Later, she stepped into Hollywood and became a star actress by appearing in several famous movies such us "My Dream Is Yours"

It was advertised as three days of peace, love, and music, but was it really? The Woodstock Music and Arts Fair was held in New York in August of 1969. The crowd, formed by mostly drug-addicted youth, yearned for a peaceful weekend away from the constraints of society, however, the gathering turned out to be overcrowded and chaotic. Despite the unpredicted crowd and logistical problems with the venue, the audience made the festival memorable when they came together to enjoy the reason they came in the first place: the performances. With performances by stars like Joan Baez, Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, Jefferson Airplane, Janis Joplin, and the Who, the Woodstock Music and Arts Fair became one of the most popular music festivals of the 1960s (“Hippies” 4).

Billie Holiday’s rough childhood both helped her and hurt her. Billie Holiday struggled as a child, and it followed her throughout her life, affecting,

Grace Hopper was born on December 9, 1906, New York City, NY, to Mary Campbell Van Horne Murray (mother) and Walter Fletcher Murray (father). Hopper had two siblings and the whole family lived in New York City, NY. Hopper’s father was a stock broker and her mother had a love for math, but was not allowed to study. Even though Hopper’s mom did not get to learn more, Hopper probably got her interest in math from her mother. Hopper attended Graham School and Schoonmakers School in New York. This school was a private school for girls where most things taught were about how to be a proper lady. She did however play basketball, field hockey, and water polo.

I was, to be honest, devastated when the Beatles broke up to go their separate ways, and always torn between the music of Paul McCartney, which was always more rock and roll and raw, and that of John Lennon – often introspective and quiet but eternally thought -provoking, because his was a talent bordering on genius, tinged perhaps with a hint of madness? I loved each of them in their own way, but somehow always found Lennon songs came to mind more readily.