Billie Holiday

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

Billie Holiday, whose real name is Eleanora Gough, was born in Philadelphia Pennsylvania in 1915. She grew up mostly in Baltimore and always loved jazz. Billie was born to very young parents. Her mother was thirteen when she was born and her father just fifteen. (www.numberonestars.com, 2010) Her father made his living as a jazz musician and later he left Billie’s mother. Billie was raised by her mother and grandparents. Billie was not a happy child and eventually left school at an early age

Many have the ability to reach and touch people’s souls through their amazing gifts. Although this art of turning notes and lyrics into emotional imagery may somewhat come natural, the audience must wonder where their influence comes from. For Billie Holiday, her career was highly influenced by personal experience, the effects of the Great Depression, and the racial challenges of African Americans during her time. The Great Depression was a major historical event that affected thousands of Americans

Billie Holiday Billie Holiday was born Eleanora Fagan on April 7, 1915 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, but spent most of her poverty stricken childhood in Baltimore. Lady Day, as she was named by Lester Young, had to overcome many tragedies in her lifetime and yet still became one of the most popular jazz-blues vocalists of all time.      Billie's Parents, Sally Fagan and Clarence Holiday, were both born in Baltimore. They married as teens and soon Sally gave birth to Eleanora Fagan. Shortly

Billie Holiday was first known as Elanora Fagan, but soon changed her name to Billie Holiday, after her favorite actress, Billie Dove. “Strange Fruit" was her biggest hit. The lyrics were from a poem written by Abel Meeropol, a teacher and a social activist. According to Carmen McRae, her friend and an American jazz singer, Billie once burned her hair with a curling iron, right before she performed. So Carmen quickly went out and bought some flowers to cover up Billie’s missing hair. After that

Billie was born to the name, Eleanora Fagan on April 7, 1915. She was born in Philadelphia but grew up in the Fell's Point section of Baltimore. Her mother, was just 13 at the time of her birth; her father, was 15. Holidays' teenage parents, Sadie Harris (aka Fagan) and probable father, Clarence Holiday, never married, and they did not live together for a long time. Clarence, a banjo and guitar player worked with Fletcher Henderson's band in the early 30s. He remains a shady figure who left his family

The Voice of Billie Holiday       A woman stands before you, and although she isn't a politician, she expresses her moving thoughts on issues that affect all Americans. Her voice isn't harsh or demanding in tone. Her stature is slender and traced in a shimmer of light that reflects from her dress. A southern magnolia is lying comfortably above her ear. She sings. She sings of incomprehension, of hate, and of a race's pain. She sings low and confused. She sings as "Our Lady of Sorrow"(Davis

It’s nearly impossible to overstate the significance of “Strange Fruit”, as its influence is still felt today. Despite popular belief, the song was not written or composed by Billie Holiday, but by Lewis Allan. It first started as a poem and then was later put to music. Abel Meeropol, pen name Lewis Allan, was a high school English teacher at DeWitt Clinton who was involved in progressive activism, communism, and the teachers’ union. He wrote many poems and songs, yet "Strange Fruit" was his

In strange fruit, Billie Holiday reveals part of the dreadful truth and inhuman racisim of America’s past. With great imagery and description she describes the scene of lynching taking place in southern states. Elizabeth Blair, a producer and reporter, describes the intuition of the song by stating “While the lyrics never mention lynching, the metaphor is painfully clear.” From what I also have read in other articles, ‘Strange Fruit’ quickly became famous. It became known as the “original protest

Billie Holiday The Harlem Renaissance was an African American cultural movement specifically in creative arts such as music and literature. Jazz represented the flavor and zest of African American culture in the 1920s-1940s. Billie Holiday had a great impact on the Harlem Renaissance because she was one of the most influential jazz singers of all time. She performed with other great jazz musicians such as Louis Armstrong, Teddy Wilson, Jo Jones, and Henry Allen. Her career as a jazz singer was