Born April 7, 1915 in Baltimore, Eleanora Fagan marked her spot in history as one of the greatest jazz singers of all time. In her younger years and without any formal vocal training, Eleanora developed her talent by singing at after-hour jazz clubs (night after night) which gave her the opportunity to sing alongside recordings by Bette Smith and Louis Armstrong. Eventually, her mother moved to New York to look for work and Eleanora went right along. It was in New York that Eleanora borrowed the name Billie from a screen actor name Billie Dove and began performing at seedy nightclubs in Harlem. At the age of 18, Billie Holiday was spotted by a John Hammond and recorded her first record with Benny Goodman.
During the 1930's, Billie went on to record over 100 songs and several albums. But it wasn't until 1939, that her song "Strange Fruit" captured the attention of her "real" audience. Not only did Strange Fruit reveal the harsh realities of racism, but songs like "God Bless The Child" and "Gloomy Sunday" showcased just how much pain Billie lived in day to day. Once one of the highest paid entertainers of her time, much of her income went toward her drug addiction.
Plagued by health problems, bad relationships, and addiction, Lady Day spent most of the 1940's and 1950's witnessing the death of her mother and close friends all while spiralling out of control from alcohol and heroin abuse. Billie Holiday died at the age of 44, on July, 17, 1959.
Here' s a rare video footage of Lady Day singing Strange Fruit.
If you haven't already, check out the movie Lady Sings The Blues with Diana Ross, Richard Pryor, and Billie D. Williams.
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