Billie Holiday was born on April 7, 1915 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She was born as Eleanora Fagan and later changed her name to Billie in honor of her favorite actress, Billie Dove. Billie’s mother, Sadie Fagan, was only thirteen when Billie was born. Her father, Clarence Holiday, was fifteen at the time of Billie’s birth and was not around for most of her life because he pursued his career as a successful jazz musician. Her unconventional home life caused her to begin skipping school. Her mother was eventually summoned to court for her truancy when Billie was nine. Afterwards, she was sent to a facility for troubled African-American girls called, The House of Good Shepherd. A few years later, she was sexually assaulted and returned to court with her mother. In the late 1920’s, Holiday moved from Baltimore, where she spent most of her childhood, to New York and started working as a prostitute in Harlem.
In the 1930’s, she began singing her Bessie Smith and Louis Armstrong songs in local clubs. While performing in a Harlem jazz club in 1933, a producer named John Hammond discovered Billie. Hammond set Billie up for recording sessions with Benny Goodman, a bandleader and clarinetist. Holiday began working with bigger and more well known artists within the next few years. In 1935, she recorded with jazz pianist Teddy Wilson, and appeared in the same film as Duke Ellington called, “Symphony in Black.” Within the same years, Holiday became close to a saxophonist in Count Basie’s Orchestra named, Lester Young. Billie soon joined Basie’s band and was granted the nickname, “Lady Day.” She toured with the Count Basie Orchestra in 1937 and began working with Artie Shaw and his orchestra the next year. While working with Shaw, Holiday had become one of the first female African American vocalists to work with a white orchestra. She received mixed opinions from audiences due to her race and vocal style which caused her to leave the orchestra. Holiday began her solo career soon after leaving Shaw’s orchestra and started doing solo performances at New York’s Café Society. While performing there, she developed much of her famous stage persona, such as wearing gardenias in her hair and singing with her head tilted back.
During this time, two of her most famous songs were released called, “God Bless the Child” and “Strange Fruit.” Her record company found the song, “Strange Fruit” to be too controversial. It was a song about racism and lynching in the south. Some radio stations at the time even banned playing the song. The strong statement behind the song made it one of her most popular records. In 1941 she married James Monroe, and her pattern of abusive relationships continued. Already facing a drinking problem, Holiday took up her husband’s addiction of smoking opium. Even after their divorce, her substance abuse continued. While dating trumpet player Joe Guy in 1944, she began the use of heroin. The following year, her mother died, and her drinking and drug use increased. In 1947, Holiday’s addiction landed her in jail for 366 days for possession of narcotics. After her release, she attended a federal rehabilitation facility in West Virginia. Her prison sentence made it nearly impossible to get a license to play in clubs and cabarets. In the nine years following her arrest, Holiday gained back her reputation by singing at Carnegie Hall, and completing a successful European world tour. In 1956, Holiday’s autobiography, “Lady Sings the Blues,” gave her audience a deeper understanding behind her music and private life. She claimed to have never read the autobiography after it was finished. Holiday’s voice began taking a toll due to all of the drugs and alcohol consumed throughout the years. Holiday recorded “Lady in Satin” in 1958 with the Ray Ellis Orchestra which debuted a rougher sound than her previous albums.
On May 25, 1959, Billie gave her final performance in New York City. Shortly after, she was hospitalized for heart and liver problems. She was even arrested for possession of heroin while in the hospital. Holiday passed away on July 17, 1959 from drug and alcohol related complications at age fourty-four. More than 3,000 people attended her funeral four days after her passing. In 1972, her autobiography was made into a film where Diana Ross played Holiday. The film gained three NAACP Image Awards and a Golden Globe. Throughout her career she released thirty-eight charting singles, was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame, was awarded the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, and was ranked number six on VH1's "100 Greatest Women in Rock n' Roll." In 1999, Time magazine declared “Strange Fruit” the song of the century. Her music and life story continues to inspire people everyday. Although she never learned to read music or had technical voice training, her name will go down in history as one of the best jazz singers of all time.