2. Billie Holiday:
Legendary Jazz
Singer
 Billie Holiday was the most
influential jazz singer of her
time.
 Her contributions to jazz music
changed the art of American pop
vocals forever.
 “Lady Day” was her nickname
Born: April 7, 1915 and she made her music and song
her songs through out the years
Given Name: Eleanora Fagan Gough of her life.
Birth place: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

3. A Chaotic Childhood
 Holiday’s parents were both teenagers when
they had her
 Her father abandoned her and her mother
when she was an infant
 She spent a lot of her childhood with uncaring
relatives and often times felt very unloved
2 year old Billie Holiday

4. In 1925, Holiday was sent to a Catholic reform
Growing-up school, she spent 2 years in the school
In 1927, Holiday moved in with her mother. The
helped he mom with domestic jobs by day and
moonlighted as a prostitute by night
Holiday sang in night clubs during the 1930-31
and got her big break in 1933 when she was
discovered by record producer John Hammond
By early 1935 Holiday made her debut at the
Apollo, and appeared in a one real film with Duke
Ellington.
God Bless the Child

5. The early years
• Early in her career Billie holiday sought
after Louis Armstrong's swing sound
and Bessie Smith’s style but she
eventually found her own sound
• Billie Holiday devoted a lot of time to her
craft she spent countless hours listening
to and writing music.

6. Her Music
Billie Holiday’s music impacted and entertained
many people of her time.
Click to see song list

7. S p e aking ou t agains t inj s tice
u
• Billie Holiday deal with racism.
She experienced racism in southern states as
well in New York.
~ She was introduced to an emotional poem
called “Strange Fruit” about the lynching of
black people while working for Columbia
Records
~ Columbia would not let her record the piece
because of the controversial subject matter
“Strange Fruit” so she recorded the song with an alternate
label, Commodore in 1939 .
“Strange Fruit” was band from many radio stations in 1939.

8. “Life in time”
1915: 1930: 1933: 1935:
~Born in Philadelphia -Sings in various •She is discovered By - Started along side Duke
Harlem clubs as a Hammond Ellington in the film
teenager • She made her first “Symphony in Black”
commercial recording with
Benny Goodman
1937: 1938: 1939: 1944:
•She received her nickname • She works with -Introduced the songs -She recorded her 2nd major
“Lady Day” from sax player Artie Shaw “Strange Fruit” and “God session with Commodore
Lester Young Bless the Child.” Records
-She Records a first major
•She works the Count Basie session with Commodore -She is signed by Decca
Orchestra Records Records
1946: 1954: 1959: 1972:
- She stars in the film “New - She tour Europe -She makes her final - Diana Ross stars as Billie
Orleans” performance in NYC Holiday in the movie
-Holiday dies in NYC on “Lady Sings the Blues”
July 17th
1988: 2000:
- U2 releases the Billie Holiday Billie Holiday is inducted
tribute song “Angel of Harlem” into the Rock and Roll Hall
of Fame
Click to view video

9. Inte re s ting facts ab ou t lad y d ay
:
On September 18, 1994, the United
States Postal Service honored Holiday
by introducing a USPS-sponsored
stamp.
A statue of Holiday still stands today
at the corner of Lafayette and
Pennsylvania Avenues in Baltimore