Billie Holiday was an influential jazz singer who experienced a difficult childhood. Some of her most notable songs included "Strange Fruit" and "Embraceable You." Although she faced legal and health issues later in life, she continued performing and recording until her death in 1959. She inspired many later jazz and pop singers through her emotionally powerful vocal style.

1. Billie Holiday Mary Gacioch Leslie Woods

2. Billie Holiday was a woman of fierce emotion and possesses a legacy amongst the best jazz musicians. She was later referred to as "Lady Day." Holiday experienced a very difficult childhood that later was reflected in her music and her career. She grew up in Baltimore, Maryland under the name Eleanor Fagan and has worked for Columbia Records, Commodore Records, Decca Records, and Verve Records. After bouncing around singing for tips in Harlem in the early 1930's, she finally landed a more committed gig at a local Jazz Club called Pod's and Jerry's. She broke through as a strong vocalist when she recorded "What A Little Moonlight Can Do" and "Miss Brown To You." However one of her most notable songs was "Strange Fruit," which contained controversial subject matter. This is the first instance where Holiday's past showed through, as she continued to perform the song despite Columbia not recording it. She contended that the piece reminded her of her Father's death. Although Columbia would not record "Strange Fruit," Commodore did, and also recorded some of her most notable hits, including the widely known "Embraceable You." From these recordings, her style emerged and carried throughout the duration of her career. She mainly focused on love ballads; generally slow moving and passionate. However, drugs began to overshadow her life and she experienced a series of abusive husbands. During this time she was also jailed and forbidden from working for some time. When she began recording again, her voice had changed and had lost its smooth undertones, but fit her new image. Decca Recordings produced over 100 new labels with her new, rough style, and in 1956 she performed for a full house at Carnegie Hall. Following her death on June 12, 1959, Diana Ross imitated her in a film based on her autobiogoraphy, "Lady Sings the Blues." Regarded as one of the best jazz vocalists of all time, she was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000 and received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1994. Many singers since have duplicated and imitated her vocal style and music successfully. Musicians such as Norah Jones, Sarah Vaughn and Idina Menzel have notably performed her music and continued to elaborate on her iconic vocal style, filling their own music with emotion and power. http://norahjones.com http://www.artistdirect.com/nad/music/artist/card/0,,489312,00.html http:// www.cmgww.com /music/holiday/ www.idinamenzel.com www.idina-here.com

3. Sarah Vaughn Sarah Vaughn, “Sassy” or “The Divine One” is considered one of the greatest singers of the 20th century. She was born March 27, 1924 in New Jersey. Her love for music was developed at an early age and began piano lessons and sang in her church choir. She also began performing at nightclubs in her early teens. She began touring with the Earl Hines big band in 1943 and continued working with them until becoming a solo artist in 1945 and remained an active performer until the 1980s. Vaughn is considered a jazz vocalist and pianist with an unusually large range and amazing talent for improvisation. She was strongly influenced by the popular music of the 30s and gospel music of the time, but was pushed towards pop ballads during her career. In 1954 she performed at Carnegie Hall with other artists including Billie Holiday , Charlie Parker , Lester Young and the Modern Jazz Quartet . Some of her most well-known songs include, “It's Magic,” “Make Yourself Comfortable,” “Broken-Hearted Melody,” “Misty,” and “Send in the Clowns.” Vaughan died in 1990, at the age of 64, from lung-cancer due to her life-long smoking habit. Discography: 1949 Sarah Vaughan in Hi-Fi 1954 Sarah Vaughan with Clifford Brown 1961 After Hours 1955 In the Land of Hi-Fi 1957 Sarah Vaughan Sings George Gershwin 1957 No Count Sarah 1961 Sarah Plus Two 1962 You're Mine You 1963 Sassy Swings the Tivoli 1963 Snowbound 1963 Vaughan With Voices 1964 Sweet 'N' Sassy 1964 The Lonely Hours 1965 Viva! Vaughan Links: http://www.artistdirect.com/nad/music/artist/card/0,,489312,00.html http://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/database/vaughan_s.html 1965 Sarah Vaughan Sings the Mancini Songbook 1966 The New Scene 1967 Sassy Swings Again 1967 It's A Man's World 1971 Time in My Life 1972 With Michel Legrand 1972 Feelin' Good 1977 I Love Brazil 1978 How Long Has This Been Going On? 1979 The Duke Ellington Songbook, Vol. 1 1979 The Duke Ellington Songbook, Vol. 2 1979 Copacabana 1981 Send in the Clowns 1981 Songs of the Beatles 1982 Crazy and Mixed Up 1982 Gershwin Live! 1984 The Mystery of Man (aka Let It Live, Sarah Vaughan Sings the Poetry of Pope John Paul II ) 1987 Brazilian Romance 1989 Back on the Block

4. Norah Jones Norah Jones was born March 30, 1979 in Brooklyn, NY. She majored in jazz piano at the University of North Texas for 2 years, but left to pursue a career in New York City. She worked as a lounge singer for a short period before being signed as a recording artist. Jones is most known for her folk-like style of singing and her ability as a jazz pianist. Her vocal ability is very powerful which is why she is often compared to Billie Holliday. Jones has said that she has always liked the music of Holliday and picked it out from her mother’s collection at a young age. Her music is often classified in genres of folk, soul, jazz, country, and pop. Jones has collaborated with artists like Ray Charles, Wyclef Jean, and Outkast. Her debut album, Come Away with Me , was released in February of 2002 and reached the Number 1 spot on the U.S. Billboard 200. Her single, “Don’t know Why” reached the number 1 spot on numerous charts. She also received a Grammy Award for Album of the Year in 2003. Discography: First Sessions (2001) (demo) Come Away with Me (February 2002) Feels like Home (February 2004) Not too Late (January 2007) Links: http://www.norahjones.com/ http://music.aol.com/artist/norah-jones/510210/main

5. Idina Menzel Idina Menzel was born in Syosset, NJ on May 30, 1971. Her passion for music was obvious at a young age. She has been quoted saying that Billie Holiday and Sarah Vaughn are among her favorite artists to listen to and have had a deep impact on her music and her life. She began her career as a wedding singer in a small band and has since made her name first on Broadway in Rent and most recently in Wicked. She has released two albums, Still I Can’t Be Still and Here. Her newest album is set to be released in August of 2007. Her style incorporates jazz and blues into ballad-like love songs, similar to Billie Holiday’s style. Discography Still I Can’t Be Still Here Links www.idinamenzel.com www.idina-here.com