Person Open DS/UK/4738 Holiday; Billie (7 April 1915-17 July 1959); African American jazz singer Holiday Billie 7 April 1915-17 July 1959 African American jazz singer Female Eleanora Fagan https://thirdlight.royalalberthall.com/pf.tlx?BeBGhGBZoHV9 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States (born)

Manhattan, New York City, United States (died)

American Musician; Vocals, jazz Black Heterosexual Billie Holiday was an African American jazz singer with a career spanning nearly thirty years. Nicknamed "Lady Day" by her friend and music partner Lester Young, Holiday had a seminal influence on jazz music and pop singing. Her vocal style, strongly inspired by jazz instrumentalists, pioneered a new way of manipulating phrasing and tempo. She was known for her vocal delivery and improvisational skills. After a turbulent childhood, Holiday began singing in nightclubs in Harlem, where she was heard by the producer John Hammond, who commended her voice. She signed a recording contract with Brunswick in 1935. Collaborations with Teddy Wilson yielded the hit "What a Little Moonlight Can Do", which became a jazz standard. Throughout the 1930s and 1940s, Holiday had mainstream success on labels such as Columbia and Decca. By the late 1940s, however, she was beset with legal troubles and drug abuse. After a short prison sentence, she performed at a sold-out concert at Carnegie Hall, but her reputation deteriorated because of her drug and alcohol problems. She was a successful concert performer throughout the 1950s with two further sold-out shows at Carnegie Hall. Due to personal struggles and an altered voice, her final recordings were met with mixed reaction, but were mild commercial successes. Her final album, Lady in Satin, was released in 1958. Universal Fire: In 2019, The New York Times Magazine listed Billie Holiday among hundreds of artists whose material was reportedly destroyed in the 2008 Universal fire. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billie_Holiday (2019) International Standard Archival Authority Record for Corporate Bodies, Persons and Families - ISAAR(CPF) 2nd edition - ICA 2004 ISBN 2-9521932-2-3 National Council on Archives, Rules for the Construction of Personal, Place and Corporate Names, 1997 Yes RAHeharper 3/12/2013 RAHAKIRKBRIDE 5/19/2025 f2c28d10-513f-4924-984b-c9156ff76d8a