Eleanora Fagan
Billie Holiday, known as "Lady Day," is widely regarded as one of the greatest jazz vocalists of all time. Her vocal style, inspired by jazz instrumentalists, pioneered a new way of manipulating phrasing and tempo. Her emotional depth and tragic personal life infused her performances with unparalleled authenticity. Songs like "Strange Fruit," "God Bless the Child," and "Lady Sings the Blues" remain iconic.
“If I'm going to sing like someone else, then I don't need to sing at all.”
— Billie Holiday
“I never hurt nobody but myself and that's nobody's business but my own.”
— Billie Holiday
“Singing songs like 'The Man I Love' or 'Porgy' is no more work than sitting down and eating Chinese roast duck.”
— Billie Holiday
“I can't stand to sing the same song the same way two nights in succession. If you can, then it ain't music.”
— Billie Holiday
“I've been told that nobody sings the word 'hunger' like I do. Or the word 'love.'”
— Billie Holiday
“You can't copy anybody and end with anything. If you copy, it means you're working without any real feeling.”
— Billie Holiday
“Don't threaten me with love, baby. Let's just go walking in the rain.”
— Billie Holiday
“People don't understand the kind of fight it takes to record what you want to record, the way you want to record it.”
— Billie Holiday
“Sometimes it's worse to win a fight than to lose.”
— Billie Holiday
“Mom and Pop were just a couple of kids when they got married. He was eighteen, she was sixteen, and I was three.”
— Billie Holiday
Lady in Satin
1958
Lady Sings the Blues
1956
Songs for Distingué Lovers
1957
Body and Soul
1957
The Commodore Master Takes
1939