On This Day (April 7)…Happy Birthday, Billie Holiday!

The jazz singer Eleanora Fagan, known professionally as Billie Holiday, was born on this day in 1915.

File:Billie Holiday, Downbeat, New York, N.Y., ca. Feb. 1947 (William P. Gottlieb 04251).jpg
Holiday singing onstage. Retrieved from here.

A young Holiday began singing along with records of such jazz legends as Louis Armstrong before transitioning to nightclubs in Harlem in her teens. Despite her lack of formal training, Holiday had an instinctive grasp of music and an incredible voice. By the time she was eighteen, she had been noticed by producer John Hammond and was making her first recordings, debuting on a song with Benny Goodman.

Over her thirty-year career and in the years to follow, she has become one of the best-regarded jazz singers of all time.

Today’s a good day to spin your favorite of her songs, or, if you’re unfamiliar with her, try something new out!

Thank you so much for reading. If you enjoyed this post, please consider donating on my ko-fi page or becoming a patron on my patreon. I appreciate your help!

Post Sources

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.