Billie Holiday was one of the most famous jazz singers of the 20th century. Billie Holiday's innovative phrasing of her life experiences in her music makes her one of the most influential jazz lyricists of the 20th century. The emotional intensity he brought to the words he sang was always memorable and sometimes almost frightening; he often lived the words he sang. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essayBillie Holiday was born Eleanora Harris in Baltimore, Maryland on April 7, 1915. She did not have a stable life. His father Clarence Holiday played guitar with Fletcher Henderson and later abandoned his family. Sadie (Billie's mother) wasn't a great role model either. Nonetheless, Billie grew up alone, feeling unloved and acquiring a lifelong inferiority complex that led her to take risks and her personal life became self-destructive. Before and while Billie was famous, she had two role models who would help her achieve her goal of becoming a major recording artist. These important people were Bessie Smith and Louis Armstrong. Billie always told people, “I always wanted the big sound of Bessie and the feel of Pops.” (Gourse, 25) Bessie Smith was called “the Empress of the Blues.” She had a magnificent voice, sense of drama, clarity of phrasing and unique tempo, which set her apart from the competition. Louis Armstrong is said to be the greatest jazz performer ever. He had a raspy voice and a rich sound in his trumpet. “He ultimately became a pioneer of jazz by taking the spirit of the blues and, improvising with his horn, turning it into something revolutionary.” (Kliment, 44) Billie did something quite similar except in singing. She was never a blues singer in her mind. In fact, she hated being labeled as such. He always said, “If they have to give me a label, call me a jazz singer.” (Kliment, 57) Thanks to her unique, blues-inspired jazz singing, Billie was in the spotlight before she knew it. When John Hammond discovered Billie singing in one of the clubs in Harlem, it was the beginning of Billie's career. He had her record a couple of titles with Benny Goodman in 1933. Benny Goodman was a clarinettist and conductor. He was most famous for popularizing swing-style jazz music. During the years 1934-1942 Billie made some of the best recordings of her career. These recordings included "Billie's Blues", "I'm Gonna Lock My Heart and Throw Away the Key", and "Gloomy Sunday". Some of his best songs were played at the Apollo Theater, where he began recording with Teddy Wilson. She also appeared in the film Symphony in Black with Duke Ellington. This film made her more known throughout the country. Shortly thereafter he recorded his first album entitled Billie's Blues. During this time Billie acquired the name "Lady Day", a name almost universally known for her. A man named Lester Young gave her the name soon after they became good friends. Billie met Lester at a club while he was performing on his tenor saxophone. He arrived from Kansas City in 1936 with Count Basie's big band. Lester and Billie hit it off right from the start. They became best friends and thought and felt the same way. As the two grew closer, they gave each other nicknames. “Lester began calling Sadie (Billie's mother) by the nickname 'Duchess,' and Billie became 'Lady' and 'Lady Day.' To return the compliment, Billie nicknamed him "Prez", the president of the tenor saxophone. (Gourse, 39) “Lady Day” was famous for many of its great songs, but none stood out except the quaint song “Strange Fruit.” This song was a strong oneanti-racism statement that became a permanent part of his reputation. Because she was African American, everywhere she went there would always be someone who would act prejudicially and make her feel like she was worthless. An example of this was when Billie was on tour. During the tour, she and her band stopped at a restaurant to use the restroom. Billie asked the hostess if she could use the bathroom and the hostess simply replies, "No." He asked one more time and the hostess refused again. Billie was annoyed by this and went back to try to find him. The hostess chased her to the back of the restaurant and told her she couldn't use the bathroom because of her race. Then he went to the bathroom right on the floor and left. This story is just one of many racist issues Billie ran into when performing. Many of the songs he wrote were about his life, and race was a major topic. “Lady Day” has been applauded for her many talents and her success in almost everything she has done. But when she sang the famous song “Strange Fruit,” the song marked a change of direction for Billie's music. Because of the slow and intense way in which she performed the song, she was soon considered a dramatic singer. This new style acquired by Billie really liked her fans and she began to sing in this way more often. As Billie became more and more popular, she began moving around the country a lot in the early 1940s. She was booked to return to Café Society but didn't show up to any of the shows. Instead she chose to sing in New York on West Fifty-Second Street, to her it simply felt like home. There were many jazz clubs on this street that opened in the 1930s, but all were designated whites only. Then Teddy Wilson and Billie got jobs at the Famous Door club. During this time, Billie was increasingly disappointed by her inability to be the commercial success she thought she would be. She would soon be fired from her job in New York and take to drugs. Billie was first introduced to opium and heroin in the early 1940s by her first husband James Monroe. He began his lifelong struggle with narcotics and alcohol addiction. Her husband was the first in a series of men who would fuel her addiction, squander her earnings and physically abuse her. During this time, Billie was jailed for a year on drug charges after an extraordinary trial in 1947. Billie had a cabaret license. taken away and banned from performing in clubs and nightclubs. Billie couldn't stay drug-free as long as she got involved with the music scene and James Monroe. But since he could give up nothing, many more prison sentences followed. After some time, Billie obtained a new cabaret license and was able to perform again. It was one night he was performing when he met a fast-talking, sharp-looking hustler named Louis McKay. She met him at a club in Harlem called Hot Cha. He heard her singing and was immediately fascinated by her. Louis came to all her performances, and if he was late, she would cry. After this happened several times, she knew she was in love with him. So she decided to divorce James Monroe and one day marry Louis McKay. So, just when things started to look up for "Lady Day", she was hauled into court on drug charges. Billie was released on bail and entered a drug clinic. Unlike her many other attempts to overcome her addiction, this time she did not quit heroin suddenly and completely, rather she was taken for tests and prescribed medicine to make her.