Billie Holiday

On August 25, 1941, Billie married Jimmy Monroe, a trombonist but divorced him in 1947.

She married Louis McKay on March 28, 1957, who was a Mafia enforcer but separated later. Though issueless, Bevan Dufty and singer Billie Lorraine Feather were her two godchildren.

On July 17, 1959 she died in New York due to cirrhosis of liver and was buried in Bronx County, New York at Saint Raymond’s Cemetery.

Billie Holiday was born in Philadelphia on April 7, 1915 to Sarah Juliah and Clarance Holiday who were neither married nor living together.

She faced a challenging childhood. Her father, who was a jazz guitarist, left them to pursue career in music. Her mother Sarah had to keep Billie in Baltimore at Eva Miller’s house who was Sarah’s half sister. The first ten years, she was mostly raised by Martha Miller, mother-in-law of Eva.

On January 5, 1925, a juvenile court sent her to Catholic reform school ‘The House of the Good Shepherd’ due to her truancy in school.

On December 24, 1926, her neighbour Wilbur Rich attempted rape on her. She was sent to protective custody of ‘House of the Good Shepherd’.

Her mother left for Harlem in New York in 1928, leaving her with Martha Miller. She joined her mother in Harlem in 1929, who by that time had become a prostitute. Within no time, Billie also began working as a prostitute even before the age of 14.

Billie Holiday started her music career in 1929 with neighbour Kenneth Hollan. During 1929 to 1931, they performed at various clubs including ‘Brooklyn Elks’ Club’, ‘Grey Dawn’ and ‘Mexico’s’.

In 1932, she was inducted at a club at West 132nd Street replacing singer Monette Moore where Producer John Hammond heard her.

In November 1933, he voice was recorded for the first time under the arrangement of John Hammond. Her two songs along with Benny Goodman were released on November 11. One of them, ‘Riffin' the Scotch’ was an instant hit and saw a whopping sale of 5,000 copies.

In 1935, she played a part in musical short ‘Symphony in Black: A Rhapsody of Negro Life’ starring Duke Ellington. It featured her in a song ‘Saddest Tale’ sung by her. She signed with ‘Brunswick Records’ and collaborated with Teddy Wilson to record pop music in swing style. Their first record ‘What a Little Moonlight Can Do’ gave her recognition as an artist.

From 1936 to 1938 she, along with Teddy Wilson, appeared in a series of phenomenal performances co-produced by Bernie Hanighen and John Hammond. Tunes like ‘Twenty-Four Hours a Day’ were turned into jazz classics by the two singers.

Her first record with Teddy Wilson ‘What a Little Moonlight Can Do’ became a trend setter in jazz music.

In 1941, her song ‘God Bless the Child’ became a major hit, selling millions of records. It reached 25th rank in the charts and was placed in the third position as song of the year in Billboard.

Pop hit ‘Lover Man (Oh Where Can You Be)’ specifically written for her is till date her highest charted hit.