Lady Day

On April 7, 1915, Billie Holiday was born under the name of Eleanor Gough.

She started out singing in Harlem, in small clubs, such as The Hot Cha Cha Club and the Shim Sham Club. She was discovered by jazz promoter John Hammond, who arranged for her to record with Benny Goodman.

Some of Billie’s tunes include: “What a Little Moonlight Can Do,” “These Foolish Things,” “The Way You Look Tonight,” “Pennies from Heaven,” and “You Go To My Head.”

She was posthumously given a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1987 and three of her recordings received Grammy Hall of Fame Awards: Strange Fruit (1939), God Bless the Child (1941) and Lover Man (Oh, Where Can You Be?)” (1945).

She wrote an autobiography, titled Lady Sings the Blues (1956), which was later made into a movie in 1972, starring Diana Ross. Billie died in New York City on July 17, 1959, at the age of 44.

Here’s a clip from her film New Orleans: The Blues Are Brewin’

She got the nickname of Lady Day from the sax player Lester Young. Here’s a clip of them performing: Fine and Mellow