Billie Holiday, nicknamed “Lady Day”, was an American jazz singer and songwriter who transformed jazz and pop singing in the 20th Century. Her vocal style, strongly inspired by jazz instrumentalists, pioneered a new way of manipulating phrasing and tempo. Critic John Bush wrote that Holiday “changed the art of American pop vocals forever.”

Holiday’s voice was instantly recognizable from her distinctive delivery. Years of excessive drug use eventually altered the texture of her voice and gave it a certain fragility, but the profound emotion that she invested in each song remained intact throughout her career. Holiday co-wrote only a few songs, but several of them have become jazz standards, notably “God Bless the Child,” “Don’t Explain,” “Billie’s Blues,” and “Lady Sings the Blues.”

Read the complete Billie Holliday biography on Legacyrecordings.com

Where to Begin:

Billie Holiday
The Essential Billie Holiday

Must Have Albums:

Billie Holiday
Lady In Satin