Billie Holiday: The Lady Sings the Blues by Billie Holiday

Billie Holiday: The Lady Sings the Blues by Billie Holiday

(Piano/Vocal/Guitar Artist Songbook). 18 hits featuring 'The Man I Love, ' 'Lover, Come Back to Me' and 'Body and Soul.

Billie Holiday (b. 1915; d. 1959) was perhaps the greatest singer in twentieth century jazz. Her heartfelt phrasing and improvisational skills had a seminal influence on the form. She emerged from a troubled childhood to quick popularity in Harlem nightclubs, followed by commercial recording success. However, after drug problems landed her in prison in 1948, she lost her cabaret license, which meant she couldn't perform in the jazz capital, New York City. This blow compounded problems with her finances, her health, her reputation, and, devastatingly, her voice. Despite a few triumphant comeback performances at Carnegie Hall and some mildly successful recordings, she never fully recovered her standing, and she died of cirrhosis of the liver in 1959 in a New York hospital--with police stationed at her door to arrest her on another drug bust should she recover. Holiday was the recipient of four Grammy awards--all of them posthumous.

Khanya Mtshali [introduction] is a writer and journalist from Johannesburg, South Africa. She writes about fashion, history, politics, race, gender, and books. Her work has been featured in The Guardian, The Outline, Timeline, Bookforum, The Rumpus, Quartz, Glamour, and The Daily Maverick.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9780793524457
ISBN 10	0793524458
Title	Billie Holiday: The Lady Sings the Blues
Author	Billie Holiday
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Paperback
Publisher	Hal Leonard Publishing Corporation
Year published	1985-03-01
Number of pages	68
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.