Billie Holiday's Path to become a Legendary Jazz Singer
Billie Holiday's Path to become a Legendary Jazz Singer
Billie Holiday was one of the most famous jazz singers of the 20th century. Billie Holiday’s innovative phrasing about her life experiences in her music makes her one of the most influential jazz lyricists of the 20th century. The emotional intensity that she brought into the words she sang was always very memorable and sometimes almost scary; she often lived the words she sang.
Billie Holiday was born Eleanora Harris in Baltimore, Maryland on April 7, 1915. She did not have a stable life. Her father Clarence Holiday played the guitar with Fletcher Henderson and later abandoned his family. Sadie (Billie’s mother) was not a very good role model either. Nonetheless, Billie grew up alone, feeling unloved and gaining a lifelong inferiority complex that led to her taking risks with her personal life becoming self-destructive.
Before and while Billie was famous, she had two role models that would help her achieve her goal of becoming a great recording artist. These important people were Bessie Smith and Louis Armstrong. Billie would always tell people: “I always wanted Bessie’s big sound and Pops’ feeling.” (Gourse, 25) Bessie Smith was called the “Empress of Blues”. She had a magnificent voice, sense of drama, clarity of phrasing, and unique time, which set her apart from the competition. Louis Armstrong was said to be the greatest jazz performer ever. He had a raspy voice, and a rich sound in his trumpet. “He ultimately became a jazz pioneer by taking the spirit of blues and, improvising on his horn, turning it into something revolutionary.” (Kliment, 44) Billie did something quite similar except with singing. She was never a blues singer in her mind. In fact, she hated to be labeled as one. She always said, “If they have to give me a label, call me a jazz singer.” (Kliment, 57) Because of Billie’s unique blues-inspired jazz singing, she was in the spotlight before she knew it.
When John Hammond discovered Billie singing in one of the Harlem clubs, it was the start of Billie’s career. He arranged for her to record a couple of titles with Benny Goodman in1933. Benny Goodman was a clarinetist and bandleader. He was most famous for popularizing swing-style jazz music. During the years of 1934-1942 Billie would make some of the finest recordings of her career. These recordings included, “Billie’s Blues,” “I’m Gonna Lock...