The genius of Billie Holiday

[LONDONER]

This doesn't really need any comment but she's probably appreciated more by a slightly older generation.

[Emiliano]

I watched this other day and I meant to come back and comment.

She had one of the most incredible voices in music, in my opinion. Im not of an older generation, but definitely a fan of her music.

[LONDONER]

I watched this other day and I meant to come back and comment.

She had one of the most incredible voices in music, in my opinion. Im not of an older generation, but definitely a fan of her music.

Hi Emiliano. I didn't mean to exclude anyone by their age, I just said that she is probably more appreciated by a slightly older generation. I think that she was one of the greatest jazz singers ever, she can at times really touch your soul.

[Emiliano]

Hi Emiliano. I didn't mean to exclude anyone by their age, I just said that she is probably more appreciated by a slightly older generation. I think that she was one of the greatest jazz singers ever, she can at times really touch your soul.

No I agree with you, older people tend to know more of her just because of their exposure to her. But she is iconic and hopefully never will be left in the past.
I got my music tastes from my parents, honestly. And I'm glad that they had a great music collection, otherwise I might have never heard of her either.

[princealbertofb]

A wonderful voice and soul, pity she had to die so young.

[CellarDweller]

"Strange Fruit" is a song performed most famously by Billie Holiday, who first sang and recorded it in 1939. Written by teacher Abel Meeropol as a poem and published in 1937, it protested American racism, particularly the lynching of African Americans. Such lynchings had reached a peak in the South at the turn of the century, but continued there and in other regions of the United States. Meeropol set it to music and, with his wife and the singer Laura Duncan, performed it as a protest song in New York venues in the late 1930s, including Madison Square Garden.

Barney Josephson, the founder of Cafe Society in Greenwich Village, New York's first integrated nightclub, heard the song and introduced it to Billie Holiday. Holiday first performed the song at Cafe Society in 1939. She said that singing it made her fearful of retaliation but, because its imagery reminded her of her father, she continued to sing the piece, making it a regular part of her live performances. Because of the power of the song, Josephson drew up some rules: Holiday would close with it; the waiters would stop all service in advance; the room would be in darkness except for a spotlight on Holiday's face; and there would be no encore. During the musical introduction, Holiday stood with her eyes closed, as if she were evoking a prayer.

The song was highly regarded; the 1939 recording eventually sold a million copies, in time becoming Holiday's biggest-selling recording.

[LONDONER]

"Strange Fruit" is a song performed most famously by Billie Holiday, who first sang and recorded it in 1939. Written by teacher Abel Meeropol as a poem and published in 1937, it protested American racism, particularly the lynching of African Americans. Such lynchings had reached a peak in the South at the turn of the century, but continued there and in other regions of the United States. Meeropol set it to music and, with his wife and the singer Laura Duncan, performed it as a protest song in New York venues in the late 1930s, including Madison Square Garden.

Barney Josephson, the founder of Cafe Society in Greenwich Village, New York's first integrated nightclub, heard the song and introduced it to Billie Holiday. Holiday first performed the song at Cafe Society in 1939. She said that singing it made her fearful of retaliation but, because its imagery reminded her of her father, she continued to sing the piece, making it a regular part of her live performances. Because of the power of the song, Josephson drew up some rules: Holiday would close with it; the waiters would stop all service in advance; the room would be in darkness except for a spotlight on Holiday's face; and there would be no encore. During the musical introduction, Holiday stood with her eyes closed, as if she were evoking a prayer.

The song was highly regarded; the 1939 recording eventually sold a million copies, in time becoming Holiday's biggest-selling recording.

Thanks for that CellarDweller. I knew of the song of course (I have quite a collection of Billie Holiday's songs) and that includes "Gloomy Sunday:




This was a song that was actually banned by the BBC because of the number of suicides that it provoked!.

For anyone who was unaccuainted with Billie Holiday before this thread, please don't think that she only sang like the two examples that have been posted. She sang a lot of happy, popular songs too. She had a pretty raunchy sense of humour and that is reflected in some of the other songs she sang.

[InbetweenDreams]

I have this album by Billie Holiday, it was sill in the wrapper (not so sure it was new in the wrapper but played very well once I opened it)...

[Emiliano]

http://boweryboys.libsyn.com/176-billie-...s-new-york

This is a link to a good podcast about her too, if anyone's interested.

[LONDONER]

http://boweryboys.libsyn.com/176-billie-...s-new-york

This is a link to a good podcast about her too, if anyone's interested.

Thanks Emiliano, very interesting.