Billie Holiday (born Eleanora Fagan, on April 7th 1915 in Philadelphia) was one of the most important and influential American jazz singers. She also became known by the nickname ‘Lady Day’, given to her by her friend and music partner Lester Young.
After a turbulent childhood, Holiday found a job as a singer at a Harlem nightclub. She had no real music education, but with an instinctive sense of musical structure and after gaining vocal experience in the fields of jazz and blues, she developed a singing style that was deeply moving. At the nightclub she was heard by producer John Hammond, who praised her voice. She signed a recording contract with Brunswick in 1935. Collaborations with Teddy Wilson resulted in the hit ‘What a Little Moonlight Can Do’. During the 1930s and 1940s, Holiday had mainstream success on labels such as Columbia and Decca. In the late 1940s, she struggled with legal problems and drug abuse. After a short prison term, she no longer had permits to perform in New York, but she continued to do so. Ten days after her release, she sang in a crowded concert hall at Carnegie Hall. Ultimately, her addiction took her life in 1959.