The artist known as Billie Holiday, then nicknamed Lady Day, was born under the name Eleanora Fagan, in 1915. Billie's childhood was sad. Her parents were never married and her father, Clarence Holiday who played guitar with Fletcher Henderson, abandoned Billie and her mother (Geocites) at an early age. At some point during her childhood, her mother moved to New York, leaving her to care for relatives who Holiday said mistreated her. She left school after fifth grade, was sexually assaulted at age ten, and imprisoned for prostitution in her early teens (art and culture). You would think that Billie's tragic childhood would leave her in poverty for the rest of her life, but fortunately, her incredible voice and intense lyrics would propel her to fame. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay When Billie was eighteen, she moved to New York to live with her mother. . She admired musicians like Louis Armstrong and Bessie Smith. Holiday music is known to be a mixture of Armstrong swing and Smith sound (geocites). She started singing at a popular jazz club called Pods and Jerrys located in Harlem. It was there that she was discovered by John Hammond who offered her three recording sessions with Benny Goodman. After that, she performed in many New York clubs and had a decent black audience. Billie gained a wider audience when she performed with Count Basie in 1937 and Artie Shaw in 1938. This made her one of the first black singers to perform with a white orchestra (pbs.org). Being one of the first black singers to perform with a white orchestra was risky. This shows that, like many other famous musicians who changed an era, Billie was not afraid to risk everything and go against society's norms. Billie had many hits like Fine and Mellow and Lover Man, but none of those songs shocked the world like Strange. Fruit, a song about a lynching in the South. The trees of the South bear strange fruit/ Blood on the leaves and blood at the root/ Black bodies swaying in the Southern breeze/ Strange fruits hanging from the poplar trees (pbs.org). At the time, these words shocked America and, I'm sure, made many white southerners very angry. Billie Holiday is a true American hero for overcoming the racism that surrounded her and confronting the issue in a song that the entire nation can hear. She wasn't afraid to speak out about what was important to her, regardless of the consequences. Billie wouldn't let racism stop her from achieving her dreams. Billie may have been a drug addict, but who could blame her for her horrible childhood? She was visibly marked by her youth. We feel his pain and his sorrow in his songs. Billie may not have the best voice in the world, but her lyrics possess such an in-your-face honesty that you can feel deep within yourself, and that's what American music is. Keep in mind: this is just a sample. a personalized article now from our expert writers. Get a Personalized Essay I downloaded Strange Fruit and the song has an incredibly eerie feeling to it. It's almost scary to listen to. I had this creepy feeling before Billie even started singing, just because of the tone of the song, not to mention the powerful lyrics. I will definitely consider Billie Holiday as the subject of my final article as I have respect for all the difficulties she overcame throughout her life..