Billie Holiday

Paper Summary:

The paper relates the successes of Billie Holiday, an African-American jazz vocalist. The paper describes her gradual downturn due to her drug and alcohol abuse that caused her to be arrested several times and negatively impacted her voice. The paper concludes, however, that Billie Holiday was one of the best jazz vocalists ever, with her musical influence felt long after her death.

From the Paper:

"Billie Holiday was born on April 7, 1915, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Her real name was Eleanora Fagan and she was also known as "lady Day". She named herself Billie Holiday after the film star, Billie Dove. Many of the details about her early childhood years are unknown. What is known is that she spent much of her early youth living with relatives and that she later resided in New York with her mother. There is also evidence from various sources that "...she had experienced abuse and prostitution by her mid-teens" (Billie Holiday1915 - 1959: BBC)."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Billie Holiday 1915 - 1959: BBC. June 26, 2007. <http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio3/jazz/profiles/billie_holiday.shtml>
• Billie Holiday. June 26, 2007. June 26, 2007.<http://www.soulwalking.co.uk/Billie%20Holiday.html>
• Billie Holiday: PBS. June 26, 2007.<http://www.pbs.org/jazz/biography/artist_id_holiday_billie.htm>
• Billie Holiday Biography (1915-59). June 26, 2007. <http://www.biography.com/search/article.do?id=9341902>
• Biography. June 26, 2007. <http://www.cmgworldwide.com/music/holiday/about/biography.htm>

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