大象传媒

Dripping with raw emotion, Billie Holiday’s sultry vocals stirred the soul… and society.

1. She wasn’t guessing when it came to emotion

Billie had a troubled childhood. Abandoned by her father and often separated from her mother, she was looked after by a succession of carers. She experienced neglect, physical abuse and sexual assault. By 1929 Billie had moved to New York and found herself working in a brothel until she eventually started singing for tips in the 1930s. This harsh introduction to the world informed the emotional depths Holiday could reach – though there was much more than misery to Billie’s beautiful, stirring performances.

2. She got lucky

Billie’s first big break came when she was spotted by Columbia Records’ John Hammond who would go on to sign Bob Dylan and Leonard Cohen amongst others. He’d actually seen Holiday by chance when she was filling in for a then better-known performer. Astonished by her sensual singing, he quickly had her working with white band leaders Benny Goodman and Artie Shaw. This was ground-breaking in strictly segregated 1930s American society.

3. She stuck her neck out during a dangerous time

If Holiday’s successful work with white orchestras forced some parts of America to question its segregated society, her decision to record Strange Fruit brought the country’s race relations into sharp focus. Based on a poem written by Jewish school teacher Abel Meeropol, the song is about the lynching of African Americans. Holiday initially feared retribution when she first performed Strange Fruit live in 1939 and her label was reluctant to release it. However, the haunting song proved popular amongst audiences and was welcomed by those trying to reform America.