Billie Holiday:Voice of an Angel
Jun 11 '02
The Bottom Line Billie's influence is everywhere.
Billie Holiday was born in 1915 and died in 1959 at the age of 44 from complications of herion addiction and alcholism. She spent 26 years of her life being one of the top performers in jazz...20 of it as a hopeless herion addict, even spending some time in prison.
The greatest thing about Billie wasn't the tone of her voice or the pitch-Dinah Washington wins in these categories-it was her sense of time. She knew exactly where to go with the music and how to accentuate the guys backing her up, and she could make it seem like she was singing just to you. She never sang any song the same way twice.
Sadly, Billie never got to enjoy the monetary rewards that come with a music career. Back at the time she was working, musicians weren't the millionaires they are today because they were not paid royalties (laws about that didn't pass until sometime in the 1960s); they were paid once and that was it. Billie died with 53 cents in her bank account. Now, because of royalty laws, her descendents get to enjoy the rewards of a great music career-Billie is a millionaire. How sad that she isn't here to enjoy it.
You can hear Billie's influence in many singers of today-Macy Gray, India.arie, and myself included. Thank you Billie. Without you, we would be nothing.
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Epinions.com ID:
vinceneilsgirl
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Location: Florida
Reviews written: 105
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