Books with title Billie Holiday: Singer

Before the legend of Billie Holiday, there was a girl named Eleanora. In 1915, Sadie Fagan gave birth to a daughter she named Eleanora. The world, however, would know her as Billie Holiday, possibly the greatest jazz singer of all time. Eleanora's journey into legend took her through pain, poverty, and run-ins with the law. By the time she was fifteen, she knew she possessed something that could possibly change her life—a voice. Eleanora could sing. Her remarkable voice led her to a place in the spotlight with some of the era's hottest big bands. Billie Holiday sang as if she had lived each lyric, and in many ways she had. Through a sequence of raw and poignant poems, award-winning poet Carole Boston Weatherford chronicles Eleanora Fagan's metamorphosis into Billie Holiday. The author examines the singer's young life, her fight for survival, and the dream she pursued with passion in this Coretta Scott King Author Honor winner. With stunning art by Floyd Cooper, this book provides a revealing look at a cultural icon.

Her tragic life and death are as important a part of Billie Holiday's story as her undeniable talent as a singer. Poverty-stricken from birth, she was introduced to drugs and hard living at a very young age and spent her childhood on the streets carousing with various criminal elements. But, among that turmoil she found her greatest strength her unique and emotion-filled voice and a willingness to succeed. Although her emphatic delivery and natural talent was initially off-putting to the mainstream, her perseverance helped to transform the role of the vocalist in popular music. All singers who have followed, regardless of the genre they sing in, owe a debt of gratitude to Billie Holiday. In this new title, readers will learn about the troubles faced by this legendary singer and how she affected the music world with her original voice.

Her tragic life and death are as important a part of Billie Holiday's story as her undeniable talent as a singer. Poverty-stricken from birth, she was introduced to drugs and hard living at a very young age and spent her childhood on the streets carousing with various criminal elements. But, among that turmoil she found her greatest strength her unique and emotion-filled voice and a willingness to succeed. Although her emphatic delivery and natural talent was initially off-putting to the mainstream, her perseverance helped to transform the role of the vocalist in popular music. All singers who have followed, regardless of the genre they sing in, owe a debt of gratitude to Billie Holiday. In this new title, readers will learn about the troubles faced by this legendary singer and how she affected the music world with her original voice.

Before the legend of Billie Holiday, there was a girl named Eleanora. In 1915, Sadie Fagan gave birth to a daughter she named Eleanora. The world, however, would know her as Billie Holiday, possibly the greatest jazz singer of all time. Eleanora's journey into legend took her through pain, poverty, and run-ins with the law. By the time she was fifteen, she knew she possessed something that could possibly change her life—a voice. Eleanora could sing. Her remarkable voice led her to a place in the spotlight with some of the era's hottest big bands. Billie Holiday sang as if she had lived each lyric, and in many ways she had. Through a sequence of raw and poignant poems, award-winning poet Carole Boston Weatherford chronicles Eleanora Fagan's metamorphosis into Billie Holiday. The author examines the singer's young life, her fight for survival, and the dream she pursued with passion in this Coretta Scott King Author Honor winner. With stunning art by Floyd Cooper, this book provides a revealing look at a cultural icon.