Billie Holiday - Lady Sings the Blues [Paperback]

Billie Holiday (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 1985

18 hits featuring 'The Man I Love,' 'Lover, Come Back to Me' and 'Body and Soul.'

Product Details

Sample Music Notation [24kb PDF]

• Paperback: 68 pages
• Publisher: Hal Leonard Corporation (March 1, 1985)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0793524458
• ISBN-13: 978-0793524457
• Product Dimensions: 11.8 x 8.8 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,552,936 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I still hear Billie singing, and I just finished reading the book......, May 13, 2007

By 

D. Pawl "Dani" (Seattle) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Billie Holiday - Lady Sings the Blues (Paperback)

I have a deep love and respect for some of the most influential female jazz and soul singers of our time, like Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughn, Dinah Washington, Carmen McRae, Lena Horne, and last but not least, Billie Holiday. In LADY SINGS THE BLUES, Holiday recalls some of the most resonant memories of her turbulent past--the good, the [mostly] bad and the [frequently] ugly. From the very start, Billie Holiday (birth name Eleanora Fagan), born to thirteen year old Sadie Fagan and sixteen year old Clarence Holiday, had a very difficult life. The young girl saw much in the rough streets of Baltimore, Maryland, as a call girl, a jailbird and a spitfire with a vey hot temper.

Billie didn't even consider a career in singing, and her introduction as a vocalist was (perhaps) accidental, but definitely fate. Her descent into drug addiction, jailtime, turbulent relationships (with both men and women) and the great antipathy she faced in the storm of racism, jealousy and gossip made for a very adverse life, on and off of the stage. Some of the greatest moments of her career are documented here, as told to writer William Dufty. We learn the stories behind songs like "Strange Fruit," that are songs she created and truly lived and experienced, before setting them to lyric and melody. Though, I never heard Billie Holiday's speaking voice, I heard it throughout this piece, and I can see why it was brought to the screen, as a film. I haven't seen it, so I honestly have no idea how well it translated as a movie, with Diana Ross. Though, I have heard it was fantastic. Highly reccomended!

1 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars do you like the music of Billie?, June 24, 2006

By 

F. R. Mendez - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Billie Holiday - Lady Sings the Blues (Paperback)

You will love Billie after you read this book.
For all people.