Lady Sings The Blues

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Written by Lady Day herself, I've read this many times,and it is a Kind telling of what must have been a hard life,but if you love the Lady, this is a Must

Good book

Great book delived quickly.

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!

Whether it's the "truth, the whole truth, or nothing like the truth" is open to doubt, according to the "experts" - but I really don't care. It is an unmissable bare knuckle ride through the life of one of the greatest jazz performers - ever!!!! She knew them all, sang with them all and rubbed shoulders with them all - and even had the incredibly talented Lester Young living in her mom's house as a down at heel lodger! A man who first played a battered horn held together with rubber bands ... now that is "real" jazz history. It was a hard, often cruel, life but what could you expect ... ?? She was black, poor, barely educated and used by white trash as black scum. America has much to be ashamed of with its long, long history of racial inequality - and even today it very much still does! Yet Britain has never been saintly when it comes to racial prejudice - and even today it still isn't!!!If you're into jazz this is a book you should not miss. In its own way - like the Lady herself - it is simply awesome.

"Lady Sings the Blues" was originally published in 1956 some 3 years before her death aged only 44. That it now enters the list as a Penguin Modern Classic is possibly due to current interest in the ongoing 'still-to-be-solved' problems of (world?) racial prejudice. Or it could be due to the enormous influence Billie Holiday has had on jazz and pop singers (from Ella and Sarah to Amy Whitehouse). Billie was one of the very few born with a talent (to sing in the manner of an improvising jazz musician) having had virtually no musical education whatever. In parallel with Billie's show-business activities she, and her writing assistant, include much relevant background social history of the US in the '30's/'40's.

A brutally honest autobiography of an astonishing person. Her story describes her incredibly hard upbringing, the challenges she faced as a performer as well as her huge achievements including fascinating insights into several of her iconic songs. What’s left in the memory is the persecution she suffered at the hands of the police who pursued and persecuted her throughout the latter part of her career on account of her drug habit (incredibly even to her death bed which I discovered on further reading after finishing this book).

Billie Holiday's life was hard, painful, full of tragic moments. Her biography captured that and I can't say I enjoyed it but in truth that was the only option open to me as a purchaser of the book. Like Bob Dylan's Blood on the Tracks her story needed to be told and for the rest of us to hear it.

Because this was written a long time ago and Holiday's background means some of the language used can be difficult to follow.She'd a tough life, with many ups and downs, some details can be upsetting.Good to learn more about Billie Holiday.