Lady Sings the Blues

Billie Holiday, William Dufty

Penguin Books, 1984 - Biography & Autobiography - 199 pages

This work presents the Billie Holiday story - her rise to the top from the slums and the streets, to the eventual slide down.

Contents

• Section 1: 193

About the author

Billie Holiday, "Lady Day," started singing in Harlem nightclubs when she was 14 years old; she began singing professionally at the age of 15. She was discovered by impresario John Hammond and bandleader Benny Goodman in 1933. She appeared in bands with Benny Goodman, Count Basie, Artie Shaw, and others. She also had a successful solo career, giving concerts in the United States and Europe. Her addiction to narcotics and alcohol brought about her early death at the age of 44. She sang mostly popular tunes of the day with her own unique "bluesy" style. Her recordings are still reissued, and a film based on her life, Lady Sings the Blues, starring Diana Ross, was released in 1972.

Bibliographic information

• Title: Lady Sings the Blues; A Penguin Books; Penguin Autobiography: Music
• Authors: Billie Holiday, William Dufty
• Editors: William Dufty, Vincent Pelote
• Contributor: William Dufty
• Edition: reprint
• Publisher: Penguin Books, 1984
• Original from: the University of Michigan
• Digitized: May 15, 2010
• ISBN: 0140067620, 9780140067620
• Length: 199 pages
• Subjects: Biography & Autobiography / Cultural, Ethnic & Regional / General; Biography & Autobiography / Entertainment & Performing Arts; Biography & Autobiography / General; Biography & Autobiography / Music; Biography & Autobiography / Women; Music / Genres & Styles / Jazz