Born into pain, lived in pain, died in pain, yet so much beautiful raw talent and strength!!! I just imagine her singing with all those physical and emotional bruises... phenomenal
Who is here after watching The United States vs Billie Holiday? What a woman. You deserved better, Lady Day...thank you for all you gave to us, for us.
"...she sounds like she's tired..." LMAO! What a great sense of humor she had, it's good that she could look back and laugh at what must have been some very discouraging rejections. Rest In Peace.
Yes William. My mother lived in New York during those times, and, she wanted to meet her, in hopes of trying to help her. She speaks of her often. Tragic😢
I’m sure there were people that tried to help Billie Holiday just like Whitney Houston. Whitney’s mother tried to help her. What can you do? People do what they want to do.
Billie was a real woman. More talent in her pinky than most have in their whole bodies. I become sad when I think that she may have left this earth never quite knowing and understanding just how special she was.
Actually, Billie was discovered when she was 18 by John Hammond, Jr. (a Vanderbilt on his mother's side) at Monette's in Harlem. Shortly after that, Hammond introduced her to Benny Goodman. Billie succeeded in the music business in part by sponsorship by white promoters like Hammond. Her early recording career was based on American songbook material - Hammond's idea. It was interracialism - blacks and whites cooperating, that spurred her career.
@@Billy219 You totally lost me, when you referred to Billie as a 'devil singer'. She was magnificent and she is eternal. 'Judge not, lest ye be judged'. It's your type that has soured me on religion.
@@Billy219 Hateful! Obviously you know absolutely nothing about Lady Holiday! You certainly have no appreciation for her phenomenal talent! You are one of the meanest, angriest Christians I have ever come across. Swallow your vile venom and do not spew it forth upon the tremendous legacy of the greatest jazz singer of all time. That is why she still has fans all over the world 60 years after her death. Who will remember you so fondly in 60 years? Maybe Satan?
Can you imagine if she had lived to be 100....that's how old she would have been this year. To have her still here with us to this day would have been amazing.
In a strange world I find myself in love with a person that’s of another race. That in itself in this day and age is not much of an issue. The person is a well know performer in some circles today. The person also had a substance abuse problem and did attempt to get help after an arrest and a brief incarceration. I don’t hold it against her. I was not involved or affected in any way, shape mean or form. Disparaging things have been said over the years about her. Honestly in my opinion society had failed her, she faced discrimination, she had people around her taking advantage of her, there was a concerted effort to destroy her and prevent her from being able to work. In the end all of the above took a toll and she started using drugs again. Smoking, alcohol and heroin and other drugs started taking their toll and in the end she didn’t survive. She may not have been perfect, but she was her own person. Her name was Billie Holiday and today is the 62 Anniversary of her death. In another place and in another time maybe things could have been different. In another place and in another time I could have truly loved Billie. In another place and time I could have held her and said “I love you”. She gave us her heart and soul and we abandoned her. I don’t fault her for what happened but it should have never happened. The sounds are timeless and even the photographs are timeless. Some of the songs mean so much to me and I feel like they always will. We lost a treasure 62 years ago a treasure that will be missed for an eternity. There will never be another Billie Holiday - but what do I know I’m just an average white guy.
Billie Holiday was one of the GREATS! Period. And she refused to cow down to white society of the times. She was brave, yes, was she flawed, yes, aren't we all? Yes. Her voice is haunting and refreshing at the same time, thanks, Billie !!!!
In a strange world I find myself in love with a person that’s of another race. That in itself in this day and age is not much of an issue. The person is a well know performer in some circles today. The person also had a substance abuse problem and did attempt to get help after an arrest and a brief incarceration. I don’t hold it against her. I was not involved or affected in any way, shape mean or form. Disparaging things have been said over the years about her. Honestly in my opinion society had failed her, she faced discrimination, she had people around her taking advantage of her, there was a concerted effort to destroy her and prevent her from being able to work. In the end all of the above took a toll and she started using drugs again. Smoking, alcohol and heroin and other drugs started taking their toll and in the end she didn’t survive. She may not have been perfect, but she was her own person. Her name was Billie Holiday and today is the 62 Anniversary of her death. In another place and in another time maybe things could have been different. In another place and in another time I could have truly loved Billie. In another place and time I could have held her and said “I love you”. She gave us her heart and soul and we abandoned her. I don’t fault her for what happened but it should have never happened. The sounds are timeless and even the photographs are timeless. Some of the songs mean so much to me and I feel like they always will. We lost a treasure 62 years ago a treasure that will be missed for an eternity. There will never be another Billie Holiday - but what do I know I’m just an average white guy.
I Was Just 10 Years Old In 1974.- When My Mom!! Used To Play Billie Holiday Record Called. ( Billie Holiday / The Golden Years ) She Was Pretty As A Fox!! On Her Record Album. R.I.P. BILLIE HOLIDAY.. aka. Lady Day.
Good thing she held her ground and "sung like she wanted to sing"! She had the courage to be what she believe she was. Her voice could "stink up my joint" anytime!
It was my intention to let Ms. Holiday speak for herself in the hope that people for themselves would hear the spirit of a lady who had endured much more than we can imagine, whose singular voice, in conversation, was filled with all that is in the human character: pride, anger, sentimentality, and most of all humor; a quality that is always lacking in the telling of the Billie Holiday story. Her story, in her own words, I hoped, would bring laughter as well as tears. Thank you so much for the comment.
I worked for this man he said at the time he was a soldier IN WW2 HE met Miss Holliday he told me she was so down to earth she was wonderful LADY I was so excited I asked him to tell me more about her unfortunately within that month he passed away may they both rest in peace.
I too wish Ms. Holiday lived longer than 1959. I believe she was a great jazz singer and will have fans for generations to come. I hope she is resting in peace. Her life was hard from the very beginning but she did what she thought was best to survive. I am a fan. I really think someone she remake Lady Sings The Blues.
She lived a very fast paced life since she was child and only lived to the age of 44. She accomplished so much in a very short time . I hate the fact she preferred to stay high on drugs and or intoxicated. Her voice really wasn't old it was from all of the substance abuse and her life style. Regardless, of her decisions , I will always love her music.
Her phrasing has been imitated but never quite duplicated. Early Billie had a purer more classically jazz voice. Later Billie relied more on phrasing & feeling because those are the things that made her stand out from the beginning. You close your eyes and you're there in the song immersed in the story she weaves.
Billie relied on phrasing and feeling as a way of compensating for the voice she destroyed. Let's not rhapsodize on her long history of drug addiction. You get one body in this life, one. She began her career at the beginning of the swing era. The expansion of the American Songbook gave her incredible material, which she so effortlessly incorporated.
Never treats me sweet and gentle The way that he should I've got it bad, and that ain't good My poor heart is sentimental, Not made of wood. I've got it bad, and that ain't good And when the fish are jumpin' And Friday rolls around I end up like I start out, Just cryin' my heart out Lord above me, make him love me The way he should. I've got it bad, I've got it bad.. and that ain't good ♥️
There is noth- ing I can ima gine myself capable of say- ing about this amazing creature given to us! Such a glorious gift. only stolen from us. To briefly were fortunate to know life offered to the world, except Thank You for what we could share😂😢 retrospection. grateful I had the opportunity to share her love, and to appreciate the life she gave it*
Good People always suffer. Billy knew how good She was but It didnt matter. She gave from the heart. Bless her. I Hope She is at peace now living a fabulous life in the néxt life
Bravo Calico. I visited her plot today after watching lady sings the blues last night. This was just the icing on the cake. All this woman wanted in life was love, I wish she could have hung around long enough to see how truly loved she was.
Not only very talented, she was such a stunning woman. I wish she knew that. Still I am grateful for her existence and the Body of work she left. There is no one quite like her. She is still in her.own lane. One of my favorite songs by her is and always will be the duet with Louis Armstrong 'Sweet Hunk ofTrash The song 's arrangement and lyrics are perfectly interpreted with such light hearted humor and Genius by this pair of true Musicians. Thank you for sharing.
I have no idea how she was able to survive as long as she did with all that was happening in our country at the time. The treatment she got from so many would have destroyed anyone even earlier than it destroyed her. However, look at the legacy she left behind. People are still talking about her talents and she died in 1959 Audra really tears up the role as Billie on Broadway. Its not that shallow movie that came out many years ago
@@Ghtthomps When you consider that it had only been a mere 7-8 years since the Civil Rights Bill had passed, that particular "Berry Gordy/Diana Ross movie" was groundbreaking from a revelation standpoint, so I/we shouldn't knock it!! IMHO...Kudos to it and all those involved with it's production!!
What a gem! Just the Lady as herself in her own skin singing, laughing, joking and talking up a storm! What a gift to us Lady Holiday worshippers Brother Neff! Thank you for this precious gem of a video.
There are some people who you've never met, who when alive you knew you'd never meet of make any kind of contact with, but through their art. comes such a meningful appreciation over a lifetime, that you feel as though you know them like you would a very close and dear friend... -Billie Holiday is one such person in my life... before and since her death. Any footage of Billie is a treasure to me, especially audio.
On a first name basis: there's Ella, there's Anita, there's Mildred and Sarah and Peggy and Dinah, both of them, there's Carmen and a slew of others - Billie and all of them join hands, but Billie kind of leads the way. The good do die young, don't they.
In image, they try to refine her, but she's just a genuine person and I believe that's a real solid element that made her special, i.e. being real with it all...
I still don't understand those who criticize her voice in her later recordings. I find her voice possesses much more emotional depth in her later years which enhances her ability to convey beauty and tragedy in her interpretations of songs than the early recordings. If all you want is range and strength in a vocalist watch "America's got talent".
Wow this is fantastic! I love her comments throughout and when they ask her to 'just sing one' She's brilliant! The way she sings the song is to me 100% full of everything Billie lovers love. Especially considering that this was a tape left on at a rehearsal! That fact also brings her true ability and essence into the spotlight. I like that you have some of the text making it clearer to hear her when she speaks as she's obscured by the music and the talking of the rehearsal guys. Wonderful, stylish film about a very special human being! Many thanks!
You are very welcome . . . and thank you for the kind words. I wouldn't normally throw this out there especially on this page, but you seem to me a very musically astute person. For the last decade I've been working on a project that brings to light a musician who was every bit as gifted musically speaking as Billie-Fred Neil. At first it was going to be a documentary but with rights issues and the like I decided to write a book. It should be out this year. You can read more about it on the Facebook page dedicated to it: THAT'S THE BAG I'M IN: The Life, Music, and Mystery of FRED NEIL.
Billie did die young, forty four is no age,but in those forty four years she lived a full life. It's just that it was all crammed together in such a short time. She did it all . I'm not saying it was easy and times it certainly wasn't pleasant, but this great lady did more in her short life than most people have who have lived twice as long. Billies life was not all doomon and gloom
I couldn't agree more. By the way, that was the impetus for this piece. The entry for Billie Holiday in the highly regarded 'The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians,' that can be found in practically every library educational institution around the country, states that after the 1950s Billie Holiday had lost her skill as a singer. Clearly her performance of 'I've Got it Bad and That Ain't Good,' negates that loose statement. Till the end, her amazing musical talent never left her.
Billie Lady Day was truly special and one of a kind. Her sadness and life experience was shared through her music. It allowed people to know there is resilience and she definitely had that, but like most blues singers in those days and the entertainment world it comes with a certain pressure. It was a time when heroin was the drug and people cope with life pains doing drugs to drown those pains, Billie was authentic transparent and a real person. Her addiction and her pains can not ever overshadow the gift God gave her, her name is still being spoke about generations later. Strange fruit is a song that we are still dealing with today in 2021. Only our black men are not hanging from trees. Thank You Billy for expressing truth in your music. I couldn’t imagine seeing anything like that and it not have a profound effect and trauma in someone life. RIP you made your Mark on the world and no one can ever take that away your voice lives on.🙏🏾❤️
Yes she lived her songs and the music just brought it out... Billie Holiday... Lady Day... This made me cry... it's like the man speaking to her was knowingly exploiting her... Only the greatest are taken from us in more ways than one... I'm no Billie , but if I can't feel it, I can't singit... my heart must feel it... "I'll sing my way, you sing your way" My one and only favorite of all time...♥♡♥
Its ironic people talked down about her voice towards the end, when its her, in my opinion, seasoned voice was what she was most famous for later. And I say seasoned because it had a spice to it and you felt every single word to your core. When people immitate her voice its the character towards the end that people add to sound more like her. I think her end voice was her best voice because the imperfection made it amazing❤
THANK YOU FOR THE TRUTH with Billie - with her ups and downs, that comes with people consistently pulling on you, its good to get some happy juice in ya to let some of that stress goooooooo - and if people talk about you YOUR VERY IMPORTANT
The researcher tells us that Billie toured until the mid 50's "(without her previous spirit and skill)" Well, I would suggest that her version o f the ballad "You've Changed" recorded I believe in1957 was one of the finest recordings Billie made. The emotion and passion she puts into that song is amazing even though her voice is well past its best. Spirit and skill were still there.
Good point, I thought the same--Her sessions with Benny Carter , Barney Kessel, Jimmy Rowles & Ben Webster done in 1955 or '57 (Songs For Distingue Lovers) was incredible...the band gave her space and she sounded relaxed. I'm playing the CD right now..LOL.
There seems to be an effort by race-based commentators to ignore Billie's formative period where John Hammond and Teddy Wilson put instrumentalists together and helped Billie open the songbook with her secret power. The springtime of the early discography was lost, alas through time, drugs and her own personal decisions. Passion and feeling of the latter days can hardly compensate for the lost instrument we hear in her early work.
I love you Billie and you are that special one that keeps me strong from your songs and the 🌲 that you song about,and I know God is enjoying himself. Amen.
I (posthumously) wrote a song for Ms. Holiday and I think, after listening to songs that she decided to record/perform...I think she would probably have been interested. It's titled: "Silvery Moon"...It's a romantic dance tune, reflective of that era (late 1940's) and it's slightly more up-tempo than her recording of "Pigfoot and a Bottle of Gin" (also sang by Bessie Smith)...Words can't express how much I'd love to have known her, maybe as am acquaintance in real life, but she was gone before I was born. l wish there could have been an alternate outcome for her life story. It was tragic from the very beginning, but you can't tell by her smile and graceful movements as she sang with great bands like that of Count Bassie's and Duke Ellington. I look at her pictures, watch her live performances and review her interviews and wonder if this was her mission in life...including the low points. From what I understand, as it turns out, at least one of her goals, or missions in life, was: to use her talent as a tool to effectively help bring about social change in the U.S., by exposing the injustices. An example of that was her selection of "Strange Fruit". She was doggedly determined to sing it the way SHE interpreted it, over-riding the composer. Rest in Peace, Lady Day (Holiday)
@THERIGHTREVEREND I agree! When Billie sung "I've Got It Bad And That Ain't Good" she STILL had it! Even when she did her last album "Lady In Satin" she still had it. Many said that by the time she recorded that album her voice was already gone. Of course it wasn't the same as it was when she first started her career but her voice certainly wasn't gone! "I've Got It Bad" is just one example. Listen to "I'm A Fool To Want You" . . . it's just as beautiful and actually one of her best ballads.
I will always love this extraordinary queen, the legend who touched my heart in places none can go , misunderstood , abused , strong , a real woman , one off talent of jazz ., the Queen of improvisation , the great Ms Billie Holiday 👑💎🥂🎹🎻🎸🎷🎺🥁🎙💥 R.I.P Billie 🙏🏽💜
Billie , like a very few other "born singers" cannot be described or put into a category. We here in the U.S. do not pay enough respect to these natural folks. Sad. Long live Sarah , Ella , Billie , Judy , Peggy , Frank , Nat , Jimmy , Etc. ..........
Thank you for this video! I never got this close to Billy personally than in this collage. She is a warm star, a beacon of total independence and vulnerability,
Thank you Ricki for taking the time to comment and I'm so happy you liked the piece. Ms. Holiday left us a lot of great music. A truly one-of-a-kind singer who influenced so many other musicians-intrumentalists as well as singers. Despite her personal troubles and addictions, she still possessed a great deal of humor which I hope comes through here.
From the album rappin with Jimmie rowles , l have that album , l met Jimmie Rowles when l was a kid , he came to my mothers Subday jam sessions .. l had the smazing opportunity to sit on apartment steps , and rapped with Jimmie Rowles too .. bless them both , Genius
In a strange world I find myself in love with a person that’s of another race. That in itself in this day and age is not much of an issue. The person is a well know performer in some circles today. The person also had a substance abuse problem and did attempt to get help after an arrest and a brief incarceration. I don’t hold it against her. I was not involved or affected in any way, shape mean or form. Disparaging things have been said over the years about her. Honestly in my opinion society had failed her, she faced discrimination, she had people around her taking advantage of her, there was a concerted effort to destroy her and prevent her from being able to work. In the end all of the above took a toll and she started using drugs again. Smoking, alcohol and heroin and other drugs started taking their toll and in the end she didn’t survive. She may not have been perfect, but she was her own person. Her name was Billie Holiday and today is the 62 Anniversary of her death. In another place and in another time maybe things could have been different. In another place and in another time I could have truly loved Billie. In another place and time I could have held her and said “I love you”. She gave us her heart and soul and we abandoned her. I don’t fault her for what happened but it should have never happened. The sounds are timeless and even the photographs are timeless. Some of the songs mean so much to me and I feel like they always will. We lost a treasure 62 years ago a treasure that will be missed for an eternity. There will never be another Billie Holiday - but what do I know I’m just an average white guy.
I bought her last album that she recorded . lady in satin it's absolutely wonderful. It's a Timeless classic. I can't wait to see this lady and Maria Callas. Two great Divas each one at there on time. ☝☝☝💜💙💛👸👸💃💃 . Arnold Bourbon Amaral
Thank you jenniewilliamsmural. A great deal of thought, time, and love went into the making of this small, modest short. I can only hope that those same qualities come through when it is viewed. Billie Holiday's music, her talent and her spirit was and is an inspiration.
I understand Aretha Franklin wanted to play Billie Holiday, but Gordy & DePasse went with Diana Ross, Louis Armstrong lookalike & a mediocre, ridiculous script.
Thank you very much. I would love to do a Billie Holiday documentary. However, I'm at the end of a decade long journey-which interestingly enough started out as a documentary-researching and uncovering the story of the highly influential, under-appreciated singer-songwriter Fred Neil. The book I've written, the first on Fred, will be published this summer under the title THAT'S THE BAG I'M IN: The Life, Music and Mystery of FRED NEIL. There is a facebook page under that title dedicated to the book if you're interested. You may message me there if you like. I'm so happy you enjoyed my film.
As altered as her voice was at the end, I'd rather hear her in that state, her phrasing, her feeling, than pretty much every singer alive in the world right now.
Billie is buried at the same cemetery as my dad so whenever I go see him, I pay my respects to Lady Day🙏🏾🙏🏾
Wow.. I would love to visit . 😍
@@aehsek731 St. Raymond Cemetery, Bronx, NY
@@nyj12fan87 Yes , Thank you ,For the address !
Wow..cool!
@@aehsek731 I definitely would too.
Born into pain, lived in pain, died in pain, yet so much beautiful raw talent and strength!!! I just imagine her singing with all those physical and emotional bruises... phenomenal
Who is here after watching The United States vs Billie Holiday? What a woman. You deserved better, Lady Day...thank you for all you gave to us, for us.
It's on Netflix too??
@@traceylennon1204 no. I misspoke
"...she sounds like she's tired..." LMAO! What a great sense of humor she had, it's good that she could look back and laugh at what must have been some very discouraging rejections. Rest In Peace.
She's raw and uncut. She keeps the listener hanging on to every word. That's a talent that few singers possess.
Assad Muhammad - True! She’s mesmerizing
Yes!!
Such a great way to put it. She really does.
If I was born 50 years before, I would be serving the tables at the jazz clubs to get to see her each and every night...
Everytime I hear her story...makes me want to travel through time and. Protect her from the bad shit that went down in her life....she is so beautiful
William, I feel the same way. I wish I were there to stop all of the evil that surrounded her.
Yes William. My mother lived in New York during those times, and, she wanted to meet her, in hopes of trying to help her. She speaks of her often. Tragic😢
I’m sure there were people that tried to help Billie Holiday just like Whitney Houston. Whitney’s mother tried to help her. What can you do? People do what they want to do.
That’s how I feel about other rock stars that’ve left too soon..😔
Darm..me too😍
she had a lot of sadness in her eyes and voice. you could feel in her music the struggles she was going through.
Billie was a real woman. More talent in her pinky than most have in their whole bodies. I become sad when I think that she may have left this earth never quite knowing and understanding just how special she was.
Actually, Billie was discovered when she was 18 by John Hammond, Jr. (a Vanderbilt on his mother's side) at Monette's in Harlem. Shortly after that, Hammond introduced her to Benny Goodman. Billie succeeded in the music business in part by sponsorship by white promoters like Hammond. Her early recording career was based on American songbook material - Hammond's idea. It was interracialism - blacks and whites cooperating, that spurred her career.
Billy Murray fan then why are you here?
@@Billy219 You totally lost me, when you referred to Billie as a 'devil singer'. She was magnificent and she is eternal. 'Judge not, lest ye be judged'. It's your type that has soured me on religion.
@@Billy219 Hateful! Obviously you know absolutely nothing about Lady Holiday! You certainly have no appreciation for her phenomenal talent! You are one of the meanest, angriest Christians I have ever come across. Swallow your vile venom and do not spew it forth upon the tremendous legacy of the greatest jazz singer of all time. That is why she still has fans all over the world 60 years after her death. Who will remember you so fondly in 60 years? Maybe Satan?
I think she knew. She formed her own community of friends who loved on her and the black community always treated her like royalty.
Can you imagine if she had lived to be 100....that's how old she would have been this year. To have her still here with us to this day would have been amazing.
In a strange world I find myself in love with a person that’s of another race. That in itself in this day and age is not much of an issue. The person is a well know performer in some circles today. The person also had a substance abuse problem and did attempt to get help after an arrest and a brief incarceration. I don’t hold it against her. I was not involved or affected in any way, shape mean or form. Disparaging things have been said over the years about her. Honestly in my opinion society had failed her, she faced discrimination, she had people around her taking advantage of her, there was a concerted effort to destroy her and prevent her from being able to work. In the end all of the above took a toll and she started using drugs again. Smoking, alcohol and heroin and other drugs started taking their toll and in the end she didn’t survive. She may not have been perfect, but she was her own person. Her name was Billie Holiday and today is the 62 Anniversary of her death. In another place and in another time maybe things could have been different. In another place and in another time I could have truly loved Billie. In another place and time I could have held her and said “I love you”. She gave us her heart and soul and we abandoned her. I don’t fault her for what happened but it should have never happened. The sounds are timeless and even the photographs are timeless. Some of the songs mean so much to me and I feel like they always will. We lost a treasure 62 years ago a treasure that will be missed for an eternity. There will never be another Billie Holiday - but what do I know I’m just an average white guy.
Billie Holiday was one of the GREATS! Period. And she refused to cow down to white society of the times. She was brave, yes, was she flawed, yes, aren't we all? Yes. Her voice is haunting and refreshing at the same time, thanks, Billie !!!!
You description is very accurate -- well said.
AMEN!! That She Was.
In a strange world I find myself in love with a person that’s of another race. That in itself in this day and age is not much of an issue. The person is a well know performer in some circles today. The person also had a substance abuse problem and did attempt to get help after an arrest and a brief incarceration. I don’t hold it against her. I was not involved or affected in any way, shape mean or form. Disparaging things have been said over the years about her. Honestly in my opinion society had failed her, she faced discrimination, she had people around her taking advantage of her, there was a concerted effort to destroy her and prevent her from being able to work. In the end all of the above took a toll and she started using drugs again. Smoking, alcohol and heroin and other drugs started taking their toll and in the end she didn’t survive. She may not have been perfect, but she was her own person. Her name was Billie Holiday and today is the 62 Anniversary of her death. In another place and in another time maybe things could have been different. In another place and in another time I could have truly loved Billie. In another place and time I could have held her and said “I love you”. She gave us her heart and soul and we abandoned her. I don’t fault her for what happened but it should have never happened. The sounds are timeless and even the photographs are timeless. Some of the songs mean so much to me and I feel like they always will. We lost a treasure 62 years ago a treasure that will be missed for an eternity. There will never be another Billie Holiday - but what do I know I’m just an average white guy.
BILLIE AND MILES TOGETHER! CAN YOU IMAGINE WHAT THAT WOULD BE LIKE????.......MAN!!!!!
The many faces of Lady Day. My favorite singer to this day.
God bless the child that's got his own. She had her own.
I Was Just 10 Years Old In 1974.- When My Mom!! Used To Play Billie Holiday Record Called. ( Billie Holiday / The Golden Years ) She Was Pretty As A Fox!! On Her Record Album. R.I.P. BILLIE HOLIDAY.. aka. Lady Day.
fact
Good thing she held her ground and "sung like she wanted to sing"! She had the courage to be what she believe she was. Her voice could "stink up my joint" anytime!
I truly have enjoyed get music
I truly have enjoyed get music over the yrs.
Shes was a classy lady..
It was my intention to let Ms. Holiday speak for herself in the hope that people for themselves would hear the spirit of a lady who had endured much more than we can imagine, whose singular voice, in conversation, was filled with all that is in the human character: pride, anger, sentimentality, and most of all humor; a quality that is always lacking in the telling of the Billie Holiday story. Her story, in her own words, I hoped, would bring laughter as well as tears. Thank you so much for the comment.
This is incredible thank you!
@@chinamoses You're welcome.
And you did just that, Thank you !
What do you think about Andra Day's performance?
@@crystalwiley-brown1274 I haven't seen the movie.
Billie Holiday had it all! And she didn't take shit from nobody. It was either her way or the highway.
Her earlier voice was great, but her later voice was unmatched!! She is Lady Day!!! 🙌🏾🙌🏾🌹
I worked for this man he said at the time he was a soldier IN WW2 HE met Miss Holliday he told me she was so down to earth she was wonderful LADY
I was so excited I asked him to tell me more about her unfortunately within that month he passed away may they both rest in peace.
A portrait of an uncompromising genius!
there was only one singer who could touch your heart and delve straight to your soul and that was Billie Holiday....
And Fred Neil.
I too wish Ms. Holiday lived longer than 1959. I believe she was a great jazz singer and will have fans for generations to come. I hope she is resting in peace. Her life was hard from the very beginning but she did what she thought was best to survive. I am a fan. I really think someone she remake Lady Sings The Blues.
god i love billie.. "I'm gonna sing the way I wanna sing, you sing how you wanna sing."
"I've got it bad, and that ain't good" ❤
She lived a very fast paced life since she was child and only lived to the age of 44. She accomplished so much in a very short time . I hate the fact she preferred to stay high on drugs and or intoxicated. Her voice really wasn't old it was from all of the substance abuse and her life style. Regardless, of her decisions , I will always love her music.
Billie was among other things a great communicator.Even when her voice was not what it used to be.her style never left her.
Her phrasing has been imitated but never quite duplicated. Early Billie had a purer more classically jazz voice. Later Billie relied more on phrasing & feeling because those are the things that made her stand out from the beginning. You close your eyes and you're there in the song immersed in the story she weaves.
I concur!
Billie relied on phrasing and feeling as a way of compensating for the voice she destroyed. Let's not rhapsodize on her long history of drug addiction. You get one body in this life, one. She began her career at the beginning of the swing era. The expansion of the American Songbook gave her incredible material, which she so effortlessly incorporated.
Never treats me sweet and gentle
The way that he should
I've got it bad, and that ain't good
My poor heart is sentimental,
Not made of wood.
I've got it bad, and that ain't good
And when the fish are jumpin'
And Friday rolls around
I end up like I start out,
Just cryin' my heart out
Lord above me, make him love me
The way he should.
I've got it bad, I've got it bad..
and that ain't good
♥️
So much richness raw down to earth sadness in her voice. No one can match her voice. ❤❤❤❤❤
There is noth- ing I can ima
gine myself capable of say-
ing about this amazing
creature given
to us! Such a glorious gift. only stolen from us. To briefly were fortunate to know life offered to the world, except Thank You for what we could share😂😢 retrospection.
grateful I had the opportunity to share her love, and to appreciate the life she gave it*
No matter what you think of her, she was real. Pesonally I dont think there have been ten that could stay on stage with her. Smoking hot TALENT
Lisa Minelli could have deffinately held her own The two of them together would be phenominal!!
true legend. God bless & RIP.
There will never be another Lady Day
Good People always suffer. Billy knew how good She was but It didnt matter. She gave from the heart. Bless her. I Hope She is at peace now living a fabulous life in the néxt life
Everyone she ever loved took her KINDNESS AND WIPED THERE FEET ON HER. DAMN THEM ALL. I PRAY THAT GOT THERES.
Bravo Calico. I visited her plot today after watching lady sings the blues last night. This was just the icing on the cake. All this woman wanted in life was love, I wish she could have hung around long enough to see how truly loved she was.
Not only very talented, she was such a stunning woman.
I wish she knew that.
Still I am grateful for her existence and the Body of work she left.
There is no one quite like her.
She is still in her.own lane.
One of my favorite songs by her is and always will be the duet with Louis Armstrong 'Sweet Hunk ofTrash
The song 's arrangement and lyrics are perfectly interpreted with such light hearted humor and Genius by this pair of true Musicians.
Thank you for sharing.
my grandmother had a similar raspy voice like this from smoking, billie reminds me alot of her in the looks dept too
I have no idea how she was able to survive as long as she did with all that was happening in our country at the time. The treatment she got from so many would have destroyed anyone even earlier than it destroyed her. However, look at the legacy she left behind. People are still talking about her talents and she died in 1959
Audra really tears up the role as Billie on Broadway. Its not that shallow movie that came out many years ago
You mean the Berry Gordy/Diana Ross movie HA! HA! HA! Sad!
@@Ghtthomps
When you consider that it had only been a mere 7-8 years since the Civil Rights Bill had passed, that particular "Berry Gordy/Diana Ross movie" was groundbreaking from a revelation standpoint, so I/we shouldn't knock it!! IMHO...Kudos to it and all those involved with it's production!!
I love you Lady Day!! RIP BIllie Holiday🌹🌺🌹🌺
What a gem! Just the Lady as herself in her own skin singing, laughing, joking and talking up a storm! What a gift to us Lady Holiday worshippers Brother Neff! Thank you for this precious gem of a video.
You're welcome sir, and I appreciate the kind words.
There are some people who you've never met, who when alive you knew you'd never meet of make any kind of contact with, but through their art. comes such a meningful appreciation over a lifetime, that you feel as though you know them like you would a very close and dear friend... -Billie Holiday is one such person in my life... before and since her death. Any footage of Billie is a treasure to me, especially audio.
"Southern Trees Bear Strange Fruit".... Billie, The Greatest❤
She is so high. And still beautiful.
Incredibly high but, that is when you get the deepest stories. When they feel free.
F'n Drugs took too many of our singing Angels. But I still listen to her from time to time.
"I'll sing my way, you sing yours."
This is what you call a labor of love. You can see the patience the creator of this video took with imposing the pictures to match the talk. Wonderful
Billie is so beautiful. Expressing joy. So real. One of the greatest jazz musicians of all time.
Thanks for posting this. So great! So real! Billie!
Seems she felt (and lived) everything she sang - "I've Got It Bad And That Ain't Good"
my grandpa whos 84 has told me and my family stories of how we are related to Billie holiday he says that she's his cousin
Very interesting. i would love to know more. Would he talk to me?
I dont know i could find out he's very sick now but i always wanted to know more about her
I understand. If so, great. If not, again I understand. My best to you and your family.
She as so very special . One in a million . Love her.
On a first name basis: there's Ella, there's Anita, there's Mildred and Sarah and Peggy and Dinah, both of them, there's Carmen and a slew of others - Billie and all of them join hands, but Billie kind of leads the way. The good do die young, don't they.
In image, they try to refine her, but she's just a genuine person and I believe that's a real solid element that made her special, i.e. being real with it all...
She was my reason to sing * Stay forever blessed Lady Day *
I still don't understand those who criticize her voice
in her later recordings. I find her voice possesses much more emotional depth in her later years which enhances her ability to convey beauty and tragedy in her interpretations of songs than the early recordings. If all you want is range and strength in a vocalist watch "America's got talent".
The good thing about lady Day we just can't stop talking and listening to her we will never get enough of her. What a beautiful queen.
Wow this is fantastic! I love her comments throughout and when they ask her to 'just sing one' She's brilliant! The way she sings the song is to me 100% full of everything Billie lovers love. Especially considering that this was a tape left on at a rehearsal! That fact also brings her true ability and essence into the spotlight. I like that you have some of the text making it clearer to hear her when she speaks as she's obscured by the music and the talking of the rehearsal guys. Wonderful, stylish film about a very special human being! Many thanks!
You are very welcome . . . and thank you for the kind words. I wouldn't normally throw this out there especially on this page, but you seem to me a very musically astute person. For the last decade I've been working on a project that brings to light a musician who was every bit as gifted musically speaking as Billie-Fred Neil. At first it was going to be a documentary but with rights issues and the like I decided to write a book. It should be out this year. You can read more about it on the Facebook page dedicated to it: THAT'S THE BAG I'M IN: The Life, Music, and Mystery of FRED NEIL.
Fred Neil, will check him out thanks!
you've done SO MANY music fans a great service by posting this! thanks!
TY for this upload! ❤
You are welcome. My pleasure.
When TMH made Billie Holiday, He broke the mold! Thats why you ain't never heard anyone sounding like her!! She was a beautiful genius!!!💕💯
Billie did die young, forty four is no age,but in those forty four years she lived a full life. It's just that it was all crammed together in such a short time. She did it all . I'm not saying it was easy and times it certainly wasn't pleasant, but this great lady did more in her short life than most people have who have lived twice as long. Billies life was not all doomon and gloom
the queen in her own rights
I find it a little eerie that the man she was talking about (Charlie Johnson), died the same year she did...just 4 months later..
I love me some Billie... r .i.p
the wounded healer 🥺
I couldn't agree more. By the way, that was the impetus for this piece. The entry for Billie Holiday in the highly regarded 'The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians,' that can be found in practically every library educational institution around the country, states that after the 1950s Billie Holiday had lost her skill as a singer. Clearly her performance of 'I've Got it Bad and That Ain't Good,' negates that loose statement. Till the end, her amazing musical talent never left her.
Billie Lady Day was truly special and one of a kind. Her sadness and life experience was shared through her music. It allowed people to know there is resilience and she definitely had that, but like most blues singers in those days and the entertainment world it comes with a certain pressure. It was a time when heroin was the drug and people cope with life pains doing drugs to drown those pains, Billie was authentic transparent and a real person. Her addiction and her pains can not ever overshadow the gift God gave her, her name is still being spoke about generations later. Strange fruit is a song that we are still dealing with today in 2021. Only our black men are not hanging from trees. Thank You Billy for expressing truth in your music. I couldn’t imagine seeing anything like that and it not have a profound effect and trauma in someone life. RIP you made your Mark on the world and no one can ever take that away your voice lives on.🙏🏾❤️
I ❤ you Billie
Love you Billie.
Yes she lived her songs and the music just brought it out... Billie Holiday... Lady Day... This made me cry... it's like the man speaking to her was knowingly exploiting her... Only the greatest are taken from us in more ways than one...
I'm no Billie , but if I can't feel it, I can't singit... my heart must feel it... "I'll sing my way, you sing your way" My one and only favorite of all time...♥♡♥
Sonia S. Muniz
You just keep on using me until you use me up! (Bill Withers)
it's like Billie Holiday is alive again! THANKS for this!
Its ironic people talked down about her voice towards the end, when its her, in my opinion, seasoned voice was what she was most famous for later. And I say seasoned because it had a spice to it and you felt every single word to your core. When people immitate her voice its the character towards the end that people add to sound more like her. I think her end voice was her best voice because the imperfection made it amazing❤
Excellent comment. Thank you for sharing your thoughts.
Her voice is so unique it’s so heavy
❤️ always will be number one favorite
THANK YOU FOR THE TRUTH with Billie - with her ups and downs, that comes with people consistently pulling on you, its good to get some happy juice in ya to let some of that stress goooooooo - and if people talk about you YOUR VERY IMPORTANT
The researcher tells us that Billie toured until the mid 50's "(without her previous spirit and skill)" Well, I would suggest that her version o f the ballad "You've Changed" recorded I believe in1957 was one of the finest recordings Billie made. The emotion and passion she puts into that song is amazing even though her voice is well past its best. Spirit and skill were still there.
Good point, I thought the same--Her sessions with Benny Carter , Barney Kessel, Jimmy Rowles & Ben Webster done in 1955 or '57 (Songs For Distingue Lovers) was incredible...the band gave her space and she sounded relaxed. I'm playing the CD right now..LOL.
Yes of course. Wonderful tracks Prinsexed.
The Ray Ellis tracks are excellent.
There seems to be an effort by race-based commentators to ignore Billie's formative period where John Hammond and Teddy Wilson put instrumentalists together and helped Billie open the songbook with her secret power. The springtime of the early discography was lost, alas through time, drugs and her own personal decisions. Passion and feeling of the latter days can hardly compensate for the lost instrument we hear in her early work.
“ I’m A Fool To Want You “ off Lady in Satin is one of the best vocal performances in history.
I love you Billie and you are that special one that keeps me strong from your songs and the 🌲 that you song about,and I know God is enjoying himself. Amen.
I (posthumously) wrote a song for Ms. Holiday and I think, after listening to songs that she decided to record/perform...I think she would probably have been interested. It's titled: "Silvery Moon"...It's a romantic dance tune, reflective of that era (late 1940's) and it's slightly more up-tempo than her recording of "Pigfoot and a Bottle of Gin" (also sang by Bessie Smith)...Words can't express how much I'd love to have known her, maybe as am acquaintance in real life, but she was gone before I was born. l wish there could have been an alternate outcome for her life story. It was tragic from the very beginning, but you can't tell by her smile and graceful movements as she sang with great bands like that of Count Bassie's and Duke Ellington. I look at her pictures, watch her live performances and review her interviews and wonder if this was her mission in life...including the low points. From what I understand, as it turns out, at least one of her goals, or missions in life, was: to use her talent as a tool to effectively help bring about social change in the U.S., by exposing the injustices. An example of that was her selection of "Strange Fruit". She was doggedly determined to sing it the way SHE interpreted it, over-riding the composer. Rest in Peace, Lady Day (Holiday)
Thanks Diana Ross, it's bcoz of you that I learned of her. Thank you to the person who did this video.......God Bless The Child..
.
@THERIGHTREVEREND
I agree! When Billie sung "I've Got It Bad And That Ain't Good" she STILL had it! Even when she did her last album "Lady In Satin" she still had it. Many said that by the time she recorded that album her voice was already gone. Of course it wasn't the same as it was when she first started her career but her voice certainly wasn't gone! "I've Got It Bad" is just one example. Listen to "I'm A Fool To Want You" . . . it's just as beautiful and actually one of her best ballads.
I truly have Enjoyed Her music and have been listening to her every since I first gets her in the radio.....
I will always love this extraordinary queen,
the legend who touched my heart in places none can go ,
misunderstood , abused , strong , a real woman , one off talent of jazz ., the Queen of improvisation , the great Ms Billie Holiday 👑💎🥂🎹🎻🎸🎷🎺🥁🎙💥
R.I.P Billie 🙏🏽💜
Billie , like a very few other "born singers" cannot be described or put into a category. We here in the U.S. do not pay enough respect to these natural folks. Sad. Long live Sarah , Ella , Billie , Judy , Peggy , Frank , Nat , Jimmy , Etc. ..........
Thank you for this video! I never got this close to Billy personally than in this collage. She is a warm star, a beacon of total independence and vulnerability,
Thank you Ricki for taking the time to comment and I'm so happy you liked the piece. Ms. Holiday left us a lot of great music. A truly one-of-a-kind singer who influenced so many other musicians-intrumentalists as well as singers. Despite her personal troubles and addictions, she still possessed a great deal of humor which I hope comes through here.
There's something truly amazing about this, and about her story. Well done. Can't believe she died so young though...
One of a kind. The only 1. I Luv U, Lady Day.
tHAKS FOR SHARE IT! SHE'S AMAZING. I LIVE HER. SHE NEVER DIES FOR ME.
From the album rappin with Jimmie rowles , l have that album , l met Jimmie Rowles when l was a kid , he came to my mothers Subday jam sessions .. l had the smazing opportunity to sit on apartment steps , and rapped with Jimmie Rowles too .. bless them both , Genius
My heart goes out to Billie holiday she must of suffered so bad, back in the 60s, times was really hard for black people in America.
It's hard now BUT Lord...they suffered 😤😔😔
In a strange world I find myself in love with a person that’s of another race. That in itself in this day and age is not much of an issue. The person is a well know performer in some circles today. The person also had a substance abuse problem and did attempt to get help after an arrest and a brief incarceration. I don’t hold it against her. I was not involved or affected in any way, shape mean or form. Disparaging things have been said over the years about her. Honestly in my opinion society had failed her, she faced discrimination, she had people around her taking advantage of her, there was a concerted effort to destroy her and prevent her from being able to work. In the end all of the above took a toll and she started using drugs again. Smoking, alcohol and heroin and other drugs started taking their toll and in the end she didn’t survive. She may not have been perfect, but she was her own person. Her name was Billie Holiday and today is the 62 Anniversary of her death. In another place and in another time maybe things could have been different. In another place and in another time I could have truly loved Billie. In another place and time I could have held her and said “I love you”. She gave us her heart and soul and we abandoned her. I don’t fault her for what happened but it should have never happened. The sounds are timeless and even the photographs are timeless. Some of the songs mean so much to me and I feel like they always will. We lost a treasure 62 years ago a treasure that will be missed for an eternity. There will never be another Billie Holiday - but what do I know I’m just an average white guy.
Seeing she died in 1959 I dont think that the 60's mattered to her...
I bought her last album that she recorded . lady in satin it's absolutely wonderful. It's a Timeless classic. I can't wait to see this lady and Maria Callas. Two great Divas each one at there on time. ☝☝☝💜💙💛👸👸💃💃 . Arnold Bourbon Amaral
Pure gold.
This recording is probably the second thing I would take out my burning house the first,my cat Sassy.This is gold.
Thank you jenniewilliamsmural. A great deal of thought, time, and love went into the making of this small, modest short. I can only hope that those same qualities come through when it is viewed. Billie Holiday's music, her talent and her spirit was and is an inspiration.
This video is a treasure.
QUEEN OF MOTOWN MS.ROSS😍🙅🏽♂️👣🎼📽🎬📀😎🎹🎙🎷RIP QUEEN OF SOUL AN JAZZ HOLD ON HEAVENS GOIN BE LOUD THIS WEEKEND🥁🎸📯💜❣😗
I understand Aretha Franklin wanted to play Billie Holiday, but Gordy & DePasse went with Diana Ross, Louis Armstrong lookalike & a mediocre, ridiculous script.
If you don't have this in your collection get it.This is a piece of gold.
just wanna say how grateful i am for this video! Oh, how I LOVE my Billie! Lady Day all the way, all day and every day! Thank you:)
Omg this is a great piece of work... A classic archive in her own words. You should do a documentary about her life
Thank you very much. I would love to do a Billie Holiday documentary. However, I'm at the end of a decade long journey-which interestingly enough started out as a documentary-researching and uncovering the story of the highly influential, under-appreciated singer-songwriter Fred Neil. The book I've written, the first on Fred, will be published this summer under the title THAT'S THE BAG I'M IN: The Life, Music and Mystery of FRED NEIL. There is a facebook page under that title dedicated to the book if you're interested. You may message me there if you like. I'm so happy you enjoyed my film.
@@calico1947 your very welcome please keep us posted we would love to have as a guest on Ethic Radio what you did well put together
Her voice was shot at the end of her career but that last album was awesome!
As altered as her voice was at the end, I'd rather hear her in that state, her phrasing, her feeling, than pretty much every singer alive in the world right now.
I agree!
Genius 💛
Many many thanks. She knew exactly what she wanted, what she was doing and what the band would do. Virtuosa.
Thank-you so much for posting Peter*
You're welcome.
Love u my sister, I feel u.
FABulous forever!