Billie Holiday
Billie Holiday was a true artist of her day and rose as a social phenomenon in the 1950s. Her soulful, unique singing voice and her ability to boldly turn any material that she confronted into her own music made her a superstar of her time. Today, Holiday is remembered for her masterpieces, creativity and vivacity, as many of Holiday's songs are as well known today as they were decades ago. Holiday's poignant voice is still considered to be one of the greatest jazz voices of all time.
This song was written by Billie Holiday and Arthur Herzog Jr. in 1939. It won the Grammy Hall of Fame Award in 1976, was one of the songs of the century and inspired a children’s book.
In her controversial autobiography, Lady Sings the Blues, Holiday indicated an argument with her mother over money led to the song. Her mother said the line “God bless the child that’s got his own.” The anger over the incident led her to turn that line into a starting point for a song, which she worked out in conjunction with Herzog.
In this podcast, the hosts talk with biographer Robert O’Meally about Billie Holiday’s musical genius and travel the hard road she took on her way to becoming one of jazz’s most beloved voices. And they will chat with Jazz at Lincoln Center curator Phil Schaap about the great Louis Armstrong’s role in shaping her musical voice, and talk with the best-selling author who’s channelled Billie Holiday to create a brand new version of her autobiography for young people.