Billie Holiday Influence

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Pages: 2

Billie Holiday, whose real name was Eleanora Harris was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on April 7th, 1915. Before she became famous, there were difficult times that marked her life. When she was fourteen years old, she and her mother were arrested for prostitution; she used to consume alcohol and drugs too. “According to Campbell, ‘Lady Day’ began her career when she was 18 years old” (Campbell 72). Her music styles include R&B, jazz, swing, and blues.
Bessie Smith and Louis Armstrong were among Billie Holiday’s influences. She found inspiration in the power that Smith had to interpret a song, and Armstrong’s music style. “In 1939, she recorded “Strange Fruit”, which is song that protested against the lynching of African Americans in the

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How Did Billie Holiday Influence The Harlem Renaissance

were many influential musicians of the Harlem Renaissance, yet Billie Holiday stands out as a sincere artist with a style all her own. While many artists used the scat singing characteristic to jazz vocals, Holiday rarely sang the gibberish words and instead focused on the meaning of the song through her intense yet quiet voice. Despite the common Tin Pan Alley technique of plugging out songs simply to promote the sheet music, Holiday explored improvisation and made each song her own. Through her…

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Research Paper On Billie Holiday

Billie Holiday Eleanora Fagan, who later nicknamed herself Billie Holiday, was born on April 7th, 1915 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Though she had a very rough childhood, she persevered and became a very famous jazz singer and an influential woman. She was influential because her music brought to light very important issues and because she was one of the first female African-American jazz singers. Billie Holiday made the world a better place by recording the song “Strange Fruit”. Holiday…

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The Harlem Renaissance: Duke Ellington And Billie Holiday

American music took over with so many talented singers, musicians and performers. Duke Ellington and Billie Holiday were huge stars and had a huge influence on the music industry. Even years later, these two musicians make and influence the music world all over the country. Duke Ellington was an American composer, pianist, and bandleader of a jazz orchestra. He was a musician who had a great influence on black people and created good music during his time. For example one of his most famous songs was…

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Billie Holiday Essay

why I chose Billie Holiday is because when we were talking about her in class her music caught my attention. Billie’s life story was interesting. Her life story is different from other artist in my opinion. She suffered growing up in a family that did not have much money to spend. The first time I heard Billie sing was in class and I was shocked because she has a wonderful voice. I enjoyed listening to her music play. Her vocal cords are impressive. Another reason why I chose Billie was because…

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Billie Holiday Research Paper

and two years ago Eleanora Fagan Gough, better known as Billie Holiday, was born on April 7th, 1915. There is a discrepancy in where she was born; some accounts state that she was born in Baltimore; others state she was born in Philadelphia. Either way, she was born into extreme poverty. Her father, Clarence Holiday (a musician), left her as a young child, her mother and other relatives raised her in Baltimore, Maryland. From a young age Holiday had proven to be strong-willed and rebellious. She often…

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Jazz Musicians Essay

drugs to get the feeling of happiness but when the drug wears off, they crash even lower than before. It gets worse every time. Eventually, drugs will completely destroy all the creativity a person has. Drugs lead many great jazz musicians like Billie Holiday and Miles Davis to end of their careers and to their deaths. So why do jazz musicians take drugs? A survey done by Nat Hentoff in 1957 showed 409 New York City jazz musicians confirmed that more than half tried heroin and marijuana. Sixteen…

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The Influence Of The Harlem Renaissance

movement most commonly known for it influences in music, literature and art. The Harlem Renaissance was given its name because it perfectly described the traditional, artistic and cultural outbreak that took place in Harlem, New York in the early nineteen hundreds. During this time Harlem was a place that helped pave the way for many black writers, musicians, poets, photographers and artists. The Harlem Renaissance brought upon amazing musicians such as Billie Holiday, Chick Webb, and Louis Armstrong…

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white people also discriminated against blacks and treated them as less than equal. A goal for an artist named Billie Holiday was to make America listen to the cries of a black man, a black man who was just lynched. Jazz music had to be recognized with its roots. Billie Holiday believed Jazz music had to defend the black people. No better way of being heard than through the voice of Holiday. She attempted to fight for black rights through her song “strange fruit”, a political song that struck a chord…

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Although there are numerous of people who have made contributions to the music industry, Berry Gordy stands out above the rest because of his versatility and creativity. Born in 1929 in Detroit, Berry Gordy Jr. became one of the most successful music executives in the United States. Gordy is responsible for creating the “Motown sound” throughout the city of Detroit and he accomplished this task by using powerful songs from artists such as Diana Ross and the Supremes and Smokey Robinson (Skyes, 2000)…

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The Impact of Art, Music, & Literature in the 1920s Every February, people all around the U.S take part in Black History Month where they honor those who have been large contributors towards social change and equality for all; more specifically, the many who were apart of the Harlem Renaissance. The Harlem Renaissance occurred during the 1920s where African Americans escaped the rural South to the urban North—or better known as Harlem, New York. They were offered better opportunities when it came…

Words 1182 - Pages 5