I grew up listening To Billie Holiday.One of my cousins was into jazz. Alice thought that people who listened to jazz were sophisticated, so she'd lounge around listening to Billie Holiday dressed to the nines.

I remember the first time I heard a Billie Holiday recording, It made me tear. There was so much emotion coming out of this voice, my heart broke right there and I couldn't understand why.

I Remember It was 1959 when Billie Holiday died. I was about 10 years old, and my cousin Alice went to the store and bought a fifth of Cutty Sark, and she wasn't a drinker. Alice said that she was going to have a couple drinks and celebrate the passing of Billie Holiday. She made her scotch and water, and she made me coke with lemon in it and ice.

The two of us celebrated the passing of Billie Holiday. I noticed that Alice grew livlier and I laughed at her. With her scotch bottle about empty she feel asleep in a chair. By this time I was filled with soda. Our celebration had lasted on into the evening.

Some years later Alice confessed that because of that celebration she can't stand the smell of scotch.