Billie Holiday was born Eleanora Harris in Philadelphia, PA on April 7, 1915. With her mother Sadie, Billie grew up in Baltimore, Maryland and later they moved to New York. Billie's mother was just 13 years old when Billie was born. It was in New York that Billie began to sing as a teenager. At 18 years old she was a beautiful young woman and had a natural ear for music and when she sang, you could hear and feel all the emotions that sang..

Billie "Lady Day" Holiday was one of the most famous jazz singers of the 20th century. She lived many of the lyrics she sang�her father abandoned the family when Billie was young, and her mother was distant and unloving. Billie was left with family members who mistreated her.

Holiday's life was a very complicated one, she had been abused as a child. It was also said that she could barely read or write, but her artistic ability allowed her to overcome part of her illiteracy.

Billie travelled the south and became disgussed with 'Jim Crow Laws'. She started to sing about lynching, the song, "Strange Fruit" became her signature song. It was Holiday's contibution as a civil rights activist.( Holiday was travelling with Artie Shaw's band touring the south when she saw a Black man hanging from a tree.)

Holiday was not formally trained as a vocalist, however, she sang with all the greats of her time. Unfortunately, she was drawn to abusive men and drugs, which led to her early death in 1959. Her haunting, emotional voice lives on in her songs and the hearts of many of her fans.