KemetLeads
Billie Holiday
Jazz singer whose voice became the conscience of an era
She turned personal anguish into art, and 'Strange Fruit' into a protest that shook a nation — the most emotionally devastating voice jazz ever produced.
The rise
Born Eleanora Fagan in Philadelphia and raised in Baltimore under harsh circumstances, Holiday moved to New York as a teenager and began singing in Harlem clubs. Discovered by producer John Hammond, she recorded with Benny Goodman's band and then with Teddy Wilson's studio groups, developing the behind-the-beat phrasing and emotional depth that made her unmistakable.