remembering BILLIE HOLIDAY on her birthday

Before rock and roll, before heavy metal, in the 1930s Billie was singing with a voice of misery, melancholy, and bleakness—it's no wonder some doom bands have found their way to her music!

Wikipedia shows: "Billie Holiday (born Eleanora Fagan; April 7, 1915 – July 17, 1959) was an American jazz and swing music singer. Nicknamed 'Lady Day' by her friend and music partner, Lester Young, Holiday made significant contributions to jazz music and pop singing. Her vocal style, strongly influenced by jazz instrumentalists, inspired a new way of manipulating phrasing and tempo. Holiday was known for her vocal delivery and improvisational skills."

"Holiday's vocal delivery made her performances instantly recognizable throughout her career. Her improvisational prowess compensated for her lack of formal musical education. Holiday stated that she had always wanted her voice to sound like an instrument, and some of her influences included trumpeter Louis Armstrong and singer Bessie Smith. Early in her career, she was said to have had her accompanying instrumentalists stop and repeat an improvised line if she believed she could use it for a vocal line."

Billie Holiday & Her Orchestra - Strange Fruit (1939) (Audio) [gruesome lyrics about racist lynchings]

OCEANS OF SLUMBER - Strange Fruit (OFFICIAL VIDEO)

Billie Holiday - Gloomy Sunday (1941) (Take 1 - Official Audio)

Pallbearer - Gloomy Sunday