Billie

Bio:

Billie Holiday is widely considered the greatest jazz vocalist of all time. During her legendary career, Lady Day crafted a seminal vocal style which changed pop singing forever. It is this distinctive vocal delivery, marked by a uniquely instrumental tone (often like that of Armstrong’s trumpet or Young’s saxophone,) laconic poise and emotive poignancy that makes Holiday’s recordings so instantly recognizable. And yet with such public admiration, so too did she lead a deeply tumultuous and troubled private life; Billie Holiday grew up in poverty and suffered a string of abusive relationships, periods of depression and lifelong substance addiction. Her unfortunate intimacy with racism and sexism, however, was matched with a brazen artistic spirit which enabled Holiday to break down barriers throughout her extraordinary and prolific career. The anguished, moving “Strange Fruit” exposes the historically-heinous racial brutalities of southern United States, while songs such as “God Bless the Child,” Don’t Explain” and “Lady Sings the Blues” have become jazz standards. Billie Holiday was posthumously inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame, forever cementing her stature as an unequaled interpreter of song.

ABOUT REMIXED & REIMAGINED:

Following the launch of Nina Simone's Remixed & Reimagined last fall, Legacy Recordings brings you the second installment in this critically acclaimed series. The most heartfelt vintage master-tape performances of Billie Holiday were selected..quite simply, the 20th century's pre-eminent jazz vocalist..and then were bestowed upon the most groove-worthy remixers of the 21..st.. century. Remixers include Tony Humphries, DJ Logic, Charles Feelgood, Swingsett, Nickodemus & Zeb, Jazzy Nice, Organica, and more. The result is this 14-track gem-a heart-stopping manifesto of love, beauty, rhythm and poetry that beguiles, teases, and embraces the sweet spot of absolutely anyone with an open mind. Created with the utmost respect for Lady Day, this disc is certain to appeal to fans of both jazz and electronica. This edition of Remixed & Reimagined features some of the best young musicians around today, including trumpet player Fabio Morgera (from the Grammy-nominated Groove Collective) and Lady Day Mecca (from the Grammy-winning Digable Planets). Had she been born 70 years later, there's little doubt that this is the kind of soulful sound Billie Holiday would have totally dug. Worlds colliding, indeed. But in the most beautiful way possible.

ABOUT BILLIE HOLIDAY:

• She began singing in Harlem night clubs for tips while working as a prostitute to survive.
• She was one of the first black women to work with a white orchestra and play to a packed Carnegie Hall during the period of segregation.
• She was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame & received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in addition to receiving a United States Postal Service-sponsored postage stamp in 1994.
• Her impact on other artists is undeniable. She has influenced artists like Janis Joplin, Diana Ross, Nina Simone and in 1988 U2 released Angel of Harlem a tribute to her.
• Billie struggle against racism and sexism her entire career. She is now considered one of the most influential female vocalist in jazz, pop, and blues.