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Billie Holiday

Celebrity

Billie Holiday: Biography

  • Birth Name: Eleanora Fagan
  • Birth Place: Philadelphia, PA
  • Date of Birth / Zodiac Sign: 04/07/1915, Aries
  • Date of Death: 07/17/1959
  • Profession: Singer; songwriter
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Billie Holiday Fast Facts:
  • Changed her first name to Billie in tribute to movie star Billie Dove; Holiday was her father's surname. 
  • Was discovered at a Harlem jazz club at the age of 18. 
  • Made her movie debut as an extra in 1933's The Emperor Jones.
  • Was nicknamed "Lady Day" by saxophonist Lester Young. 
  • In 1938, became one of the first black singers to work with an all-white band.
  • Member of the 1979 induction class into the Big Band and Jazz Hall of Fame.
  • A bronze statue of her was erected in 1985 in her hometown of Baltimore, MD.
  • Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000.
  • Honored in 2005 with a Grammy Hall of Fame award. 
  • Billie Holiday Relationships:
  • Sadie Fagan - Mother
  • James Monroe - Ex-husband
  • Louis McKay - Husband
  • Clarence Holiday - Father
  • Lorraine Feather - Godchild
  • Bevan Dufty - Godchild
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