Billie Holiday

Eleanora Fagan, known as Billie Holiday and nicknamed 'Lady Day,' was one of the most influential and emotionally powerful vocalists in American music history. Though primarily classified as a jazz singer, her roots in the blues were profound (she cited Bessie Smith and Louis Armstrong as her primary influences) and her vocal phrasing, use of blue notes, and emotional directness placed her squarely in the blues-jazz continuum. Her recordings of 'Strange Fruit,' 'God Bless the Child,' 'Fine and Mellow,' and 'Lady Sings the Blues' are among one of the most important vocal performances of the twentieth century. Her life was marked by addiction, exploitation, and racism, and she died at age 44, but her influence on every subsequent jazz and blues vocalist is incalculable.