-
the cradle.
Billie was born as Eleanora Fagan Gough in Philadelphia Pennsylvania. -
her last names.
Her and her mother used her maternal grandfather's surname Fagan and then in 1920 her mother married a man and added it to their last names. The name was Gough. -
teenage years.
She was in and out of girls welfare homes after being raped in 1925 by her mother's boyfriend. -
first job.
She moved with her mother from Baltimore. She found a job singing in a Harlem nightclub. -
growing up.
Holiday was in various Harlem clubs with singer Laurence Jackson. -
sad things.
her mother was diagnosed with cancer when she was 15 and she was a prostitute to make money to support her mother. -
starting her career.
Billie cuts her first records at the age of 18. Hammond organized her first commercial recording session. -
second accomplishment.
She signed to Brunswick Records by John Hammond. She begin collaborations with Teddy Wilson. -
accomplishments.
Received the nickname "Lady Day" from Sax Player Lester Young. She also teamed with the Count Basie Orchestra. She left and moved to Artie Shaw's band and became one of the first black singers to be featured by a white orchestra. -
more accomplishments.
Headliner at Cafe Society that became very fashionable. She also recorded "Strange Fruit." -
special.
She appeared in her first movie called New Orleans with Armstrong and Kid Cory. -
ending her career.
Her performing careers was being sabotaged by personal habits, like drinking and heroin. -
scandals.
She was arrested for narcotics violation and spent a year in a rehabilitation center. She couldn't receive a license to work in New York City. -
publication.
She wrote an autobiography. It was made into a motion picture in 1972. -
death.
Billie died on her death bed due to kidney failure because of the drugs. She was 44.
