Jasmine shah

Billie Holiday/ Elanora Fagan/ Lady Day (April 7, 1915- July 17 1959)

Born: Philadelphia, PA

Death: New York, NY

Instruments: Saxophone and piano

Influences: Bessie Smith and Louis Armstrong were musicians she looked up to. Received very
little schooling, recorded under the direction of Teddy Wilson Learned to sing in clubs

Style: swing and big band vocalist

Improvisation: subtle improvising style

Leadership: not a band leader

Travel: She grew up in Baltimore, and eventually moved to New York. She gave concerts in
Carnegie Hall, and toured all throughout Europe. However, racism made it harder for her to
travel and perform. Career: The highpoints of her career were in the 1930s, when she was a big
band vocalist, and recording music with Wilson. However, the performance that she gave that
is most remembered, she gave the year after her death at Carnegie Hall. It was completely sold
out, and she performed 32 songs that night. Recordings: Strange fruit, God bless the child, and
Solitude were her most famous recordings Repertoire: She didn’t write any compositions.
Strengths: She was good musician, and a renowned singer in her time. Weaknesses: Her
personal life. She was sent away as a child, and this led to her turning to drugs and eventually
to many arrests, hospitalizations, rehab sessions, and death. Popularity- She was very well
known in her time from the time she was about 20 to when she died. Death: she died from drug
use that damaged her lungs beyond repair which eventually led to her heart stopping
Jasmine shah