Biography of Billie Holiday

She became a stylist -- and a great one -- whose unhappy personal life (drug addiction, wrong male partners) was reflected in her art. There were still happy moments, among them the recordings made for Norman Granz with great players like Benny Carter, "Sweets" Edison, and Ben Webster, and her appearance in the 1957 TV show "The Sound of Jazz," which reunited her (for a minute) with Lester Young. Her death was a tragic example of the inhumanity and stupidity of our drug laws. The film and plays purportedly based on her life would have made her throw up, but it is a sad fact that Billie Holiday is more famous and appreciated in death than she ever was in life -- if not always for the right reason: her indelible artistry. ~ Dan Morgenstern