ME AND MY OLD VOICE: Billie Holiday in Her Own Words 

Wow.. I would love to visit . 😍

@@aehsek731 St. Raymond Cemetery, Bronx, NY

@@nyj12fan87 Yes , Thank you ,For the address !

Wow..cool!

I’ve been a fan since I was 9 years old. I remember cutting school when I was 15 and visiting her grave at the St. Raymond’s cemetery in the Bronx. I’ll never forget.

It's on Netflix too??

@@traceylennon1204 no. I misspoke

William, I feel the same way. I wish I were there to stop all of the evil that surrounded her.

Yes William. My mother lived in New York during those times, and, she wanted to meet her, in hopes of trying to help her. She speaks of her often. Tragic😢

I’m sure there were people that tried to help Billie Holiday just like Whitney Houston. Whitney’s mother tried to help her. What can you do? People do what they want to do.

That’s how I feel about other rock stars that’ve left too soon..😔

Darm..me too😍

In a strange world I find myself in love with a person that’s of another race. That in itself in this day and age is not much of an issue. The person is a well know performer in some circles today. The person also had a substance abuse problem and did attempt to get help after an arrest and a brief incarceration. I don’t hold it against her. I was not involved or affected in any way, shape mean or form. Disparaging things have been said over the years about her. Honestly in my opinion society had failed her, she faced discrimination, she had people around her taking advantage of her, there was a concerted effort to destroy her and prevent her from being able to work. In the end all of the above took a toll and she started using drugs again. Smoking, alcohol and heroin and other drugs started taking their toll and in the end she didn’t survive. She may not have been perfect, but she was her own person. Her name was Billie Holiday and today is the 62 Anniversary of her death. In another place and in another time maybe things could have been different. In another place and in another time I could have truly loved Billie. In another place and time I could have held her and said “I love you”. She gave us her heart and soul and we abandoned her. I don’t fault her for what happened but it should have never happened. The sounds are timeless and even the photographs are timeless. Some of the songs mean so much to me and I feel like they always will. We lost a treasure 62 years ago a treasure that will be missed for an eternity. There will never be another Billie Holiday - but what do I know I’m just an average white guy.

Assad Muhammad - True! She’s mesmerizing

Yes!!

Such a great way to put it. She really does.

Actually, Billie was discovered when she was 18 by John Hammond, Jr. (a Vanderbilt on his mother's side) at Monette's in Harlem. Shortly after that, Hammond introduced her to Benny Goodman. Billie succeeded in the music business in part by sponsorship by white promoters like Hammond. Her early recording career was based on American songbook material - Hammond's idea. It was interracialism - blacks and whites cooperating, that spurred her career.

Billy Murray fan then why are you here?

@@Billy219 You totally lost me, when you referred to Billie as a 'devil singer'. She was magnificent and she is eternal. 'Judge not, lest ye be judged'. It's your type that has soured me on religion.

@@Billy219 Hateful! Obviously you know absolutely nothing about Lady Holiday! You certainly have no appreciation for her phenomenal talent! You are one of the meanest, angriest Christians I have ever come across. Swallow your vile venom and do not spew it forth upon the tremendous legacy of the greatest jazz singer of all time. That is why she still has fans all over the world 60 years after her death. Who will remember you so fondly in 60 years? Maybe Satan?

I think she knew. She formed her own community of friends who loved on her and the black community always treated her like royalty.

I truly have enjoyed get music

I truly have enjoyed get music over the yrs. Shes was a classy lady..

This is incredible thank you!

@@chinamoses You're welcome.

And you did just that, Thank you !

What do you think about Andra Day's performance?

@@crystalwiley-brown1274 I haven't seen the movie.

Everyone she ever loved took her KINDNESS AND WIPED THERE FEET ON HER. DAMN THEM ALL. I PRAY THAT GOT THERES.

I Was Just 10 Years Old In 1974.- When My Mom!! Used To Play Billie Holiday Record Called. ( Billie Holiday / The Golden Years ) She Was Pretty As A Fox!! On Her Record Album. R.I.P. BILLIE HOLIDAY.. aka. Lady Day.

fact

You description is very accurate -- well said.

AMEN!! That She Was.

In a strange world I find myself in love with a person that’s of another race. That in itself in this day and age is not much of an issue. The person is a well know performer in some circles today. The person also had a substance abuse problem and did attempt to get help after an arrest and a brief incarceration. I don’t hold it against her. I was not involved or affected in any way, shape mean or form. Disparaging things have been said over the years about her. Honestly in my opinion society had failed her, she faced discrimination, she had people around her taking advantage of her, there was a concerted effort to destroy her and prevent her from being able to work. In the end all of the above took a toll and she started using drugs again. Smoking, alcohol and heroin and other drugs started taking their toll and in the end she didn’t survive. She may not have been perfect, but she was her own person. Her name was Billie Holiday and today is the 62 Anniversary of her death. In another place and in another time maybe things could have been different. In another place and in another time I could have truly loved Billie. In another place and time I could have held her and said “I love you”. She gave us her heart and soul and we abandoned her. I don’t fault her for what happened but it should have never happened. The sounds are timeless and even the photographs are timeless. Some of the songs mean so much to me and I feel like they always will. We lost a treasure 62 years ago a treasure that will be missed for an eternity. There will never be another Billie Holiday - but what do I know I’m just an average white guy.

I concur!

Billie relied on phrasing and feeling as a way of compensating for the voice she destroyed. Let's not rhapsodize on her long history of drug addiction. You get one body in this life, one. She began her career at the beginning of the swing era. The expansion of the American Songbook gave her incredible material, which she so effortlessly incorporated.

There is noth- ing I can ima gine myself capable of say- ing about this amazing creature given to us! Such a glorious gift. only stolen from us. To briefly were fortunate to know life offered to the world, except Thank You for what we could share😂😢 retrospection. grateful I had the opportunity to share her love, and to appreciate the life she gave it*

Lisa Minelli could have deffinately held her own The two of them together would be phenominal!!

You're welcome sir, and I appreciate the kind words.

You mean the Berry Gordy/Diana Ross movie HA! HA! HA! Sad!

@@Ghtthomps When you consider that it had only been a mere 7-8 years since the Civil Rights Bill had passed, that particular "Berry Gordy/Diana Ross movie" was groundbreaking from a revelation standpoint, so I/we shouldn't knock it!! IMHO...Kudos to it and all those involved with it's production!!

Very interesting. i would love to know more. Would he talk to me?

I dont know i could find out he's very sick now but i always wanted to know more about her

I understand. If so, great. If not, again I understand. My best to you and your family.

You are very welcome . . . and thank you for the kind words. I wouldn't normally throw this out there especially on this page, but you seem to me a very musically astute person. For the last decade I've been working on a project that brings to light a musician who was every bit as gifted musically speaking as Billie-Fred Neil. At first it was going to be a documentary but with rights issues and the like I decided to write a book. It should be out this year. You can read more about it on the Facebook page dedicated to it: THAT'S THE BAG I'M IN: The Life, Music, and Mystery of FRED NEIL.

Fred Neil, will check him out thanks!

Incredibly high but, that is when you get the deepest stories. When they feel free.

And Fred Neil.

It's hard now BUT Lord...they suffered 😤😔😔

In a strange world I find myself in love with a person that’s of another race. That in itself in this day and age is not much of an issue. The person is a well know performer in some circles today. The person also had a substance abuse problem and did attempt to get help after an arrest and a brief incarceration. I don’t hold it against her. I was not involved or affected in any way, shape mean or form. Disparaging things have been said over the years about her. Honestly in my opinion society had failed her, she faced discrimination, she had people around her taking advantage of her, there was a concerted effort to destroy her and prevent her from being able to work. In the end all of the above took a toll and she started using drugs again. Smoking, alcohol and heroin and other drugs started taking their toll and in the end she didn’t survive. She may not have been perfect, but she was her own person. Her name was Billie Holiday and today is the 62 Anniversary of her death. In another place and in another time maybe things could have been different. In another place and in another time I could have truly loved Billie. In another place and time I could have held her and said “I love you”. She gave us her heart and soul and we abandoned her. I don’t fault her for what happened but it should have never happened. The sounds are timeless and even the photographs are timeless. Some of the songs mean so much to me and I feel like they always will. We lost a treasure 62 years ago a treasure that will be missed for an eternity. There will never be another Billie Holiday - but what do I know I’m just an average white guy.

Seeing she died in 1959 I dont think that the 60's mattered to her...

Good point, I thought the same--Her sessions with Benny Carter , Barney Kessel, Jimmy Rowles & Ben Webster done in 1955 or '57 (Songs For Distingue Lovers) was incredible...the band gave her space and she sounded relaxed. I'm playing the CD right now..LOL.

Yes of course. Wonderful tracks Prinsexed.

The Ray Ellis tracks are excellent.

There seems to be an effort by race-based commentators to ignore Billie's formative period where John Hammond and Teddy Wilson put instrumentalists together and helped Billie open the songbook with her secret power. The springtime of the early discography was lost, alas through time, drugs and her own personal decisions. Passion and feeling of the latter days can hardly compensate for the lost instrument we hear in her early work.

“ I’m A Fool To Want You “ off Lady in Satin is one of the best vocal performances in history.

Billie did die young, forty four is no age,but in those forty four years she lived a full life. It's just that it was all crammed together in such a short time. She did it all . I'm not saying it was easy and times it certainly wasn't pleasant, but this great lady did more in her short life than most people have who have lived twice as long. Billies life was not all doomon and gloom

Sonia S. Muniz You just keep on using me until you use me up! (Bill Withers)

As altered as her voice was at the end, I'd rather hear her in that state, her phrasing, her feeling, than pretty much every singer alive in the world right now.

I agree!

You're welcome.

Great share DeLarren Young.

Thanks Keith Yates She has to be one of the most photographed artists in her era. Billie singing "Autumn in New York" is a beautiful song; illustrating she was true to her craft after all she was going through. This was the first time I saw her funeral photo...

Great find,awesome !

This video is a treasure.

Thank you very much. I would love to do a Billie Holiday documentary. However, I'm at the end of a decade long journey-which interestingly enough started out as a documentary-researching and uncovering the story of the highly influential, under-appreciated singer-songwriter Fred Neil. The book I've written, the first on Fred, will be published this summer under the title THAT'S THE BAG I'M IN: The Life, Music and Mystery of FRED NEIL. There is a facebook page under that title dedicated to the book if you're interested. You may message me there if you like. I'm so happy you enjoyed my film.

@@calico1947 your very welcome please keep us posted we would love to have as a guest on Ethic Radio what you did well put together

Thanks Bill.

Excellent comment. Thank you for sharing your thoughts.

I understand Aretha Franklin wanted to play Billie Holiday, but Gordy & DePasse went with Diana Ross, Louis Armstrong lookalike & a mediocre, ridiculous script.