Billie Holiday (1915 - 1959)

Regarded by many as the greatest jazz singer of all time, jazz icon Billie Holiday changed the course of music with distinctive stylings and a voice that evoked her strength and resilience in the face of racism, sexism, health issues and drug addiction. “Lady Day,” as she was called, influenced countless singers across the decades.  She fashioned an incredible body of work as a singer and composer that included the standards “Glod Bless the Child,” and “Strange Fruit,” both of which are considered among the greatest recordings of the 20th Century. An openly bisexual woman, she lived her very public life bravely and authentically with many honors, including induction into the Grammy Hall of Fame and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.