Billie Holiday: The Last Interview

Description

The first-ever collection of interviews with the tortured but ground breaking singer, part of the increasingly beloved series. A collection of interviews with the legendary singer, including interviews from throughout her career about her singing, the musicians she played with, and her memoir, gathered from newspapers, music magazines, and radio interviews in the US and Canada. Series Overview- The Last Interview Series offers a remarkably fresh look at some of the world's leading innovative writers and edgiest cultural figures by gathering conversations from throughout an artist's career and collecting them in one volume.

Billie Holiday (1915 - 1959) was perhaps the greatest singer in twentieth century jazz, whose heartfelt phrasing and improvisational skills had a seminal influence on the form. She emerged from a troubled childhood to quick popularity singing in Harlem nightclubs, then commercial recording success. However, drug problems landed her in prison in 1948, and she was targeted by Federal drug authorities for lifelong harrassment after that. Losing her cabaret license due to the drug bust meant she couldn't perform in the jazz capital, New York City, compounding her problems and led to the deterioration of both her reputation, her health, and her voice. Despite a few triumphant comeback performances at Carnegie Hall and some mildly successful recordings, she never fully recovered her health or standing, and died of cirrhosis of the liver in 1959 in a New York hospital-- with police stationed at her door to arrest her on another drug bust should she recover. Holiday was the recipient of four Grammy awards-- all of them posthumous.