Billie Holiday by Jainaba Conteh https://padlet.com/jconteh2023/Bookmarks en-us 2022-05-13 13:57:45 UTC 2025-06-16 19:59:38 UTC hello@padlet.com https://padlet.net/icons/png/1f399.png Author Information jconteh2023 https://padlet.com/jconteh2023/Bookmarks/wish/2189059720 Billie Holiday, also known as Lady Day, was an African American jazz and swing music singer in the 1930s. This is an interview of Holiday and her husband, Louis McKay. It displays Holiday talking about her rise to fame and how she balances it with her marriage. She talked about how she began singing because she enjoyed it and not for the money, in fact, she wasn't aware that a person could profit from their voice. She explained that as much as she loved singing, she also loved the domestic life. She enjoyed cooking, cleaning, washing her husband's clothes, etc. The video reveals her love for her music, but it also reveals the relationship dynamic that she had with her husband at the time. This interview demonstrated Billie's story told by Billie herself. We are learning about her rise to fame through her own words. The interview itself also tells us about the time they lived in because of the quality and the black and white photos and film.]]> 2022-05-18 07:37:48 UTC https://padlet.com/jconteh2023/Bookmarks/wish/2189059720 Author Information jconteh2023 https://padlet.com/jconteh2023/Bookmarks/wish/2189075555 "Billie Holiday" was written by John Szwed, an anthropologist, jazz scholar, as well as a professor of African American Studies and Film Studies at Yale University. He wrote the book because he felt that "[t]he story of her life had overwhelmed her music". This interview with Szwed was over an hour long, but at 58:00 he begins to talk about Holiday. He wrote the book to bring to light Holiday's Abusive husband, her hidden affairs, and other facts such as her mother being the founder of a museum of modern art. He stated in the interview that he believes that it is bad to view a singer through their song-to think that they're always sad or happy. Szwed wanted to show that her life was more than it appeared and that she was much smarter than she appeared. He did this by analyzing her songs, notes, etc. He stated that Holiday broke the rules of creativity in her era with her songs about lynching, her bad childhood, and many more instances. Because Szwed chose to write his story this way, I believe it has a much deeper impact. It allows us to see Billie's truth through the eyes of another. It allows us to recognize her successes and struggles without judgment or critique. ]]> 2022-05-18 07:48:53 UTC https://padlet.com/jconteh2023/Bookmarks/wish/2189075555 Time and Setting jconteh2023 https://padlet.com/jconteh2023/Bookmarks/wish/2189086120 Billie Holiday's rise to fame and career was during the 1930s. This was a time during America's Great Depression, but also during the rise of Jazz and Swing music. This source provides a few clips of Jazz and swing music during the time. The clips show the time period significantly especially since it is in black and white. Jazz and Swing were "[o]riginally played by musicians such as Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, and other black jazz icons". The introduction of new music was great for this time period. "It was a music that was just for pleasure and meant to be particularly for people who were under tremendous pressure of the Great Depression". John Szwed wrote her biography in a way that allowed me to see the impact she made in the music industry during her time, especially in Jazz and Swing. The way Szwed wrote this novel displays Holiday like a light helping people get through the darkness through her songs. ]]> 2022-05-18 07:56:58 UTC https://padlet.com/jconteh2023/Bookmarks/wish/2189086120 Time and setting jconteh2023 https://padlet.com/jconteh2023/Bookmarks/wish/2189087486 In addition to the introduction of new music during the Great Depression, there was also a great number of Lynchings of black people. This source provides a map of lynchings done against Black Americans. This was done by the 'Association of Southern Women for the Prevention of Lynching". It displays the significant number of harm that African Americans had to endure. A few examples:
  • In 1930, there were 21 lynchings reported, across 9 states: 6 in Georgia, 4 in Mississippi, 3 in Texas, 2 in both Indiana and South Carolina, and 1 in Alabama, Florida, North Carolina, and Oklahoma.
  • In 1931, the total fell to 13 lynchings, in 8 states: 3 in Mississippi, 2 in Florida, Louisiana, and West Virginia, and 1 in Alabama, Missouri, North Dakota, and Tennessee.
This is significant to the time period and the book because Billie Holiday spoke about these injustices in her songs. Her exposure to these events was greatly controversial but significant in showing the type of person she is. She was not afraid to speak about these occurrences which was incredibly brave as an African American woman in the 1930s. Learning about Billie's take on these subjects shared the impact of the injustices that Black Americans faced. Through this biography we can see the things they had to face as well as compare it to today, since Black Americans still have to deal with racism and racial injustices.
]]> 2022-05-18 07:57:59 UTC https://padlet.com/jconteh2023/Bookmarks/wish/2189087486 Non-Fiction Connection jconteh2023 https://padlet.com/jconteh2023/Bookmarks/wish/2189087908 I connected Billie Holiday's story to Whitney Houston. I believe that both their stories displays Black women in Media, though the difference in time periods. Their stories are similar in ways such as their drug use and how it affected their careers. This biography allows us to see Holiday's life and her career and make a connection to someone similar to her in the recent years. Through exploring the experiences that both Houston and Holiday had faced, we can, in a way, live their lives as celebrities, but more specifically, Black celebrities. ]]> 2022-05-18 07:58:17 UTC https://padlet.com/jconteh2023/Bookmarks/wish/2189087908 Art connection jconteh2023 https://padlet.com/jconteh2023/Bookmarks/wish/2189090131 Hiding the Truth is a painting by Mareen Haschke which was uploaded on July 27th, 2014. I chose this art piece because John Szwed is revealing the truth of Billie Holiday's life with this novel. The painting is called hiding the truth, but I interpret it as revealing the truth. Holiday had lived a life filled with sorrows, happiness, and falsities. This book discloses all truths and misconceptions about holidays, and that is why I chose to use this Painting. ]]> 2022-05-18 08:00:10 UTC https://padlet.com/jconteh2023/Bookmarks/wish/2189090131 Poetry Connection jconteh2023 https://padlet.com/jconteh2023/Bookmarks/wish/2189095841 https://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/the-story-behind-billie-holidays-strange-fruit/17738/ 

“Southern trees bear a strange fruit/ Blood on the leaves and blood at the root/ Black bodies swingin’ in the Southern breeze/ Strange fruit hangin’ from the poplar trees…”. These were the lyrics to Billie Holiday's strange fruit. This song was incredibly controversial at the time, but still deemed a powerful protest song. Many, including the U.S government, tried to destroy Holiday  and shut down her message about segregation and racism. Holiday stood her ground and refused to stop performing the song. “Strange Fruit” remains one of her most popular and well-known recordings. The novel helps us see and live through Holiday by her songs. Songs are stories in itself, and this song tells us a story of America for black people in the 30s.]]> 2022-05-18 08:04:44 UTC https://padlet.com/jconteh2023/Bookmarks/wish/2189095841 Another Connection jconteh2023 https://padlet.com/jconteh2023/Bookmarks/wish/2189101189 I connected Billie Holiday to Bob Dylan, firstly, because John Szwed did so in his interview- the second author information. Szwed stated that both Holiday and Dylan were similar in their vocal techniques. He also stated that both the artists broke the rules of creativity considering music during their time. Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career spanning more than 60 years. Secondly, I connected the two because they used their music to combat prominent issues of their time. Holiday used her music to talk about the abuse, injustices, and lynchings that Black people had to endure in America. Similarly, Dylan impacted the music world by being one of the first musicians to take an active role in moral issues, as well as being greatly involved in the Civil Right Movement. I linked Dylan's song 'Bye and Bye' because it was linked to being inspired by the song 'Having Myself a Time,' which was actually popularized by Billie Holiday. ]]> 2022-05-18 08:08:56 UTC https://padlet.com/jconteh2023/Bookmarks/wish/2189101189 Introduction video jconteh2023 https://padlet.com/jconteh2023/Bookmarks/wish/2196165568 2022-05-23 16:22:54 UTC https://padlet.com/jconteh2023/Bookmarks/wish/2196165568