She managed to survive a difficult childhood often left in the care of cold-hearted relatives and even spent time in a Catholic reform school before joining her mother in New York City. But Holidays world was shattered at the age of 10 when a man she calls Mr. Dick attempted to rape her. So as a popular protest song, "Strange Fruit" helped galvanize an anti-lynching movement across the country. Holiday was sent to a brutal Catholic reformatory, where as punishment she was locked in a room with a dead student. I don't think people know I care about those things. In the film's depiction, Holiday's impact with the emotional song made her a target in the eyes of the federal government. Her troubles now an ongoing media sensation, Holiday was heartbroken by the way some of her friends received herespecially fellow superstar Sarah Vaughan, whom Holiday had looked out for in the old days. She was the type who would make anyone sympathetic because she was the loving type, Fletcher remembered of Holiday in an interview. Let that sonofabitch say something and Ill take care of him. When the heckler began hurling abuse, Hope was ready. All Rights Reserved. I got to the point where I hardly ever ate, slept, or went to the bathroom without having a major NAACP-type production.. Im the girl who went West in 1937 with sixteen white cats, Artie Shaw and his Rolls-Royceand the hills were full of white crackers, Holiday writes. He was inspired to write it after seeing a photograph of a lynching. While the movie is a mix of fiction and reality, heres a look at Billies personal life. Federal authorities first targeted her shortly after she began singing the song. The next scenes are somewhat fudged: The movie depicts Holiday at Joe Guys New York apartment the day after the performance, where shes apprehended by a group of federal agents led by Jimmy Fletcher, who reveals his true allegiance to the government. But the humiliation was terrible." Jazz legend .css-47aoac{-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;text-decoration-thickness:0.0625rem;text-decoration-color:inherit;text-underline-offset:0.25rem;color:#A00000;-webkit-transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;}.css-47aoac:hover{color:#595959;text-decoration-color:border-link-body-hover;}Billie Holiday poured her heart into each song, making each one her own with her distinct style. Hari told WNYC, "She's diagnosed with very advanced liver cancer and she starts to go into heroin withdrawal. I saw the lipstick. The bureau puta guard outside of her room and took the flowers and letters fans and friends had sent, and even took her record player, according to Legacy. Biography and associated logos are trademarks of A+E Networksprotected in the US and other countries around the globe. Born Eleanora Fagan in Baltimore (or some say Philadelphia) in 1915, Holidays childhood was marred by horrific abusedespite the best efforts of her beloved mother, Sadie, who was only 13 when she had Holiday. ", Hari also told NPR that the agent apparently "had no sympathy for people with addiction problems," but Holiday was "was so amazing that Jimmy Fletcher fell in love with her." Though Andra Day plays the jazz legend with conviction, The United States vs. Billie Holiday fictionalizes the particulars of Holiday's life, where the real story is dramatic enough. Singer Billie Holiday became a trending topic after the release of The United States vs. Billie Holiday. Heres a look at if she had any children as her personal life before death is explored. Director Lee Daniels told the Hollywood Reporter that The U.S. vs. Billie Holiday isnt a biopic, and as longtime Canadian journalist Robert Fulford once wrote in the National Post, it is difficult for anyone to attempt to chronicle an authoritative Life of Billie Holiday anyway, because the documents dont exist, and the witnesses have often lied. In prison, Holiday spent her time knitting, making whiskey from potato peelings, and taking care of a herd of damn dirty squealing pigs. One thing she didnt do was sing. The man was arrestedbut Holiday was sent to a reformatory. Every product was carefully curated by an Esquire editor. Billie Holiday deserves better, a biopic that, say, shows how her voice changed over her quarter-century recording career, from girlish to mature to brittle, In the film's 1940s, Anslinger instructs African American narcotics agent Jimmy Fletcher, played by "Moonlight's" Trevante Rhodes, to cozy up to her. To be fair, biographical movies are entertainments, not history lessons. Billie had been three times. Holiday even appeared in a film with Duke Ellington. This is true: A bill was introduced in the chamber early that year but was filibustered out of further consideration, although a version of the bill would be passed by the House in the spring. So she joined the bands crap game, much to the mens chagrin: I got on my knees, and the first time up it was a seven. Then he began lapping me and loving me like crazy, she writes. The real Holiday did record the song in 1939. Vanity Fair may earn a portion of sales from products that are purchased through our site as part of our Affiliate Partnerships with retailers. Unable to afford arrangements, the orchestra kept over 100 songs in their heads, often going to bed hungry despite their glamorous profession. You can manage your newsletter subscriptions at any time. We also see Holiday together with Tallulah Bankhead (Natasha Lyonne), after an implication that the two celebrities had had an affair together, which they famously did (Anslinger is later seen questioning Bankhead about her affair with Holiday as well as Holidays purported trysts with other female celebrities.). Her label, Columbia, wouldn't allow it, but let her record with the Commodore label, pairing the record with the ballad "Fine and Mellow." He learned of Anslinger's She died addicted. Through all this, one thing that helped Billie keep calm was music. We waited for Sarah to come off between sets. Holiday never stood trial for the charges, however. And that may be true. At the age of 12 she was raped by a trumpet player. He reportedly heard her sing it at the club days after he showed her the song. Her big break came whenproducer John Hammonddiscovered her singing in one of those clubs. NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. However, Carnegie Halls own website mentions Strange Fruit in the setlist for Holidays March 27, 1948, concert. 3 Billie Holiday There is a 75 percent chance she's listening to Lorde right now. Shes also one of our great actorsand is at last getting her showcase. I went out once to a birthday gathering for me, and the New York Post wrote that I had broken the chair because I was so big. He'd heard rumblings that the singer was using heroin and assigned Jimmy Fletcher (Trevante Rhodes), a Black FBI agent, to follow her, journalist Johann Hari revealed in his book Chasing the Scream: The First and Last Days of the War on Drugs, per Politico. She was previously married to Rev. DAVIES: On Monday's show, we speak with writer, performer and magician Derek DelGaudio. Perhaps the most important song Holiday would ever sing was Strange Fruit. Written by communist poet and teacher Abel Meeropol after he saw a photo of lynched Black men, the song describes the bodies of lynching victims hanging from southern trees like the strange fruit of its title. Hari talked to Esquire about the true story behind The United States vs. Billie Holiday, and what the films story reveals about the early days of the drug war. After her release, she auditioned to sing at the Harlem speakeasy Pods and Jerrys: I asked him to play Travlin All Alone. That came closer than anything to the way I felt. She was busted by the police in her hospital room for drug possession that June. Her raw, all-consuming vocal version of "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going" made the Tony-winning performer a cult phenomenon. ANDRA DAY: (As Billie Holiday, singing) Oh, love me. In her autobiography, Lady Sings the Blues, she wrote, "I don't think I missed a single picture Billie Dove ever made. Why not WHITEHEAD: Andra Day likewise replicates the croaky way Holiday spoke in her last years in the late 1950s. She went back on tour that year and is seen performing in Baltimore, though as Steve Provizer mentions, its highly unlikely she would have crowd-surfed as seen on film, even had the concert gone as depicted. They also recorded together on a number of different projects, including her 1957 television special The Sound of Jazz. Billie never had any children of her own. Evidently shirking his duties in Washington, movie Anslinger obsessively turns up at Holiday's New York gigs to glare at her from the audience, as if he hates music in general. Ever since the movie has come out, people have been reacting to it on Twitter. And when she starts crying, the next thing shes going to do is start fighting., And fight she did to be true to herself and her art, no matter what the cost. All I expected was a little helloafter all, she was working. In The United States vs. Billie Holiday, Andra Days performance reminds viewers of the power of the Holidays voice, more than 60 years after her death. By the 1950s, Holiday's battle with drugs and alcohol was taking its toll on her voice and career. And tell me who thinks of you a million times a day and who's blue and lonely, honey, when you're away? You go out there and sing, he told Holiday. Made-up incidents can illustrate some higher truth about the power of a protest song or a singer's personal magnetism. The text reads that Anslinger remained Narcotics Bureau chief until his retirement in 1962; historical footage shows President John F. Kennedy officially commending him for his government service. Billie Holiday comes down with cirrhosis of the liver and is hospitalized. While the singer had initially stopped drinking on her doctor's orders, it was not long before she relapsed. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information. "Even after I lost weight, I was still the same person. All products featured on Vanity Fair are independently selected by our editors. Billy Holiday is likely the most celebrated female jazz singer in American history, yet substance abuse and addiction would plague her Jennifer Yvette Holliday is an American singer and Tony Award-winning actress. She started her career on Broadway in musicals such as Dreamgirls (1981-85), and later became a successful recording artist. Gabrielle Bruney is a writer and editor for Esquire, where she focuses on politics and culture. She is now a spokesperson on the subject. 5. According to Holiday, Clarence, her high-living musician father, died on the road in 1937, a victim of Jim Crow. However, when you buy something through our retail links, we may earn an affiliate commission. The case was called The United States vs. Billie Holiday, and in a memoir, she wrote, "That's just the way it felt." Holiday is then seen with trumpeter Joe Guy (Melvin Gregg), who had an affair with her and supplied her with drugs while struggling with addiction himself (although it should be noted that it was Holidays husband Jimmy Monroe whod first supplied her with heroin in the early 40s). Daniels's film portrays aspoiler alertromance between Holiday and Fletcher, which blossoms while he's on her case. And, as Hari told Esquire, she and the Pope drank something called Vin Mariani, which was wine laced with opium.. When she arrived back at her hotel, cops were already swarming the lobby. A: When Billie Holiday died in 1959 at age 44, she had lived longer than either her mother or her father, and longer than many of her jazz contemporaries, like Charlie Parker, who died at 34. However, she had two godchildren who she cared about deeply. Billie Holiday (Andra Day), accompanied by her stylist Miss Freddy (Miss Lawrence), sits down for an interview with radio journalist Reginald Lord Devine (Leslie Jordan). But none of them would even so much as take his temperature., From this trauma sprang Strange Fruit, Holidays song of personal protest, recounting a lynching in the South. It was Clark Gable whod given us the lift. By Don Hunstein/Columbia Records/Getty Images. According to Holiday herself, she really was forced off the stage after singing Strange Fruit at Philadelphias Earle Theater in May 1947, despite having received a rapturous welcome at first. I think the only way to tell Billie God Bless the Child was initially a joke to get even with her mother, after she refused to give her cash-strapped daughter any money. Meanwhile, Strange Fruit was indeed inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1978 and named song of the century by Time magazine in 1999. Holidays appearance with actor George Jessel (Joe Cobden) on his show The Comeback Story in 1953 was a real broadcast where she mentioned her marriage to Louis McKay (Rob Morgan), who would become her manager. Pretty soon there were plenty of lights, cameras, and action. Russell Crowe Shares Sad News That 16-Month-Old Dog Louis Died in My Arms. By early 1959, Holiday was diagnosed with cirrhosis -- impaired liver function caused by the formation of scar tissue. She was the daughter of Sarah Julia Sadie (Fagan) and Clarence Holiday, who was a jazz banjo player and guitarist. Oh, who just longs for your caresses? Maybe they would have been kinder to me if theyd been nasty; then I wouldnt have trusted them enough to believe what they told me.. Billie always had a deep connection with music and it became a ray of hope for her. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Cond Nast. In this scene, they're just getting to know each other before Billie finds out he's a narc. A victrola was a big deal in those days, and there werent any parlors around that had one except Alices. Holiday still couldn't manage to part ways with her heroin habit, despite her poor physical condition. Ask yourself the question, who loves you, sweetheart? The best thing about it by far is singer and screen newcomer Andra Day in the lead. It would later be set to music by Meeropol himself and was recorded by Billie Holiday in 1939 as Strange Fruit. By that time, Holiday had already spent years recording prolifically and working with prominent jazz bandleaders like Duke Ellington, Teddy Wilson, and Count Basie, but its accurate to say her nationwide recognition did increase significantly after the release of that record. Though the movies timeline jumps between different points of Holidays career and glimpses at the wider war on drugs (as well as the early war on jazz music), it focuses on how much Holiday was exploited by the predatory people and systems around her. Vs. Billie Holiday there is a mix of fiction and reality, heres a look at if she any... Unable to afford arrangements, the orchestra kept over 100 songs in their heads, often going to bed despite. Holiday there is a mix of fiction and reality, heres a look at Billies personal life,. When a man she calls Mr. Dick attempted to rape her with opium make anyone sympathetic she... With a dead student real Holiday did record the song began hurling abuse, was. 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