Additional information
by Billie Holiday (Author), William Dufty (Author), David Ritz (Foreword by)
Perfect for fans of The United States vs. Billie Holiday, this is the fiercely honest, no-holds-barred memoir of the legendary jazz, swing, and standards singing sensation--a fiftieth-anniversary edition updated with stunning new photos, a revised discography, and an insightful foreword by music writer David Ritz
Taking the reader on a fast-moving journey from Billie Holiday's rough-and-tumble Baltimore childhood (where she ran errands at a whorehouse in exchange for the chance to listen to Louis Armstrong and Bessie Smith albums), to her emergence on Harlem's club scene, to sold-out performances with the Count Basie Orchestra and with Artie Shaw and his band, this revelatory memoir is notable for its trenchant observations on the racism that darkened Billie's life and the heroin addiction that ended it too soon.
Author Biography
Eleanora Fagan, who later took the name Billie Holiday, was born April 7, 1915, and died when she was just forty-four, on July 17, 1959.
Coauthor William Dufty (1916-2002) was a music enthusiast, freelance writer for the New York Post, and Gloria Swanson's last husband.
