by John Szwed
Barker, Lee, 19, 21–22
Barnet, Charlie, 153
Barrymore, Ethel, 100
Bayes, Nora, 83
bebop, 100, 109, 127, 150, 178
Bechet, Sidney, 15, 38
Belly, Lead, 155, 157
Bennett, Tony, 90–91
Berg, Billy, 30, 188
Berigan, Bunny, 141–42
Berlin, Irving, 82, 157
Bernstein, Leonard, 28, 40, 132, 181–82, 185
Bernstein, Shirley, 181
Biberman, Herbert, 61–62
“Big Stuff,” 40, 132, 181–82
Billboard charts, 139, 142, 176
Billie Holiday Orchestra, 121
“Billie’s Blues,” 90, 116, 128, 132
Birdland, 143
Bishop, Elizabeth, 39–40
blackface, 79–80, 82–87, 95, 162
Bless My Bones, 197
blues, 27, 81, 122, 124, 135–36, 170, 174
of Armstrong, 108, 110–11
and big bands, 146, 148, 151
falls out of favor, 86, 89
history of, 93–94
sung by black women, 77, 85–86, 88–96, 108–11
sung by Holiday, 3–4, 92, 94, 96, 100, 119, 143, 151, 165–67, 187
BMI, 173
Bob Haggart Orchestra, 121
boogie-woogie, 57, 180
Boswell Sisters, 96
Bowles, Paul, 106, 185
Breit, Harvey, 11–12, 167
Brice, Fanny, 4, 95, 132, 183
Broadway, 6, 32–33, 56, 67–68, 94, 110, 141, 176, 181, 192
Brooks, Michael, 194
Brooks, Shelton, 32, 60
Brunswick Record Company, 117, 137
Bryant, Marie, 188
cabaret, 103, 154
in Harlem, 35, 55, 98, 101, 134–35, 141, 156, 177
and Holiday, 4, 91, 94, 121, 156
traditions of, 91–92, 94–95, 133–34
Café Society (downtown), 40, 45, 61, 91, 114, 153–60, 163–66, 168, 173, 181
Café Society (Los Angeles), 187–88
Café Society (uptown), 156
California, 19–20, 37, 72
Calloway, Cab, 49, 170
Camarata, Toots, 168, 180
Capitol Records, 174–75
Carnegie Hall, 46–49, 106–7, 155, 187
Carney, Harry, 100, 140
Carpenter, Thelma, 28, 88, 143
Carroll, Diahann, 65, 68
Carter, Benny, 182, 189
Carter, Betty, 78
Carter, Desmond, 169
chanteuses, 1, 13, 90–91, 164, 170, 177, 183
Charles, Jacques, 183
Cheatham, Doc, 124
Chicago, 57, 60, 98, 105, 120
Chick Webb band, 139, 147
Christy, June, 2
Clayton, Buck, 144–46, 155
Clef Records, 19, 46, 127, 184
Cleveland, Jimmy, 195
Clooney, Rosemary, 2, 44–45, 90, 139
Cole, Cozy, 142
Cole, Nat, 91
Colona, Jerry, 187
Columbia Records, 67, 126, 128, 141, 168, 171, 174–75, 191–92
Commodore Records, 126, 164, 167–68, 171, 179, 185
Confidential magazine, 51
Connie’s Inn (Harlem), 32, 134
coon songs/singers, 77, 81–86, 93, 95
copyrights, 161–63, 172–74, 179
Coronet magazine, 25, 48
Cory, George, 91, 182
Cotton Club, 87, 94, 134, 142
Coulter, Glen, 193
Count Basie band, 47, 63, 124, 146–48, 150, 187, 191
Cowan, Lester, 64–66
Coward, Noël, 77, 95, 155
Crane, Louise, 40–43
“Crazy He Calls Me,” 180, 187
Crosby, Bing, 2–3, 90, 132, 174, 176
Cross, Douglass, 91, 182
Crouch, Stanley, 3
Crystal, Jack, 44, 126
Cuban music, 118, 150–51
dance, 132, 151, 155, 162, 169–70, 177, 181–82, 184
Dandridge, Dorothy, 64–65, 67, 143
Davis, Jimmy, 179
Davis, Miles, 6, 20, 44, 49, 100, 107, 115, 143, 170, 194
Davis, Ossie, 67
Day, Doris, 2, 191
“Day Lady Died, The,” 197
de Beauvoir, Simone, 42–43
Decca Records, 126–27, 143, 146, 164, 168, 171, 173–74, 179–81, 184–85, 187, 189
“Deep Song,” 91, 133, 182, 186
del Rio, Dolores, 30–31
DeSylva, Buddy, 174
Dickenson, Vic, 124
discrimination, 50, 52, 124, 135, 151–53, 157, 159, 178, 188. See also race; racism
Dodge, Roger Pryor, 100
Donahue, Jimmy, 32–34
“Don’t Explain,” 120, 132, 161, 173–74
doo-wop, 177
Dorsey brothers, 149, 151, 176
Doubleday, 14, 17, 19, 21–23, 27–28, 38, 51, 161, 163
Down Beat, 12, 18, 49, 99, 151
Downbeat Club (New York City), 42
drugs, 62–63, 65, 67–68
Holiday arrested for, 12, 43, 47, 51, 72, 196
Holiday jailed for, 34, 37, 49, 64, 70, 106, 179, 187
and Holiday’s life, 3, 25, 29, 41, 45, 48, 60, 106–7, 127, 175
Holiday’s views on, 49, 51, 53, 179
and jazz musicians, 11, 16, 20, 43, 49, 69, 178–79
and Lady Sings the Blues, 20, 22–23, 27, 43
dual-track time, 118, 121
Dufty, Bevan, 45
Dufty, Maely Daniele, 16, 23
Dufty, William, 46–47, 52, 67, 143
articles on Holiday, 43–44, 48, 50–51, 53, 197
career of, 15–17
as coauthor, 6, 14–25, 28, 32
and Lady Sings the Blues film, 64, 66, 69
on “Strange Fruit,” 161–63
Early, Gerald, 48
Ebony, 17, 20, 35, 49
Eckstine, Billy, 100–1
Ed Sullivan Show, 95
Edison, Harry “Sweets,” 189, 195
Ehrlich, Jake, 64
Ellington, Duke, 55–56, 59, 73, 100–1, 132, 139–40, 142, 147, 149, 180, 188
Ellis, Ray, 128, 191–96
Esquire, 50
Europe, 138, 154, 156, 168–69. See also musical traditions: European
Evans, Herschel, 146
“Falling in Love Again,” 103
Fancy Free ballet, 132, 181–82
FBI, 4, 37, 49, 160, 162
Feather, Leonard, 44, 63
films, 110, 157
about African Americans, 55–62, 64–68
about Holiday’s life, 64–71
Holiday’s roles in, 1–2, 55–57, 59–62, 197
Holiday’s songs in, 55, 60, 66, 170
“Fine and Mellow,” 41, 90, 105, 120, 124, 132–33, 167
Fitzgerald, Ella, 78, 109–10, 138–40, 145, 147–48, 185, 189–90
flappers, 77, 87
Florida, 17, 40
folk music, 40, 93, 110–11, 122, 142, 150, 155, 157, 165, 167, 172
“Foolin’ Myself,” 113, 115–17
Forrest, Helen, 99–100, 138, 151–52
Franklin, Aretha and R. L., 80
French music, 92, 94–95, 121, 162, 177, 183
Friedwald, Will, 99
Furie, Sidney, 69
Gable, Clark, 28, 33
Gabler, Milt, 126, 154, 164, 167–68, 179, 181–82, 186, 189
Gardner, Ava, 28, 65–66
Gershwin, George, 132, 141–
45, 161, 174
Gillespie, Dizzy, 100
“Gimme a Pigfoot,” 109, 186
Glaser, Joe, 22, 60, 68, 191–92, 197
“Gloomy Sunday,” 4, 132–33, 168–71, 184
“God Bless the Child,” 63, 120, 132, 161, 168, 170–73, 187
Golden Gate Quartet, 61, 155
“Good Morning Heartache,” 183
Goodman, Benny, 33–34, 56, 63, 125–26, 136, 146–47, 149, 153, 155
Gordon, Dexter, 123
Gordon, Robert, 158
Gordy, Berry, 68–69
gospel music, 88, 122
Granz, Norman, 19, 22, 127, 154, 188–92
Great Depression, 136, 154, 169, 177
Griffin, Farah, 13–14
Guarnieri, Johnny, 117–18
Hal Kemp Orchestra, 169
Hammond, John, 28, 41, 63, 67, 88, 126–27, 135–38, 141, 146, 148, 153–55, 164, 167
Hampton, Lionel, 33, 164, 188
Hanighen, Bernie, 141, 150, 183
“Hard Life of Billie Holiday” (Harriott), 18
Hardwick, Elizabeth, 42, 105, 184
Harlem, 16, 30, 63, 83, 94, 178
clubs in, 27–29, 35, 95, 98, 101, 107, 135, 149–50
Holiday dies in, 51, 196–97
Holiday lives in, 64, 101
musicals about, 32, 67, 82
and racial interaction, 154–55
white audiences in, 154–55, 164
See also cabaret; specific club names
Harlem Renaissance, 71, 77, 106, 134
Harriott, Frank, 7, 18
Harris, Sarah (Sadie), see Holiday, Billie: and mother, Sadie
Hawkins, Coleman, 63, 124, 165
Hayworth, Rita, 31
“He Ain’t Got Rhythm,” 125
Held, Anna, 83
Hentoff, Nat, 12, 63
Herzog, Arthur Jr., 63, 161–62, 172–74, 182–83
Heywood, Eddie, 179
Higginbotham, Irene, 183
Hildegard (supper club singer), 169–70, 176
Hines, Earl, 174
Hodges, Johnny, 100, 139–40, 144
Holiday, Billie
abused by men, 3, 34, 36, 70, 107
biographies on, 1–5, 13–14, 52, 104, 106, 186, 194
celebrity fans of, 28–30, 32, 40–42, 149
childhood of, 4, 12–13, 16, 18, 23, 25, 28, 34, 44, 50, 67, 70, 94
and children, 44–45
darkens skin, 80
death of, 38, 48, 51–53, 66, 68, 194, 196–97
descriptions of, 39, 42–43, 47, 63, 72, 104–6, 149–50, 156–57, 166, 190
fame/popularity of, 1–4, 69, 71, 128, 137, 182
financial troubles of, 16, 22, 29, 101, 175, 191
as godmother, 16, 44–45
good ear of, 147, 151, 180
on her inspirations, 108–9
on her own singing, 51, 100–101, 131, 168, 198
husbands of, 16, 25, 30, 49, 51, 67, 69–71, 106, 173
influence of, 1–4, 6–7, 40, 93, 120, 170
influences on, 4, 6, 87–91, 94, 118–19, 167
lovers of, 16, 22, 40–43, 56, 160
and mother, Sadie, 29, 40, 44, 60, 64, 77, 88, 101, 166, 172–73, 175
musicals about, 2, 67
pay of, 29, 34, 42, 51, 101, 106, 141, 152, 179
personality of, 1, 4, 17–18, 36, 100, 107, 124, 146–47, 156
photographs of, 1, 14, 71–73, 106, 185, 196
and the police, 16, 36, 43, 151
poor health of, 47, 124–25, 128, 192–96
public persona of, 1, 13, 25, 107, 124
religious beliefs of, 52–53
and songwriters, 182–83
on “Strange Fruit,” 159–61
as unreliable performer, 16–17, 148, 185
as untrained singer, 101–2, 181
voice of, 12, 97, 105–6, 109–10, 127–29, 131–32, 147, 168, 193–95
writings by, 2, 5, 12, 15, 17, 20, 49–52, 197
Holiday, Billie: performances, 3, 5, 94, 177, 187
acting style of, 102–5
with big bands, 117, 146–48, 150–53
booking of, 17, 40, 192
and cabaret card, 12, 34, 47, 49, 63, 72, 163
and onstage persona, 5, 107–8, 124
her views on, 186
at party, 33–34
praise of, 47, 104–6, 156–57, 185–86, 197
reactions to, 39, 47, 50, 101, 104–8, 115, 124, 160
See also films; television; specific venue names
Holiday, Billie: recordings, 2, 108, 152–53
of 1930s, 97–98, 136–37, 141, 189–91
of 1940s, 121–22, 126–27, 186
of 1950s, 127–29, 184, 189–96
with backup singers, 186, 191, 193, 195
with bands/orchestras, 121, 128, 179–81, 184, 191, 193–95
contracts for, 152, 179
criticism of, 168, 193–94
for jukeboxes, 98–99, 123, 137
live, 47, 147–48
rerecordings of, 46, 127–29, 132, 173–74, 181–83, 186–87, 192
under her name, 123, 141
See also albums; music producers; specific record companies; specific song titles
Holiday, Billie: singing style, 171, 190
criticism of, 88, 98–100, 106, 138, 192
development of, 96–98
influences on, 78, 88, 108–12
mature features of, 56, 102–6, 136
and phrasing, 39–40, 69, 98, 103, 105–6, 110, 115, 117, 120–21, 128, 145, 148, 175, 180, 193
praise of, 3–4, 21–22, 39, 97–98, 115, 118, 135, 150–51
and rhythm/timing, 115–19, 122, 128, 136, 139–40, 145, 175, 180–81
slowness of, 92, 98–99, 122, 168, 170, 177, 180, 184
and vibrato, 99, 103–4, 123, 140, 193
See also speech-song method; torch singing
Holiday, Billie: songs
autobiographical, 108, 129, 173, 184, 194
with big bands, 152–53, 174–75
composed by Holiday, 116, 165, 167, 172–74
criticism of, 166
emotional power of, 2, 4, 11, 94, 99, 101, 103–4, 115, 120–22, 127, 132, 198
first, 56, 90, 98–99, 136
her approach to, 13, 103–4, 110–11, 120–22,
her choice of, 2–4, 91, 94, 104, 110, 132–33, 141, 171
her variations of, 123, 144–46, 161, 165, 170, 174, 181–82
and improvisation, 3, 112, 125–26, 128–29, 131–32, 140, 175
and the lyrics, 115, 118, 120, 122, 125, 139, 143, 148, 151, 159, 161, 170, 180, 184, 193
praise of, 143
repertoire of, 69, 132–33, 138–39, 167, 185–87
signature pieces, 168, 175, 183, 185, 191
with strings, 1, 167–68, 179–80
stylistic periods of, 126–29
writes lyrics for, 15, 167, 172–74
written for her, 36, 40, 66, 127, 132, 152, 161, 179–80, 182–83
See also albums; Holiday, Billie: recordings; specific song titles
Holiday, Clarence (father), 12, 18, 51, 70, 106, 159
Holiday on Broadway, 187
Hollywood, 20, 28, 30, 33, 45, 51, 56, 59, 62, 64, 67–69, 106, 157, 174, 187–188
Holman, Libby, 4, 32–33, 79, 93–95
Holmes, John Clellon, 7
Hoover, J. Edgar, 37–38
Hope, Bob, 28
Horne, Lena, 155–56, 166
“How Am I to Know?,” 168
Huang, Hoa, 118
Huang, Rachel V., 118
Hughes,
Langston, 71, 77, 88
Humes, Helen, 148
Hurston, Zora Neale, 7, 71, 126
“I Can’t Get Started with You,” 148
“I Cover the Waterfront,” 132, 169
“I Got a Right to Sing the Blues,” 110, 167
“I Loves You, Porgy,” 142–43, 186
“I Wished on the Moon,” 132, 191
“I’ll Be Seeing You,” 2, 98–99, 176–77
“I’ll Get By,” 144–45
“I’ll Look Around,” 91, 182
Ink Spots, 122, 145, 164
Institute of Jazz Studies, Rutgers University–Newark, 5
Irwin, May, 82–83
“I’ve Got My Love to Keep Me Warm,” 107–8
jazz, 40, 48, 63, 105, 144
and the blues, 92–93
books about, 6–7, 12, 15, 20, 52
cultural importance of, 127, 154
distinguishing features of, 117, 120, 140
films about, 55–62, 64–71, 73
history of, 58–59, 62, 155, 178
Holiday’s role in, 1–4, 69, 184
and improvisation, 125, 165
instrumentals, 111–12, 117, 119–20, 126, 180
interaction in, 116, 138
and magazine photos, 71–73
and “signifyin(g)” tradition, 114
“small-band” style of, 177–79
and small-group sessions, 137, 189
standards of, 32, 127, 142, 180, 189
sung by Holiday, 6, 110–12, 126–27, 131–33, 164, 193–94
See also drugs: and jazz
“Jazz at the Philharmonic,” 188–89
Jazz magazine, 100
Jefferson, Margo, 122–23
Jenkins, Gordon, 168, 186
Jessel, George, 63
Johnson, Greer, 42, 143, 184–85
Johnson, James P., 73, 119, 155
Jolson, Al, 79–80, 145
Jones, Esther, 87
Josephson, Barney, 91, 154–58, 160–63
jukeboxes, 98, 123, 137, 176, 180
Kane, Helen, 87
Kempton, Murray, 61
Kern, Jerome, 132
Kerouac, Jack, 6–7
Kirkpatrick, Ralph, 39, 150
Kitchings, Irene, 22. See also Wilson, Irene
Knickerbocker Hospital, 196
Krupa, Gene, 33, 49, 179
Kuehl, Linda, 3, 5, 12, 104
Lady Sings the Blues (autobiography), 2–3, 40, 45–46, 48, 56, 87, 108, 173, 179
bluntness of, 11, 18–19, 21, 24–25, 27, 47
coauthor of, 6, 14–25, 28, 52, 161
criticism/reviews of, 4–6, 11–15, 21–23, 25, 47, 52, 65
editing of, 27–28, 32, 34, 37, 39, 42–43, 70
Holiday’s comments on, 15, 23–24
inaccuracies in, 12–15, 52, 92
and libel, 21–22, 27–28, 38, 43
message of, 52–53, 65, 70, 162–63