Billie Holiday: The centenary of perpetual and dejected voice – The Citizen (Bariloche)

Billie Holiday: The centenary of perpetual and dejected voice

Today, the majestic Elanora Fagan Gough singer, better known as Billie Holiday, meet 100 years lifetime. Its passage through this world earned him great sorrow, but through jazz, this strong woman managed to survive and in turn, caramelize the ears and hearts of generations.

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Known as one of the harshest poignant history, needed to Billie Holiday sang the first note so that your viewers feel chills. We can let it ring any song from this artist, its essence transmit us the pain which was filled your life.

In 1915, one hundred years ago, a April 7 in Philadelphia Elanora Fagan Gough. His mother Sadie Fagan, was at that time 13 years old and his father Clarence Holiday 15 years. Later, his father would leave the two women. Growing alone with her mother, Billie Holiday worked from small clearing in a brothel where he had his first approach to jazz by listening to Louis Armstrong hailed from a jukebox that entertained guests of the establishment. Transiting those dark shadows, Billie Holiday was raped at age 10, but at 13, trying to escape from what appeared to be a tragic fate, she fled to New Cork in search of a new way.

Once installed in Great Apple , Billie Holiday began to move her quest as vocalist. In one of the biographies have been made, the singer remembers the first time he did an audition in a bar: “If someone had dropped a pin would have sounded like a bomb. When I finished, everyone howled and raised their glasses of beer. “That was the moment when he left his name Elanora to become Billie. For all sounds here like a good change of direction but the reality is that in those times ( 1928) life in America was not easy for the people of black skin and even less if you were a woman. A Billie Holiday was not allowed any contact with the target audience, should enter through the rear doors and earned less than their peers just for being black. Then, as Billie honestly acquired popularity for his magnificent voice, these racist humiliations also became police chases.

In 1933, Billie caught the attention of Benny Goodman who led orchestra most successful era swing. Thereafter, Billie was inserted in the music industry not abandon it. The singer stopped recorded more than 300 songs in which shone again and again one afflicted and sorrowful voice . A Holiday fame did not save her sad past, but their continued life surrounded by indifference, rejection and loneliness. Although Billie was a bright beam of light when he sang at his days off stage returned to take the gray tone that gave him life. Dam of his heroin addiction and toxic loves that he had found, Billie was acquiring over time more and more regret in her voice. With experience on stage and sadness in his life Billie seemed to make that pain in the motivation that drove her to be getting better on the boards. Billie said:…. “I try to improvise as Louis Armstrong and Lester Young What comes out is what I feel hate songs straight have to change the tone and adjust to my own way of understanding music This is all I know. “

At this point, Billie had a hoarse voice due to his heroin use, also more pain in his singing because the new penalties were lived but still shone among others by their sensitivity that I think is unique and I dare say unrepeatable.

Billie had a love life surrounded by indifference and toxicity, it is recalled that the singer had constant affairs with men and mobsters kickers. We can read between the lines this reality in the song “My Man” Holiday in which states: “Two or three women have it, who loves to like me. But still love him. But do not know why, it’s not true, and he beats me too. But what can I do? “.

At 44 years old, in 1959 and in the city of New York, after Europe and the world tour with his emotional music and after conquered the musical taste of hundreds of people, Billie Holiday left this world. On his deathbed, the American police are still endeavoring to pursue, so much so that acercabam to the hospital where he was admitted to introduce new cases.

His funeral was attended by about 3000 people and in your account bank left only 70 cents. What if left in this world was an impressive collection of songs that they say, was that remedy to survive this life that had been so cruel to her. With jazz, Billie had a way to tell his story, to express their pain and most unique way that has seen. For many wounds turned into musical balms, remember the centenary of an eternal voice to accompany us when we have also our sorrows.

Lucia Saavedra

(Saavedra.luc@hotmail.com)