Billie Holiday: A Biography -

: Her big break in 1933 when producer John Hammond heard her at a Harlem club and paired her with Benny Goodman for her first recordings.

Author Paul Alexander on Billie Holiday Biography "Bitter Crop" Billie Holiday: A Biography

: Highlight her struggles with extreme poverty, skipping school (she dropped out in the 5th grade), and early survivors' instincts after being sent to a Catholic reform school at age nine. : Her big break in 1933 when producer

: Discuss her "apprenticeship" listening to Louis Armstrong and Bessie Smith records, which shaped her unique phrasing and emotional delivery. Chapter 2: Harlem and the Rise of "Lady Day" (1929–1938) Chapter 2: Harlem and the Rise of "Lady

: Born in Philadelphia in 1915 to teenage parents, she spent a volatile childhood in Baltimore.

: Her relocation to New York City at age 13 and her transition from cleaning houses to singing in speakeasies for tips.

: Becoming one of the first Black women to tour with an all-white orchestra (Artie Shaw) and the racial indignities she faced on the road.