Lady Sings the Blues: Billie Holiday's Centenary
by Gregg Chadwick Billie Holiday would have turned 100 today. John McDonough on NPR writes: " Most artists belong to their times, but Billie Holiday , born 100 years ago Tuesday, fits in the present. In a way, she died before her time, just as the country was beginning to talk about race, drugs, feminism and misogyny — all of which converged in her life." Still from 1957 CBS show The Sound of Jazz, Billie Holiday and Lester Young. Photo courtesy the New York Public Library. Billie Holiday changed jazz singing and popular vocals with her stylistic innovations and haunting sound. Holiday's vocal style pioneered new ways of manipulating phrasing and tempo. When asked to explain her singing style, Holiday said, "I don't think I'm singing. I feel like I'm playing a horn. I try to improvise like Les Young, like Louis Armstrong or someone else I admire. What comes out is what I feel. I hate straight singing. I have to change a tune to my...