These included Bessie Smith's 'Tain't Nobody's Business if I Do,' 'Them There Eyes,' and 'Crazy He Calls Me.'
However, as is sadly a common pattern with famous musicians her life began to take a downturn after her success in the 1940's. This was mainly due to problem that she experienced with regard to drug and alcohol abuse, and she was arrested a number of times for possession of drugs. Even though she entered a rehabilitation clinic she was unable to completely stop her addiction. This also had a negative impact on her singing voice. Her substance abuse problem was also to affect other areas of her life. She began smoking opium when she was married to her first husband, Johnnie Monroe. This marriage did not last and her second marriage was to a trumpeter, Joe Guy. During this marriage she began to use heroin. (Billie holiday)
Holiday was also badly affected by the death of her mother in 1947. This was to exacerbate her drug taking and she was arrested for possession of heroin and received a sentence of eight months in prison. This in turn had negative consequences for her career. Due to the fact that she had been arrested on a drug charge she could not get a cabaret card, which meant that she was prevented from giving nightclub performances. The use of drugs also affected her voice.
Holiday still continued to record hit songs into the 1950s. "Though the ravages of a hard life were beginning to take their toll on her voice, many of Holiday's mid-'50's recordings are just as intense and beautiful as her classic work" (Billie holiday). She moved to the Verve recoding label and recorded approximately 100 new songs. In 1956 she recorded an iconic jazz album; Lady Sings the Blues (1956). The music on the album was written in collaboration by William Dufty and was in essence autobiographical. During this time she also toured Europe.
Her last public performance was on the CBS television special 'The Sound of Jazz' in 1957. On this occasion she was backed by Lester Young, and Coleman Hawkins. Her final recoding was made with MGM in March of 1959. (Billie holiday) She died in a New York City hospital on July 17, 1959, from alcohol and drug related complications. The extent of her addiction...
This is possibly one of the central characteristics of the Blues - its potential for innovation and imaginative development - while still retaining the essential emotions of its origins. Blues remains with us in contemporary American culture, and as a traditional musical form it has been subjected to countless revivals and reinterpretations. Its current practitioners often integrate the sounds and instrumental pyrotechnics of rock music and the sheen of urban
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