Billie Holliday

            Billie Holliday was born in Baltimore in 1915. Her father left the home before she was born. When she was ten years old she was raped and sent to a foster home where she lived for three years. At the age of 13 she moved back home and started working at a brothel. It was while working at the brothel she first heard recordings of Bessie Smith and Louis Armstrong. These were to be her biggest influences. It was right around this time she began singing at after hour's clubs. One night she auditioned as a dancer. While she couldn't dance, the club owner asked her what else she could do instead. She told him that she also sang a little. She performed a couple of songs and was hired on the spot. In 1933 she was discovered by John Hammond, who introduced her to Benny Goodman and recorded their collaborations. In these songs, the instrumental work was the main focus of the music, which was typical of the time. By the late 30's however, Holliday's voice became the dominant focus. Throughout the 40's and 50's she worked with, most notably, Teddy Wilson, Count Basie, and Lester Young. It was Lester Young in fact who gave her the nickname "Lady Day". By the 1950's Billie Holliday had developed a serious heroin addiction. She also drank and smoked. During her last years she was in terrible health. She died in 1959.
             Ella Fitzgerald was born in Newport News, Virginia in 1917. Both her parents died by the time she was 15. Ella was forced to live at the New York State Training School for girls, where she was abused by the caretakers. Striving to become a dancer, Ella took the stage of the Harlem Apollo Theatre in 1934. However, she was too nervous to perform her dance routine so she began singing instead. She sang two songs and took home first prize in the competition. Ella was soon discovered by Chick Webb. Webb took the young girl under his wing and personally coached her. This was the most "formal" training she ever received.