Review: Billie Holiday

Subject: RE: Review: Billie Holiday
From: M.Ted
Date: 15 Feb 06 - 12:08 PM

"Lady Sings the Blues" was written by William Dufty, "as told by" Billie Holliday.   He also wrote "Sugar Blues", which is can also be called interesting but not authoritative.

Jazz and it's relatives (blues, etc) existed in a transient, temporary world that wasn't every really acknowledged, let alone documented--Little to nothing is known of many of the greatest musicians--what is known is processed through a folk culture, where a good story is more important than an accurate or complete story--

Subject: RE: Review: Billie Holiday
From: alanabit
Date: 15 Feb 06 - 10:04 AM

To be fair to Woody Guthrie, he referred to "Bound for Glory" as "my novel". It has a few stretchers in it and it has generally been regarded as a fictionalised account of his life.
Billie Holiday's book, which if I recall rightly, does not even give her real name (Elanor Fagan Gough). There is an article here about the difficulty of writing about her here
. "Lady Sings The Blues" was almost certainly ghost written. It was a very interesting - and at times harrowing read. It is not auathoritative though.

Subject: RE: Review: Billie Holiday
From: GUEST
Date: 15 Feb 06 - 09:23 AM

Hey Art,

I guess you could say the same thing about Woody Guthrie's Bound For Glory.

Subject: RE: Review: Billie Holiday
From: GUEST,Art Thieme
Date: 14 Feb 06 - 11:52 PM

It was a pretty good read, but, also, it was pretty far from a true rendering of her times and the events. She should've gone on Oprah.

Subject: Review: Billie Holiday
From: Gypsy
Date: 14 Feb 06 - 10:55 PM

Yup, i must be pretty full of my self, reviewing the great Lady Day. But what i DO want to review: Lady Sings the Blues.............by.........gasp........Billie Holiday. Found a reprint by Penguin Books, written about 3 years before she died. Incredible book. Of course, she was an incredible lady. Really recommend it to any fan of blues music, and of Lady Day. 'nuff said. just read it.