Billie Holiday's Influences In Music

The poem that I wanted to analyze for this weeks discussion is "Minor Miracle" by Marilyn Nelson. The "Voice" of the poem is that of the poet. This is implied in the first sentence where the author prefaces the poem stating, "Which reminds me of another knock-on-wood memory." The whole poem is recounted by the poet as if she was reliving a memory or telling the story to some friends. The poem ends abruptly with "He climbed back into his truck and drove away," and does not allow any chance for the poet or her listeners to respond to the surprise ending. This poem is best read as though you were listening to a friend recount a story that had happened to them recently.

The transcendentalists thought that individuality and self-reliance was true. For example Emerson says in his essay from self-reliance to “speak your latent conviction and it shall be the universal sense”. This means that you need to stop holding what you are holding back from saying and just say what you want to say. Theses song help represent that.

Ella Fitzgerald, also known as “The First Lady of Song” or “Lady Ella”, was an extraordinary singer highly known in the Harlem Renaissance. Born in Virginia then moving to New York, Ella grew up during the 1920s and got her breakthrough in the early 1930s. She joined an orchestra and produced her first number one single, A-Tisket, A-Tasket. Ella’s contributions to the Harlem Renaissance included not only her songs, but her appearances in movies such as. Ella Fitzgerald is shaped into the woman that she once was through her background, accomplishments, challenges and hardships; she also leaves a legacy that would continue on to influence many generations to come.

Buddy Holly changed Rock and Roll in his own way. He accomplished many things in his life and learned to sway the crowd. Buddy had a huge impact on people for such a short life, created his own style on his guitar, and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, making him one of the most creative singer of the 20th century.

In a society where songs with meaningless lyrics and repeated phrases gathers the most publicity, it is surprising to find songs that exhibit meaningful lyrics and thoughts. Unlike most hip-hop songs that contain useless repeated lyrics, Kanye West’s 2008 hit “Heartless” contains lyrics full of meaning. After producing this song, he was starting to approach the zenith of his career. This song became an instant hit for not only its soothing beats or sounds, but for its impactful lyrics that take the listener multiple attempts to really understand. This song tells the story of a tragic breakup between two individuals that cannot seem to get along.

On April 7th 1915, Eleanora Fagan was welcomed into the world by her young, very complicated mother and father. Her mother, a maid, was ejected from her parents apartment after they discovered her pregnancy. Her father, Clarence Holiday, who had his heart set on becoming a famous musician, exchanged his fatherly responsibilities, for a life of touring with his band and being an infrequent visitor. In the few times her father visited her, he made the observation that Elanora was a tomboy, and started to call her Bill. In an effort to be more feminine and in honor of her favorite actress and Baltimorean Billie Dove, Bill was exchanged for Billie, and the star we come to know and love was born. This seemingly small exchange in identity led her to incite major social change and influence many young artists to come. During the Harlem renaissance in which Billie Holiday thrived, culture was changing and eyes were being opened not only to black talent and potential but the injustice done to blacks and their effects on the black community. “Strange Fruit”, one of Billie’s most successful songs, is timeless. It's the song that forced open the ears of white america. Through that song and Billie holiday’s powerful performance, A story crying out to be told was finally spoken and for one of the first times, people were listening. To Bobby Short, the song was “ very, very, pivotal, a way of movingly do

Eleanor Feagan, most commonly known as Billie Holiday, was an American jazz musician and singer-songwriter who had a career lasting nearly 30 years. The way she sang had been strongly inspired by jazz instrumentalists and introduced a new way of controlling phrasing and tempo. She carried an abundant amount of emotion and character in her voice, in addition to her material. Holiday is one of the most influential jazz musicians of all time and has had an everlasting influence on American music.

Often referred to as "The First Lady of Song," Ella Fitzgerald was one of the most popular female jazz singers in the United States. Throughout her career, Ella was awarded thirteen Grammys and sold over 40 million albums. With a voice that not only encompassed a large range, but a dynamic and powerful sound, Ella could sing almost anything from scatting to the popular tunes of her day. She performed in the top venues all around the world to packed houses, with audiences as diverse as the music she created. Ella came from a small town and impoverished family, but through her talent and determination, skyrocketed to fame creating a legacy that has withstood the sands of time.

R-E-S-P-E-C-T, the song that put on her on the charts, Aretha Franklin, one of the most influential female artists of all time is the artist that interest me the most. With her vocals a mixture of jazz and rhythm & blues, Aretha gained fame. Her vocals were so good, that it made her to have hit records over five years, which later on in her career, cause her to be inducted into the rock and roll hall of fame. Also giving her the title “The Queen of Soul”. Like most artists today, Franklin got her career started by singing gospel, and from gospel to pop and R&B. Aretha Franklin had many accomplishments in her time, like having 13 million songs sold. Also, “Aretha Franklin did not only symbolized female empowerment in the sound of her records

Lena Horne was a star who broke racial barriers. In a suppressive 1900s America, an African American woman was determined to step into the limelight to defy the racial standards of her time. She faced an uphill battle trying to create a career from her childhood, with little support from her own family, let alone a white dominated industry. When she finally proved to be an astonishing performer and struck a deal with a major Hollywood studio, she was still held back by racial segregation laws still in effect in the south. Horne recognized her influence and used her talents to go from actress to activist. Through movie roles and songs the starlette used her voice to make movements for African American civil rights.

American novelist, poet, and playwright Langston Hughes was born in Joplin Missouri in February 1902. Soon after he was born, his parents separated, and his father moved away to Mexico. He was raised by his maternal grandmother, until her death. After she died, he began to write poetry and Walt Whitman and Carl Sandburg were major early influences in his work. After he graduated from high school in 1920 Hughes spent the next year with his father in Mexico. His first greatly praised poem was called "The Negro Speaks of Rivers" which was published in Crisis Magazine. In 1921 Hughes came back to America and enrolled in Columbia University. He studied there for a while but soon got involved in the Harlem Renaissance. In 1922 he dropped out of

“The extent to which Billy Strayhorn gained recognition during his years with us was never commensurate with his contribution” said Leonard Feather, the British-born jazz musician. Indeed, though contributing enormous brilliant jazz pieces to the Swing era, Billy Strayhorn was far more unnoticed compared to his collaborator, the jazz master Duke Ellington. Instead, living most of his professional life as the protege of Duke Ellington, Strayhorn passed away in 1967 at too young an age to fully illustrate his own music to the world. However, Strayhorn’s work encountered a resurgence with the dedication of fellow musicians like Toshiko Akiyoshi and Joe Henderson

The performance was the starting point for Nina Simone’s civil rights activism. She was able to reach both the black and white population. Her large caucasian fan base made it easier to influence Caucasians in the North, and her being an African-American performing at Carnegie Hall inspired many African-Americans to fight for success. This changes the mindset of both populations and sparked the willingness for them to actively make changes. This song proved to be very significant to her overall contribution to the movement. Following “Mississippi Goddam”, she continued to release other protest songs such as “Strange Fruit” - where she compares black people that were hung to fruits on trees - , “Feeling Good” - where she dreams of freedom -, and “Sinnerman” - where she attacks the white people that wronged African-Americans - all In 1965. All of these songs were very

Racism, killing of African Americans, evolution of music.These are all reasons why the Civil Rights Movement and the Harlem Renaissance has similar purposes. The Civil Rights Movement was lead by many activists such as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, plus other leaders. The Harlem Renaissance had poets such as Langston Hughes and blues singers such as Louis Armstrong. Together these leaders made a difference in the way of African Americans. First came the Harlem Renaissance, then came the unforgettable Civil Rights Movement. Both historical events were reflected upon each other. As already known, the Harlem Renaissance used many tactics to voice black rights. They used strategies such as blues music, poetry, artwork, and non- violent protests. The Civil Rights Movement paved the way for African American through riots, speeches, and unnecessary arrests. The people who lived during the Civil Rights Movement used both violent and non- violent protests , marches and speeches. No matter how anyone look at the past, it carved a better future for many African Americans.

“Strange Fruit” is a song written by Abel Meeropol and was made famous by the singer Billie Holliday. The big release of the song was in 1939, although it was written a few years before. Meeropol was weary about letting it out to the larger public, so he had it played in meetings, benefits, and house parties. Meeropol originally wrote it as a poem, which was inspired by a photograph of lynching. The song has historical context and is better understood once the listener knows some of the background of both the song and the writer himself.