Sultry Facts About Billie Holiday, Jazz Music's Tragic Star
Billie Holiday’s story is not one for the faint of heart. From the very beginning, turmoil, racism, and a deep inner sadness plagued her life—and haunted her until the very end.
But at the same time, she had a fighting spirit and a voice like no other. From adversity to scandal to the bitter and heartbreaking end—there’s little doubt that Billie deserved a lot better than what the world gave her.
1. Her Earliest Moments Were Filled With Tumult
Billie Holiday’s tragic end can only be matched by the flurry of drama that surrounded her birth. In 1914, Sadie Harris, then still in her teens, got pregnant. Her parents kicked her out of their home in Baltimore and she fled to Philadelphia. It was there, in 1915, that she gave birth to a daughter. On the birth certificate, she listed the father of her child as a waiter named Frank DeViese.
It was there that the trouble began. DeViese instantly disappeared from Sadie and the baby’s life—but it’s possible that he had a good reason.
2. They Took Her From Her Mother
While Billie’s mother Sadie listed one man on her daughter’s birth certificate, the truth was much darker. Billie’s father was actually a teenaged banjo player named Clarence Holiday. However, within hours of her birth, all that was moot.
Her mother’s brother-in-law picked up Billie—then known as Eleanora—at the hospital and took her to his mother in Baltimore.
It would be a hard road from there…and a long time before Billie even met her mother again.
3. She Was A Bad Influence
Billie’s mother was in and out of her life for the next decade—but even when she was in, she only made things worse.
Soon after Billie moved in with her mother for the first time, the authorities brought her before the Juvenile Court for being “without proper guardianship.” Young Billie spent ten months in reform school before they released her.
Before long, she was right back where she started—all for a horrifying reason.
After a neighbor assaulted her, the authorities put Billie back in the school. It would take two months and the work of a dogged lawyer to get her released again. Sadly, her time behind bars didn’t end there.
4. She Was In The Wrong Place At The Wrong Time
In 1928, Billie’s mother once again left her, this time to move to New York City. Despite their fractured relationship, Billie chose to follow her the year after. It would be a life-changing adventure—but it would begin with a grave mistake. Billie’s mother Sadie worked the streets, and Billie joined her in a night house. The authorities eventually performed a raid on the place, detaining both mother and daughter.
After a judge convicted her for prostitution, Billie had to spend five months on Welfare Island, toiling in the workhouse, before they released her.
She found her way back to her mother again—but she also discovered something important about herself.
