Billie Holiday

Billie Holiday (born Eleanora Fagan) was a jazz and blues singer who became one of the most influential jazz vocalists of the 20th century. Born in Philadelphia in 1915, she rose to fame in the 1930s and 1940s with hits such as "God Bless the Child," "Don't Explain," and "Strange Fruit." Holiday's career was a turbulent one and she often encountered legal and personal troubles. Despite her struggles, her emotive, blues-infused sound has been hugely influential to generations of jazz singers and musicians.

Holiday's standout albums include Lady in Satin (1958), The Essential Billie Holiday (2001), and the posthumously released Billie Holiday (2011). Her most famous songs include "Lover Man," "My Man," "Ain't Nobody's Business If I Do," and "Strange Fruit."

An interesting fact about Billie Holiday is that she was one of the first artists to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987.