Masters Of American Music — Season 1, Episode 6: Billie Holiday - Lady Day - The Many Faces Of Billie Holiday

Episode synopsis

This story invites viewers to see the many faces of this “dark lady of the sonnets”, as one poet called her, and to appreciate her undying art more deeply. While she was a victim of hard times and drug addiction, the single fact of her life that matters above all others is that she was a great artist who, with Louis Armstrong, invented modern jazz singing.

About Masters Of American Music

Masters of American Music is a multi-award-winning television series, as entertaining and memorable as it is educational, it is a must have for any true music fan. The series celebrates a pantheon of the greatest musical innovators with individual programmes tracing the lives and works of master musicians who defined the course of American’s musical history. From the birth of the blues in New Orleans to Swing, Big Band, Bebop, Free Jazz and beyond – all of this rich tapestry is explored with sensitivity and unique depth. The featured artists come to life through conversations with their contemporaries, exciting and rare live performances, period footage and vintage photographs, all of which have been meticulously produced.

More episodes from Season 1

• E1Bluesland - A Portrait In American Music
• E2Louis Armstrong – Satchmo
• E3Count Basie - Swingin' The Blues
• E4Ray Charles - The Genius Of Soul
• E5John Coltrane - The World According To John Coltrane
• E7Thelonious Monk – American Composer
• E8Charlie Parker - Celebrating Bird - The Triumph Of Charlie Parker
• E9Sarah Vaughan - The Divine One
• E10The Story Of Jazz