Happy Birthday Lady Day!!

-

Today would have been Ms. Eleanora Fagan's (a.k.a Billie Holiday) 95th birthday. Although she's been gone for many decades now, her sultry voice still gets me to the core. When I listen to Billie Holiday it often makes me feel like I'm in some jazz dive bar. I picture the place very dark, smoky, filled with men in suits and women in their best Sunday dresses. This might not be a high end bar but the patrons sure do look it. The stage is small and has one light center stage. The crowd anxiously awaits for Ms. Lady Day to get up on stage. The bartender pours himself a drink, having it ready for when his favorite song is sung. The lights begin to dim, Ms. Lady Day steps on stage as the audience looks on. They seem to be hypnotized by her voice and beauty.

This is what I picture when I listen to Billie. I like to put her records on and pour myself some whiskey. I must admit I haven't done that in quite sometime but, I use to do it almost religiously. Her music gets me to the right down to the soul. Its as though you can feel her pain through her songs. Very captivating.
Billie Holiday still captivates millions of listeners today. Her voice and music are timeless. It always surprises me to see new generations being such fans. I remember when my sister was in high school she did a paper on Billie Holiday. I was so happy and proud of her! I couldn't believe out of all the musicians out there she chose Billie! I was happy to see I had some influence on her musically. 

When when I was younger I always said if I ever had a daughter, I was going to name her Billie. I did have a daughter but sadly did not name her Billie. When I would daydream of naming my beautiful baby girl Billie, I never thought about her father not liking the name. This was the case. She may not be named Billie legally but in my heart she is.

If you don't have any Billie Holiday in your music collection, do yourself a favor and go to your local music shop (if those still exist) or just got to itunes and get some Billie. After all, no one should be deprived of such greatness!

A few of my personal favorite and suggestions would be:

Good Morning Heartache
My Man
Don't Explain
Lover Man
He's Funny That Way

I could go on and on so I'll just stop there.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Soloist On The Solo List

-
Image
El Tepeyac Cafe-Boyle Heights Some people freak out when I tell them I love going to restaurants alone. They think it's weird and can't imagine doing it. I find it to be the most relaxing experience ever. I can sit down, enjoy my meal and play with my phone if I choose to. If you've never done this I totally suggest you try it. One thing I've never done alone is go catch a movie. That is definitely on my to do list. 
Read more

It'Ah Really Is Ah His Birthday!!

-
Image
This year Mr.Andrade turned the big 3-0. Being the hard worker that he is, he worked on his freaking birthday! I tried to plan something big and extravagant since he was turning 30 but, no dice. Mr. Andrade is a mellow dude when it comes to birthdays so, I had to cave and go with his wishes. Not totally might I add hehehe. The night started with a nice little romantic dinner for two at Frida's in Beverly Hills. The place is very small and very cozy. We enjoyed our meals and service. He had Carnitas and I had Enchiladas Tapatio. To drink I had a Chamoy Margararita and he had a Jack and Coke. Everyone was very friendly and the atmosphere was very low key. Guaranteed we will hit up that spot again. After dinner we went off to meet up with family and friends at a cool little spot called Down & Out. I instantly loved it! Their decor consisted of celebrity mug shots and pin up pictures. Mr. Andrade seemed to like it also, which is what mattered since we were there for him. It w...
Read more

Coraline

-
Image
Sam getting her hair done by the amazing Amanda. Sami and her faces. This is actually after her second cut. She originally didn't want to cut it so we trimmed it. When Amanda was done Sami started complaining saying it she wanted it like Coraline. Amanda having to cut it, AGAIN. This is when Sami finally was asking for the Coraline cut. Coraline #2 Coraline, we owe you! Most people who know me know that I am not a fan of long hair. I don't like it all. Not saying girls with long hair don't look nice, some girls have gorgeous long locks but they're not for me. I think it has to do with the fact that when I was a kid my pop's refused to let me cut my hair. I use to cry and cry and my dad wouldn't budge. I remember for my second grade pictures I tucked my hair inside my dress and kind of pulled it out a little bit to give the impression I had short hair. I loved those pictures. One day, I think my mom either felt sorry for me or...
Read more