Lady sings the blues by billie holliday and william dufty. Lady sings the blues is the fiercely honest, noholdsbarred autobiography of billie holiday. In lady sings the blues, holiday recalls some of the most resonant memories of her turbulent past the good, the mostly bad and the frequently ugly. The author, william dufty, also uses the term in reference to the upanddown feeling that sugar gives us as our bodies try to process a man made product that has no nutritional value and is bad for our bodies. It is the title song to her 1956 album, released on clefverve records mgc 721verve mv 2047. All of those thoughts were wiped out of my mind within the first three or four minutes of lady sings the blues, and i was left with a feeling of complete confidence in a dramatic performance. William francis dufty february 2, 1916 june 28, 2002 was an american writer, musician, and activist dufty was a supporter of trade unionism. Billie holidays bio, lady sings the blues, may be full. Lady sings the blues penguin modern classics holiday, billie, dufty, william isbn. The 50thanniversay edition with a revised discography harlem moon classics holiday, billie, dufty, william, ritz, david on. Lady sings the blues a poem by lorettayoung all poetry. The singer nicknamed lady day or just lady has become an allpurpose our lady of sorrows embraced by many of her black listeners and by many. Duftys writing style is good enough to make the reader feel they are reading lady day telling us her story.
Lady sings the blues is a song written by jazz singer billie holiday, and jazz pianist herbie nichols. However, it was actually ghostwritten by william dufty. But though ross continued to triumph as a recording and concert artist, she would never score a comparable success on film. Lady sings the blues billie dufty, william holiday on. Buy a cheap copy of sugar blues book by william dufty. About lady sings the blues lady sings the blues is a song written by jazz singer billie holiday, and jazz pianist herbie nichols. Dufty was an organizer for the united auto workers, wrote speeches for former uaw president walter reuther, edited michigan congress of industrial organizations cio news and handled publicity for americans for democratic action.
Lady sings the blues by billie holiday with william dufty and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. Lady sings the blues is ostensibly billie holidays autobiography. Lorettayoung char, thank you for your most perceptive comment, it is rarely with ease that i step into unknown shoes. Dufty, who told billie holidays life story in lady sings the blues, helped popularize macrobiotics in america, wrote sugar blues about the evils of processed sugar, and. Other articles where lady sings the blues is discussed.
Lady sings the blues was based on holidays autobiography of the same title that she wrote with william dufty. From the very start, billie holiday birth name eleanora fagan, born to thirteen year old sadie fagan and sixteen year old clarence holiday, had a very difficult life. Lady sings the blues by billie holiday, william dufty. The 50thanniversay edition with a revised discography ebook written by billie holiday, william dufty. The 50thanniversay edition with a revised discography. Open library is an initiative of the internet archive, a 501c3 nonprofit, building a digital library of internet sites and other cultural artifacts in digital form. Lady sings the blues 50th anniversary edition william dufty on. The term sugar blues is a reference to the title of an old song about the rollercoaster ride sugar provides.
Lady sings the blues is a 1972 american biographical drama film directed by sidney j. Few singers could attract such an accomplished pickup band as readily as the evenings feature attraction, billie holiday, who was attempting a commercial comeback with the publication of a scabrous autobiography titled lady sings the blues, ghostwritten by journalist william dufty. Lady sings the blues is the fiercely honest, noholdsbarred autobiography of billie holiday, the legendary jazz, swing, and standards singing sensation. Police officers were stationed at the door to her room. It does seem many time artists perish way too young. Holidays health began to fail because of drug and alcohol abuse, and she died in 1959. Lady sings the blues is a very loosely constructed autobiography arranged in chronological order but leaving many gaps. Billie holiday lady sings the blues lyrics genius lyrics. William dufty was born on february 2, 1916 in grand rapids, michigan, usa. Ray and walk the line parodied deservedly but with warmth in walk hard are our centuries answer to this, but back in the 70s there was lady sings the blues, which took the life story of billie holiday, arguably the greatest of all the jazz singers, and made it into a two and a half hour vehicle for diana ross.
Lady sings the blues billie holiday, william dufty, vincent. The song also featured as the title track of a movie about holidays life starring diana ross and has been covered numerous times by the likes of ella fitzgerald, diana ross, and smokey robinson. Jul 10, 2011 diana ross, as billie holiday, in lady sings the blues sorry for the low volume. The book formed the basis of the 1972 film lady sings the blues starring diana ross.
She was busted for drug possession as she lay dying. Jul 18, 2017 lady sings the blues is an autobiography by jazz singer billie holiday, which was coauthored by william dufty. Ghostwritten by the late newspaperman and author william dufty, the father of san francisco supervisorbevan dufty, lady sings the blues. Lady sings the blues autobiography by holiday britannica. She was a great talent who lived and sang the blues, thanks so much char, blessings, loretta. It is based on billie holidays reminiscences as told to collaborator.
Sugar blues, an account by william dufty of the devastating health effects of refined sugar, created quite a splash when it was first published in 1975. To date lady sings the blues remains her only oscar nomination. Comments about the lady sings the blues by james casey kasia fedyk 5242012 5. He was a writer, known for lady sings the blues 1972, round trip 1967 and reputations 1994.
Apr 09, 2012 lady sings the blues is a song written by jazz singer billie holiday, and jazz pianist herbie nichols. Lady sings the blues is an autobiography by jazz singer billie holiday, which was coauthored by william dufty. Lady sings the blues by billie holiday and william dufty. Diana ross sings good morning heartache in lady sings. Mar 02, 2011 originally released by doubleday in 1956, harlem moon classics celebrates the publication with the fiftiethanniversary edition of billie holidays unforgettable and timeless memoir, updated with an insightful introduction and a revised discography, both written by celebrated music writer david ritz. Lady sings the blues billie holiday with william dufty on. Furie about jazz singer billie holiday, loosely based on her 1956 autobiography which, in turn, took its title from one of holidays most popular songs. One of the major themes has to do with the difficulties of being a black jazz artist in. It is the title song to her 1956 album, released on clefverve records mgc 721verve mv. Billie holidays bio, lady sings the blues, may be full of lies, but it. As you are reducing the amount of sugar also reduce the amount of meat you are eating. Over 200,000 hollywood insiders ads related to sugar blues by william dufty save at amazon.
Billie holiday ft tony scotts orchestra lady sings the. Lady sings the blues is the title track of billie holidays 1956 album written by holiday and noted jazz pianist herbie nichols. Lady sings the blues diana ross billy dee williams richard pryor 1972 billie holiday diana ross goes from harlem brothel maid to heroinaddicted singing star, losing the man billy dee williams she loves. And sugar blues, inspired by the crusade of hollywood legend gloria swanson, is the classic, bestselling expose that unmasks our generations greatest medical killer and shows how a revitalizing, sugarfree diet can not only change lives, but quite possibly save them. Taking the reader on a fastmoving journey from holidays roughandtumble baltimore childhood where she ran errands at a whorehouse in exchange for the chance to listen to louis armstrong. Here are some suggestions to make the withdrawal easier. Aug 07, 2012 the term sugar blues is a reference to the title of an old song about the rollercoaster ride sugar provides. He was married to gloria swanson and maely bartholomew.
The 50thanniversay edition with a revised discography harlem moon classics. It was produced by motown productions for paramount pictures. According to william duffy in sugar blues the difference between sugar addiction and narcotic addiction is largely one of degree. Ghostwritten by the late newspaperman and author william dufty, the father of san francisco supervisorbevan dufty, lady sings the blues was published three years before holiday died in a new york hospital at age 44. Her recordings are still reissued, and a film based on her life, lady sings the blues, starring diana ross, was released in 1972. Taken from a pair of sessions taped during 19551956, lady sings the blues finds holiday in top form and backed by the sympathetic likes of tenor saxophonist paul quinichette, trumpeters charlie shavers and harry edison, pianist wynton kelly. Originally released by doubleday in 1956, harlem moon classics celebrates the publication with the fiftiethanniversary edition of billie holidays unforgettable and timeless memoir, updated with an insightful introduction and a revised discography, both written by celebrated music writer david ritz.
She sang mostly popular tunes of the day with her own unique bluesy style. Billie holidays bio, lady sings the blues, may be full of. Lady sings the blues is the fiercely honest, noholdsbarred. I vividly remember how energetically i avoided the book. Diana ross sings good morning heartache in lady sings the blues. Buy sugar blues warner books ed by dufty, william isbn. Lady sings the blues is a patchwork quilt of anecdotes with no consistent thesis holding it together. Sugar blues is a book by william dufty that was released in 1975 and has become a dietary classic.
In lady sings the blues, holiday recalls some of the most resonant memories of her turbulent pastthe good, the mostly bad and the frequently ugly. Diana ross sings good morning heartache in lady sings the. Ghostwritten by the late newspaperman and author william dufty, the father of san francisco supervisor bevan dufty, lady sings the blues was published three years before holiday died in a new. Refined sugar the sweetest poison of all by william dufty. Refined sugar the sweetest poison of all a multitude of common physical and mental ailments are strongly linked to the consuming of pure, refined sugar. On oscar night, it was minnelli who emerged as the best actress winner, with cabaret besting lady sings the blues in the music and design categories. Diana ross, as billie holiday, in lady sings the blues sorry for the low volume. Lady sings the blues holiday, billie with william dufty on.
Consumed at the rate of one hundred pounds for every american every year. Extracted from nexus magazine, volume 7, number 1 december 1999 january 2000. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read lady sings the blues. Lady sings the blues 1956 is an autobiography by jazz singer billie holiday, which was coauthored by william dufty. Lady sings the blues billie holiday, william dufty.
Dufty s writing style is good enough to make the reader feel they are reading lady day telling us her story. Lady sing the blues shes got them bad she feels so sad and wants the world to know just what her blues are all about lady sings the blues she tells her. Holiday, who was born eleanora fagan in baltimore in 1915, grew up living alternately with her mother and other relatives and rarely saw her father, clarence holiday, a touring musician. Taken from a pair of sessions taped during 19551956, lady sings the blues finds holiday in top form and backed by the sympathetic likes of tenor saxophonist paul quinichette, trumpeters charlie shavers and harry edison, pianist wynton kelly, and guitarists kenny burrell and barney kessel. Sep 18, 2006 ghostwritten by the late newspaperman and author william dufty, the father of san francisco supervisor bevan dufty, lady sings the blues was published three years before holiday died in a new. Its a prime ingredient in countless substances from cereal to soup, from cola to coffee. Lady sings the blues, edition nautilus, hamburg 20, 223 seiten. Her addiction to narcotics and alcohol brought about her early death at the age of 44. The lady sings the blues poem by james casey poem hunter.