Billie Holiday - Sensational Lady - A Sunday Documentary

Words cannot even describe how we feel about Billie Holiday. No words are even necessary - it's pure feeling it. We listen to her all the time, and she had a magical, otherworldly way of taking words and infuse them with a raw, pure emotion. You feel her when you listen. It's like she sings directly to you. Born in 1915 to teenage parents - with her mother only 13 we can't even begin to fathom the start of her life. A victim of rape when she was a child - she herself was sent away to a correctional facility like it was her fault. Then later working in a brothel with her own mother. Billie prevailed and began her career in music. Living in heavily segregated times and really before the civil rights movement her story is also a grim document of racism in America and the oppression of women. In this BBC documentary from 2001 we get to hear amazing stories from people who knew her directly. They together paint a portrait of the genius that she was, but also the person behind the music, who wanted to be loved and free and longing to have a family. We also get to hear what a badass she was - she managed to squeeze an awful lot of living in those 44 years she was here on this earth. The songs she wrote are legendary - God Bless The Child, Don't Explain, Lady Sings The Blues. Not to mention her version of Strange Fruit - in our book the definitive protest song against racism. The world is a much better place because of her legacy. 

As always we can't wait to hear your thoughts - comment below or Facebook us! 

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