29c Billie Holiday stamp

Billie Holiday (1915-1959), born Eleanora Fagan, had an art for graceful phrasing and a distinctively light timbre that enabled her to render popular tunes dealing with heartbreak and despair with a buoyancy that rose above the heavy sentimentality of the words. Holiday's solo hits such as "God Bless the Child" and "Strange Fruit" became standard tunes for many generations of singers to follow.

Reference: Postal Bulletin (September 1, 1994).

Scott Catalogue USA: 2856
mint

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Museum ID: 1995.2075.51