Editing Billie Holiday (section)

== Rise to Fame ==

Holiday began singing professionally in New York clubs in the early 1930s, her style immediately distinguishing her from other vocalists. Where most singers adhered closely to melodies and rhythms as written, Holiday reimagined songs, bending phrases, altering rhythms, and infusing lyrics with personal meaning that transformed even banal material into compelling performances. Producer John Hammond discovered her at a Harlem club and arranged her first recording sessions in 1933, beginning a recording career that would produce some of American music's most enduring performances.<ref name="nicholson"/>

Her collaborations with pianist Teddy Wilson and saxophonist Lester Young produced small-group jazz recordings that remain touchstones of the genre. Holiday's interpretations of songs like "These Foolish Things," "I'll Be Seeing You," and "God Bless the Child" demonstrated how a vocalist could transform familiar material through phrasing and emotional investment. Her voice—small by conventional standards, with limited range—achieved effects that more powerful singers could not match, its vulnerability and expressiveness making her performances uniquely moving.<ref name="blackburn"/>