a celebration of 4 highly influential artist, who used their voices to sing about and bring attention to racial injustices that they'd witnessed and at the forefront of the Civil Rights Movement... Holiday's 1939 song "Strange Fruit" is considered one of the first protest songs of the Civil Rights Movement. It's a direct expression of political protest against racism and the lynching of African Americans in the segregated South - where Nina Simone's Sister Rosetta Tharpe songs were a soundtrack to the civil rights movement, and were trailblazers who broke down barriers of race, gender, and religion....where in 1960 Abbey Lincolns sang on Max Roach's landmark civil rights-themed recording We Insist! (subtitled Freedom Now Suite)"regarded as the earliest full-scale protest record in jazz"

These stand out, iconic albums compiled together here - are often cited as turning points in their careers thought-provoking, with spirited personalities that secured their place among the greats...


Forbidden Fruit - Nina Simone...
When Nina Simone signed to colpix in 1959 she was granted complete creative control over her music. This new freedom gave her the ability to explore new subject areas, particularly themes dealing with civil rights. Songs like 'Work Song' on 1961's Forbidden Fruit gave an inkling of the maelstrom that was to come, when she would become a veritable force to be reckoned with, making white audiences squirm in their seats with her harsh condemnation of american apartheid....Forbidden Fruit is widely acknowledged as the best of Nina Simone's early releases. Producer Cal Lampley chose to cast her in varied settings, blending a rendition of Oscar Brown's "Rags And Old Iron" with a unique take of Bessie Smith's "Gin House Blues," contrasting with Billie Holiday's "No Good Man" and "I'll Look Around," which Simone shifts to her own image. Her backing trio aim for the understated, the rhythm section leaving ample room for Simone's appealing piano lines, nicely complimented by Al Shackman's guitar.... Simone has been cited as an influence on many an artist - John Lennon, Nick Cave, Jeff Buckley, Aretha Franklin, Richie Havens, Sade, Beth Gibbons and Peter Gabriel - to name but a few...

Gospel Train - Sister Rosetta Tharpe...
Singer/guitarist Sister Rosetta Tharpe had been blending gospel with R&B since the late 1940s, but her 1956 comeback album, Gospel Train, her first for the Mercury label, is the point at which her releases became aligned with the new rock ‘n’ roll scene that her earlier work had influenced. Gone was the churchified organ and solemn backing vocals of the Rosettes from her previous album, 1951’s Blessed Assurance, and in their place was a small band: bass, drums, guitar, piano or organ and the soulful, joyous vocals of the Harmonizing Four. And Tharpe’s guitar, absent for the previous album but a staple of her galvanizing live shows, adds a dynamism that, until then, was not really associated with gospel records, but has been ever since.
Tharpe’s influence on the first generation of US rock ‘n’ rollers was, of course, partly stylistic, but just as importantly, the example of an indisputably religious singer, playing in what was then considered a disreputable style, would give courage to those like Elvis Presley, who had qualms about the morality of their vocation. In addition to inspiring that generation, Tharpe would prove a decisive influence on some of the key players of the next decade - Tharpe has been cited as an influence by numerous musicians, including Bob Dylan, Little Richard, Elvis Presley, Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton, Keith Richards and Johnny Cash.

Lady Sings the Blues - Billie Holiday...
The Los Angeles sessions dating from 1954 offer a fresher-sounding Billie, but that in no way diminishes the quality of the songs recorded in New York City. When it was originally released on Clef records, Down Beat magazine gave the album a glowing review and five stars. In their review of the 78-rpm release of Love Me Or Leave Me coupled with I Thought About You, Down Beat said: 'What counts is the penetratingly personal presence of Lady Day.’. When the album came out, there was a concert at New York City's Carnegie Hall on 10 November 1956 featuring much of this material along with readings from her autobiography. It was a sellout and despite the limitations with Billie's voice she delivered a superb performance. In less than three years, however, she would be dead.

Straight Ahead - Abbey Lincoln...
Abbey Lincoln's Straight Ahead, originally released in 1961. Abbey Lincoln, often remembered for her seminal work with Max Roach, was a powerful performer and indeed one of the greatest jazz voices of all time. Straight Ahead stands as one her best albums. Lincoln is matched here by an ultra-stellar line-up including jazz masters such as Booker Little (trumpet), Julian Priester (trombone), Eric Dolphy (alto saxophone, bass clarinet, flute), Walter Benton and Coleman Hawkins (tenor saxophone), Mal Waldron (piano), Art Davis (bass), Max Roach (drums), Roger Sanders and Robert Whitley (congas). Straight Ahead is the perfect combination between Lincoln 's strong "Afro-Blue" tone singing, conscious lyrics, and angular modern jazz arrangements. Recorded in New York in a one-off studio session held on February 22, 1961 and released by Candid Records in the same year, the album includes highlights such as Oscar Brown Jr's "When Malindy Sings", Thelonious Monk's "Blue Monk", Billie Holiday and Mal Waldron's "Left Alone", and "African Lady", a Randy Weston composition based on lyrics by the great writer Langston Hughes.




Nina Simone
1933-2003
“The High Priestess of Soul,” Nina Simone was a singer, pianist, songwriter, and civil rights activist. Mostly known as a jazz singer, her music blended gospel, blues, folk, pop, and classical styles. No popular singer was more closely associated with the Civil Rights Movement than Simone.

Nina Simone was born Eunice Kathleen Waymon on February 21, 1933, in Tryon, North Carolina. Her mother, Mary Kate Irvin, was a Methodist preacher and housekeeper, and her father, John Divine Waymon, worked as an entertainer, barber, and dry-cleaner. The family’s home was filled with music and Simone’s mother encouraged her musical pursuits but did not approve of nonreligious music like blues and jazz. Simone took up the piano before her feet could reach the pedals, and by the age of six, she was playing during church services.

Simone soon began formal training, her lessons paid for by benefactors who saw her promise as a pianist. She learned classical repertory and specialized in playing the works of Johann Sebastian Bach. Funds donated by a pair of white patrons in Tryon allowed Simone to attend the Allen High School for Girls, a private, integrated high school in Asheville, North Carolina. In 1950, Simone graduated from Allen as the valedictorian.

She earned a scholarship for a one-year program at the Juilliard School in New York City and used the time there to prepare for the entrance exam to the prestigious (and tuition-free) Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia. She worked as an accompanist and piano teacher to support herself but left Juilliard after she ran out of money. Simone applied to Curtis but was denied entry. She always felt that her rejection was based solely on her race and the injustice had a profound impact on her. Simone continued to work as an accompanist and music teacher as she took private lessons and pursued her dream of becoming a concert pianist.

In 1954, Simone began playing piano and singing at the Midtown Bar and Grill in Atlantic City, New Jersey. She feared that her mother would disapprove of her work in a bar, so she adopted a stage name, Nina (a nickname from a former boyfriend) and Simone (after the French actress Simone Signoret).

While performing in the Atlantic City and Philadelphia areas, Simone signed with Bethlehem Records and released her debut album, Little Girl Blue, in 1958. Simone still sought to become a concert pianist and used her proceeds from her album to fund her classical training. Simone’s version of “I Loves You, Porgy” from the musical Porgy and Bess became a Top 20 hit in 1959. She decided to move to New York to capitalize on her success.

Simone had married Don Ross, a salesman, in 1958, but they separated the following year. Simone then married Andrew Stroud, a New York City detective, in 1961, and gave birth to a daughter, Lisa Celeste, in 1962. Stroud left the police force to manage Simone’s career. She had become popular on the cabaret and festival circuits around New York City and continued to release albums throughout the decade.

Simone was billed as a jazz vocalist, but she often rejected the label, viewing it as a reflection of her race more than her musical style and training. She self-identified as a folk singer, with a style that also incorporated blues, gospel, and pop, among others. She was able to cross genres as both a singer and pianist, and her classical background remained an important part of her musical identity.

In the early 1960s, Simone often performed in New York City’s Greenwich Village, where she mixed with artists and intellectuals like James Baldwin and Langston Hughes. Along with other African Americans looking to connect with their African heritage, Simone took part in a 1961 American Society of African Culture conference in Lagos, Nigeria. These experiences prompted Simone to get involved with the Civil Rights Movement. Simone performed benefit concerts for groups like the Congress of Racial Equality and the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee.

She released the iconic protest song “Mississippi Goddam” in 1964, in reaction to the bombing of the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama and the assassination of civil rights leader Medgar Evers, both in 1963. The song expressed her frustration with the slow pace of change in response to the efforts of the Civil Rights Movement. She famously performed "Mississippi Goddam” at a concert on April 7, 1968, three days after the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr.

Simone continued to speak out forcefully about the African American freedom struggle and became associated with the Black Nationalism and Black Power movements. Her albums covered a wide range of styles and included both politically motivated songs and reimaginations of popular songs. “To Be Young, Gifted, and Black” (1969) aimed to make African American children feel good about themselves and “Four Women” (1966) expressed the suffering and resilience of African American women. At the same time, her covers of songs by Leonard Cohen, George Harrison, and the Bee Gees earned acclaim.

In the 1970s, as public attention toward the Civil Rights Movement declined, Simone’s music faded in popularity. She and Stroud divorced and Simone left the United States, eventually settling in France. Simone attributed her move abroad to what she saw as the worsening racial situation in the U.S. She continued to release new albums and draw fans to her concert tours, but she performed less as the years went on.

In 1991, Simone published her autobiography, I Put a Spell on You (taking the title from her famous 1965 song). The Curtis Institute of Music, which had rejected Simone back in 1950, named her an honorary doctor in music and humanities in 2003. Two days later, she died from cancer at her home in Carry-le-Rouet, France.

Scholars have often overlooked Simone’s legacy because her music crossed genres and could not easily be categorized, but she left a profound mark on American music. Singers such as Aretha Franklin, Rufus Wainright, and Roberta Flack cite her as an important influence. In 2008, Rolling Stone named Simone to its list of the 100 Greatest Singers of All Time, and, in 2018, Simone was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame...


Sister Rosetta Tharpe
1915-1973
Tharpe began her musical pursuits in the church. She experimented with various genres including rhythm and blues and rock and roll

She was exceedingly skilled at playing the electric guitar, asserting her mastery as a woman guitarist

Tharpe has been dubbed the “Godmother of Rock and Roll”. Musicians such as Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry, Eric Clapton and Little Richard have cited her as an influence...


Sister Rosetta Tharpe was born Rosie Etta Atkins in 1915 in Cotton Plant, Arkansas. Both of Tharpe’s parents, Katie Bell Nubin and Willis Atkins, were singers. Katie Bell also played the mandolin. Tharpe’s father was not involved in her life; even so, her mother’s influence alone set Tharpe on the path of becoming a performer. Alongside her work as a cotton picker, Katie Bell was also a deaconess-missionary and a women's speaker for the Church of God in Christ. This made the church “radical for its encouragement of rhythmic musical experimentation …, as well as allowing women, such as Sister Rosetta’s mother, Katie Bell Nubin, to preach and sing in church,” (Mazique 2019). Though Tharpe was shy, her involvement in the church gave her the opportunity to both sing and play guitar for audiences from as early as age four.

In 1921, Tharpe and her mother moved to the South Side of Chicago for a change of scenery. Once she turned six, the mother-daughter duo began to tour with an evangelist troupe that performed throughout various locations in the South. As she grew older, Tharpe recognized that the more attention her performances garnered, the more of a chance she had to spread her talent, particularly in her favorite genres: gospel, jazz, and blues. While still involved with the Church of God in Christ, she soon realized that Christian ideals denounced jazz and blues. Though the church was often progressive, she was still taught to look down at genres such as rhythm and blues. Tharpe quickly found common ground between religion and song in her ongoing commitment to regularly perform at church conventions (Wald 2018). Tharpe and her mother continued to perform together throughout the 1930s.

As her talent garnered her more attention, Tharpe desired a life that provided a level of celebrity fitting of her talent. Though she did not feel that fame was in direct contradiction to her faith, there were many external conflicting opinions. Dabbling in jazz and blues was frowned upon by some in the Christian community, as many felt it was inappropriate and unbecoming of a Christian woman Tharpe’s exploration of these genres quickly became strained due to its impact on her relationship with her mother, Katie Bell, who shared similar opinions about jazz and rhythm and blues as other Christian’s in their community.

In 1935 at age 19, Tharpe married a Church of God in Christ preacher named Thomas Tharpe. Though her marriage with Thomas would not last, her time in church with him was where she donned her namesake: Sister Rosetta Tharpe. The pair performed radio shows where Thomas preached and Tharpe performed, which only increased the guitarist’s popularity (Wald 2022). By 1938, the couple was divorced and Tharpe was living in New York City. She then married promoter, Foch P. Allen in the early 1940s, though the two ultimately split (Wald 2012).

Road to Stardom

Upon her move to the musical metropolis that was New York City, opportunities abounded. Her newfound fame brought opportunities to perform at both the Cotton Club and the Apollo Theater in 1983. Notably, Tharpe was the first gospel soloist to play a gig at the Apollo (Wald 2004). In 1941, Tharpe began to produce her first recorded performances. She was signed to perform with swing band Lucky Millinder Orchestra. The orchestra was known for “churning out danceable pop hits,” (Wald 2004). She toured with Millinder until 1943, recording various hits such as “The Lonesome Road,” “Down By the Riverside,” “Four or Five Times,” “Shout Sister Shout,” and “(I Want a) Tall Skinny Papa,” (Wald 2004, Britannica 2024)...

Though many of her songs still maintained gospel undertones, Tharpe began to face overt backlash from religious groups regarding her music. Tharpe’s formative musical experiences in the church undoubtedly impacted her musical stylings, particularly considering that the Church of God in Christ was noted for its “robust and lively musical expressions of faith,” (Wald 2004). Though Tharpe’s performances were undoubtedly high-spirited, the mixed-genre elements made some religious listeners call Tharpe a secular artist. Tharpe’s critics also scrutinized her frequenting of nightclubs and performances that featured scantily clad background dancers (Popmatters 2007). Many also called Tharpe’s masterful guitar playing into question, with naysayers implying that she had strayed too far from traditional gender roles.

Amidst critiques of her music, Tharpe was also subject to the confines of socio-political conflicts. As described by the Jim Crow Museum: “Jim Crow was the name of the racial caste system which operated primarily, but not exclusively in southern and border states, between 1877 and the mid-1960s,” (Pilgrim 2000). Still in place in the 1940s, Jim Crow Laws mandated that racial segregation between communities of color and white communities were in place. As such, even as Tharpe performed along white artists (such as the Jordanaires), she was required to sleep on buses and eat her meals outside of restaurants (Diaz-Hurtado 2017). Eventually, Tharpe would come to purchase her own tour bus to “[combat] the exclusions and indiginities of segregation,” (Wald 2018).

Even so, others remained staunch fans of Sister Rosetta Tharpe and found her prowess as a guitarist impressive rather than appalling. Her unique style combined elements of “Delta blues, New Orleans jazz and gospel music,” (Diaz-Hurtado 2017). Though a lack of acceptance from the community that raised her was emotionally challenging for Tharpe, other audiences took feverishly to her music . She rose to the very top with no signs of stopping, becoming a national sensation. Lifelong friend, Roxie Moore, spoke emphatically to Tharpe’s talent: "She could play a guitar like nobody else you've ever seen ... People would flock to see her. Everybody loved her,” (Rose 2009).
By 1946, Tharpe was a seasoned performer. Not only did she ooze talent, but she could also be counted on to know talent when she saw it in others, including in gospel singer Marie Knight. While attending a concert at the Golden Gate Ballroom in Harlem, Tharpe heard Knight perform for the first time alongside singer Mahalia Jackson and took great interest in her (Grimes 2009). A few weeks later, she extended an offer to Knight to develop a musical act and tour as a duo. Soon after agreeing, Knight became not only Tharpe’s partner in performance, but in life. The two produced a hit song entitled “Up Above My Head,” (Diaz-Hurtado 2017). They also teamed up on tracks “Precious Memories,” “Didn’t It Rain” and “Beams of Heaven”. Each of these call-and-response songs solidified Tharpe and Knight as “one of top gospel acts of the era,” (Grimes 2009). The women made their mark by breaking through to the rhythm and blues charts which was not typical of the time (Grimes 2009)...
While Tharpe’s queer identity has not been researched at length, it has been noted that she had relationships with both men and women throughout her life (Wald 2022). Additionally, the women were in a committed relationship and supported by other musical artists of the time. The prominence of this partnership both on a personal and professional level cannot be understated: “[Tharpe and Knight] toured, collaborated and performed as two queer black women in a relationship in the late 1940s; it was a radical act,” (Diaz-Hurtado 2017). The pairing was wildly beneficial overall, though the women would not last as professional nor romantic partners. Tragedy struck in 1940 when Knight’s two children passed away due to a house fire (Grimes 2009). Though a tragedy that brought the women closer, the pair would eventually split in 1950. Tharpe and Knight remained close friends.

The 1940s presented a variety of obstacles for queer people - especially regarding being out. Tharpe biographer, Gayle Wald, shared with Out in The City that:

“Do I think Sister Rosetta Tharpe had attractions to and sexual relations with women? Yes…But I don’t know if she used any words to identify herself. …In the gospel world, it it was understood that people protected each other’s privacy. You didn’t want to ruin anyone’s career or life. … That way, people lived their lives as openly as they could,” (Wald 2022).

Between a mix of her religious beliefs, her fame, and racial and gendered constraints at the time, these elements impacted how freely Tharpe was able to live. As such, her continued meshing and bending of genres that laid the foundation for rock and roll allowed her to express herself in ways that were not typical of the time. Music remained a constant - providing her with a reprieve when battling oppressive circumstances.

Later Life and Legacy

Two years later, in 1951, Tharpe found companionship with her manager, Russell Morrison. The two set out to get married, with her third and final wedding (that also doubled as a concert) attracting 25,000 fans. Remaining close, Marie Knight was one of Tharpe’s bridesmaids. Though Morrison and Tharpe’s relationship was complex, the two would remain together until her passing in 1973. Twenty years of continued fame meant more milestones – Sister Rosetta Tharpe recorded what is said to be the first interracial duet in the U.S. with singer Red Foley, “Have a Little talk with Jesus.” She also recorded various albums with others, featured on various tracks and toured across the U.S. and Europe. Her discography grew during this time, with notable LPs Precious Memories and Singing in My Soul both produced in 1968. The latter of the two was nominated for an Emmy for Best Soul Gospel Performance...

As the years passed, performances began to dwindle. As Tharpe lost listeners throughout the 1960s as younger audiences shifted their musical tastes to different genres, she pivoted. She moved to England and began to perform in London and Liverpool (Openshaw 2022). In 1957, when interviewed by London’s Daily Mirror, Tharpe proclaimed “All this new stuff they call Rock and Roll, why I’ve been playing that for years now,” (Wald 2018). Years later, in 1970, Tharpe had a stroke and began to struggle from diabetes. Between 1970 and 1973, one of her legs was amputated as a result of health complications. Tharpe passed away on October 9th, 1973, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania from another stroke (Popmatters 2007). She was 58 years old.

Since her passing, Tharpe’s legacy remains at the center of much discussion. Artists such as Elvis Presley, Eric Clapton, Little Richard and Chuck Berry have cited her as a major influence. “In response to his 1986 induction in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Chuck Berry was quoted saying “My whole career has been one long Sister Rosetta Tharpe impersonation,” (Leigh 2024). A 32-cent stamp honoring Tharpe was produced by the US Postal Service in 1998. In 2007, Tharpe was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame (Openshaw 2022). Later, January 11th was officially designated Sister Rosetta Tharpe Day in Pennsylvania given how much time Tharpe spent there (Openshaw 2022). In light of discourse surrounding her heavy influence on rock and roll, she was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2017. Media inspired by her life has also been produced, including the 2023 musical entitled Shout, Sister, Shout!, which premiered in 2019 at the Seattle Repertory Theatre.

The Godmother of Rock and Roll led a complicated, though fruitful life. Her relationship to religion, Blackness, queerness, and womanhood within the early to mid-1900s brought strife but also brought her joy and beauty – all of which manifested within her musical musings and the soulful strumming of her guitar.

ABBEY LINCOLN...
"The gift of music is the magic of the world. It is a discipline that increases understanding. And expresses the spirit of the human being. I thank God and my ancestors for the music. And I thank the National Endowment for the Arts for their encouragement."

Strongly influenced by jazz icons Billie Holiday and Louis Armstrong, both of whom she met early in her career, Abbey Lincoln's distinctive vocal style, thought-provoking writing, and spirited personality secured her a place among the jazz luminaries...
She was a jazz singer, songwriter, composer, poet, actress, social activist and much more. She had a singular voice and was able to convey her thoughts and emotions through her voice and words so honestly that she often made people uncomfortable, and was not afraid to do so. She used music as a vessel of truth and activism. She was none other than the unforgettable Abbey Lincoln.

Abbey Lincoln was born Anna Marie Wooldridge in Chicago on August 6, 1930 and was one of twelve children. She grew up in rural Michigan in a house her father built, began playing the family piano at a very young age, sang in school on holy days, and sang a little in church choirs throughout her childhood. However, Abbey Lincoln said she “learned how to sing from listening to Billy Holiday and Sarah Vaughan and Dinah Washington” (NPR). Ella Fitzgerald also had a big influence on Abbey Lincoln...
n 1950, Abbey Lincoln moved to California and began working in night clubs. At age 22, she went to Honolulu for a year and performed under the name Gaby Lee. In 1954 she moved back to California and met lyricist Bob Russell who became her manager and gave her the name Abbey Lincoln, along with a chic and glamorous image, and she credited him with bringing her international recognition. Under Bob Russell‘s management she landed a role in the movie The Girl Can’t Help It in which she famously wore a dress that Marylin Monroe had worn. Abbey felt this career path was insincere, that she was being robbed of her individuality, and said she “felt nothing” on stage during that time (NPR). That was the end of Abbey Lincoln having that type of management, she fired Bob Russell, and she didn’t need a manager to find places to sing. When talking about this decision in an NPR interview she said “I’m unmanageable. No one can tell me what to do with my life, or my career either, which is my life.”

In 1956 she made her first album entitled Abbey Lincoln’s Affair – A Story of a Girl in Love containing arrangements by Marty Paich, Benny Carter, and Jack Montrose. In 1957 Abbey moved to New York City and worked at the Village Vanguard, a supper club for aspiring artists. It was there that she met jazz drummer Max Roach, who she would later marry in 1962, and through her association with Max Roach, she was introduced to the jazz elite. She was noted for having the ability to take classic jazz songs and make them completely her own. In 1957 she recorded the album That’s Him which contained the track “Strong Man” written by Oscar Brown Jr., and had contributions from great musicians such as drummer Max Roach, bassist Paul Chambers, and saxophonist Sonny Rollins...
As the civil rights movement was gaining momentum in the late 1950s, Abbey Lincoln began to work her social views into her music. The jazz musicians she collaborated with were also experimenting with odd meters at the time, and Abbey took to it naturally. In that regard, her 1959 album Abbey is Blue was considered new and groundbreaking. In the early 1960s, many artists, Abbey Lincoln and Max Roach included, were lending there music and voices to the movement, and in 1960, Lincoln, Roach, lyricist Oscar Brown Jr., and other great jazz musicians recorded Max Roach’s landmark civil rights jazz masterpiece We Insist! – Max Roach’s Freedom Now Suite, which was one of the most important works of that time, and is also what first got me interested in Abbey Lincoln. The cover of the album features a picture which references the sit-in movement.

Abbey Lincoln Live 1966
Abbey Lincoln first inspired Max Roach to use voice in his music and Abbey used screaming for the first time on the suite in the piece “Triptych” to convey anger and despair. The music was first performed at NAACP fundraisers and conventions. Abbey Lincoln displayed honesty and courage at the time to use her music to make people aware of what was going on around them. After recording the suite, people that had invited Abbey Lincoln and Max Roach to record stopped asking as the album caused some controversy because of its social content. It was actually Nat Hentoff that extended a hand and recorded the suite, then asked Abbey to record her own album, Straight Ahead, on which Mal Waldron wrote and played, who was Billy Holiday‘s last piano player. This album also caused controversy because of its honesty and social commentary.

Abbey would star in two more films in the mid 1960s: Nothing But a Man and For the Love of Ivy. By 1970, her marriage with Max Roach ended and she moved back to California. Throughout the 70s and 80s, Abbey Lincoln recorded on small independent labels and would not be in the spotlight again until she was called upon by Jean-Philippe Allard of Verve Records/France in 1989 to record the album The World Is Falling Down which was released in 1990. Her later recordings were much more introspective and philosophical than her previous recordings, but were honest, emotive and heartfelt as always. Her last album, Abbey Sings Abbey, was released in 2007.

The live performances from the early 1960s that are featured below are of the songs from the socially conscious, often unsettling, urgent and intense We Insist! – Max Roach’s Freedom Now Suite. These jazz musicians are masters and innovators of their craft, so prepare to be blown away.

Billie Holiday 1915 - 1959
Billie Holiday was born April 7, 1915 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was a superstar of her day. She first rose to prominence in the 1930's with a unique style that reinvented the conventions of modern singing and performance. More than 80 years after making her first recording Billie's legacy continues to embody what is elegant and cool in contemporary music. Holiday's complicated life and her genre-defining autobiography “Lady Sings the Blues” made her a cultural icon. The evocative, soulful voice which she boldly put forth as a force for good, turned any song she sang into her own. Today, Billie Holiday is remembered for her musical masterpieces, her songwriting skills, creativity and courageous views on inequality and justice.

Holiday (born Eleanora Fagan Gough) grew up in jazz-soaked Baltimore of the 1920s. In her early teens, the beginning part of her “apprenticeship” was spent singing along with the records of iconoclasts Bessie Smith and Louis Armstrong. In 1929 Billie's mother Sadie Fagan moved to New York in search of better jobs. Young Eleanora soon joined her there and began showing up at jazz clubs to audition and sing with resident pianists. She made debuts in obscure Harlem nightclubs, sharing tips with other dancers and comedians on the bill. Around this time she borrowed her professional name Billie Holiday from screen actress Billie Dove. Although she never received technical training and never learned how to read music, Holiday quickly became an active participant in what was then the most vibrant jazz scene in the country – as the Harlem Renaissance transitioned into the Swing Era.

At age 18, after gathering more life experience than most adults, Holiday was spotted by producer John Hammond with whom she cut her first record as part of a studio group led by clarinetist Benny Goodman – then on the verge of his own superstardom. From 1935 to 1941 Holiday’s career accelerated, recording hit after hit with pianist/arranger Teddy Wilson. Simultaneously, in 1936 she began a legendary string of collaborations with tenor sax giant Lester Young, who's complimentary tone was a perfect trading partner for Billie. They became the best of friends and inseparable, legendary musical partners, even living together with Billie's mother for a time. Lester would famously christen her "Lady Day" as she would him "The Prez". By the time Holiday joined Kansas City's phenomenal Count Basie Orchestra for tours in 1937 she was an unstoppable force, suited for top billing across the United States. In 1938 Artie Shaw invited her to front his Orchestra, making Billie the first black women to work with a white band – an impressive and courageous accomplishment.

In the 1930's, during her epic run at Barney Josephson's Cafe Society in Manhattan, she was introduced to the poem “Strange Fruit,” a horrific depiction of lynching in the Southern United States. The music was written just for Billie and it became the hallmark of her concerts. It's considered by scholars to be the first protest song of the civil rights era. The lyric was so controversial that her record label wouldn't record it. So she jumped over to the independent Commodore Records where she could record and sing as she pleased. “Strange Fruit” immediately became a cultural spark-point and a hit record too.

In 1939, with Arthur Herzog, Jr., she wrote "God Bless The Child", a composition that transcends the ages and is now part of the great American songbook and jazz lexicon. In 1944 she signed with prestigious Decca Records, cutting still more classics and even a couple duets with her first musical hero Louis Armstrong – with whom she'd later star in the Hollywood film "New Orleans" (1949).

Starting in 1952 Billie began a five year run with Norman Granz' Clef/Verve label. Granz was the entrepreneur behind the "Jazz At The Philharmonic" series and he was very sensitive to the needs of artists. He put Billie back into small group settings from which her genius had originally grown. Together they made roughly 100 new recordings, constituting Billie's first forays into the high-fidelity album era. Her voice became more rugged and shockingly intimate. She put this new signature sound on scores of stirring ballads such as her self-reflecting composition "Lady Sings The Blues". During this period she expanded her repertoire while also re-recording many of her 1930's classics in her new style. Redefining herself as the "Torch Singer", she appeared twice on TV's "Tonight Show with Steve Allen", on CBS's historic "The Sound Of Jazz" program and also toured Europe.

In 1958, she signed to Columbia Records, the longtime home base of A&R man John Hammond, who had been instrumental in her early career. For Columbia she created her swan song masterpiece album "Lady In Satin". Final studio recordings were made for MGM in March 1959 and were released posthumously.

Billie Holiday, died at the age of 44 and is buried at Saint Raymond’s Cemetery in Bronx County, NY. Her music and life continue to inspire tributes. Whether it's Nina Simone covering "Strange Fruit"; Diana Ross starring as Lady Day in the film "Lady Sings the Blues"; U2 penning their hit "Angel Of Harlem"; her image on a United States postage stamp; Time Magazine's "Song Of The Century" Award; scores of biographies and a dozen Grammy Awards, her emotive voice, innovative technique and touching songs will forever be a hallmark of genius.

Despite her lack of technical training, Holiday’s uncanny syncopations, her inimitable phrasing and her dramatic intensity made her the outstanding jazz singer of her day. White gardenias, worn in her hair, were her trademark.

Ever combining her typical humor with profound gravitas, she wrote in her autobiography, “Singing songs like the ‘The Man I Love’ or ‘Porgy’ is no more work than sitting down and eating Chinese roast duck, and I love roast duck. I’ve lived songs like that.”