Of all the great jazz divas, none blended pain and pleasure better than Billie Holiday. Her small, stinging voice conveyed a "been there" aesthetic, whether she was singing about romance or sadness or about the trials of the underdog. Fifty years after her death, Lady Day's legacy informs a litany of singers, from jazz to R&B, as well as electronica, pop, rock and country.
Links:
[1] http://www.theroot.com/content/birth-diva
[2] http://www.theroot.com/content/baltimores-blues
[3] http://www.theroot.com/content/early-musical-influences
[4] http://www.theroot.com/content/reinvention
[5] http://www.theroot.com/content/big-break
[6] http://www.theroot.com/content/lady-day-meets-prez
[7] http://www.theroot.com/content/lady-day-encounters-duke
[8] http://www.theroot.com/content/billie-sings-teddy
[9] http://www.theroot.com/content/lady-day-meets-count
[10] http://www.theroot.com/content/billie-fronts-artie-shaw-orchestra
[11] http://www.theroot.com/content/strange-fruit
[12] http://www.theroot.com/content/enter-middle-period
[13] http://www.theroot.com/content/love-jones
[14] http://www.theroot.com/content/esquire-loves-lady-day
[15] http://www.theroot.com/content/decca-years
[16] http://www.theroot.com/content/billie-goes-hollywood
[17] http://www.theroot.com/content/lady-day-teams-satchmo
[18] http://www.theroot.com/content/jailhouse-rock
[19] http://www.theroot.com/content/comeback-trail
[20] http://www.theroot.com/content/busted-again
[21] http://www.theroot.com/content/celebrating-duke-ellington
[22] http://www.theroot.com/content/lady-sings-blues
[23] http://www.theroot.com/content/boss-plays-lady-day
[24] http://www.theroot.com/content/sound-jazz
[25] http://www.theroot.com/content/lady-satin
[26] http://www.theroot.com/content/last-performance
[27] http://www.theroot.com/content/goodbye-lady-day
[28] http://www.theroot.com/content/legacy-lives