Her singing can be recognized almost immediately. But it has changed over time.
Born in 1915 in Philadelphia, she spent her childhood in Baltimore. At the age of 15, she moved with her mother to N.Y.C., where she began singing in Harlem clubs.
In 1933, the first recordings were made with Banny Goodman's orchestra (Your Mother's Son - In Law and Riffin's The Scotch). She later recorded with her own band, the Teddy Wilson Ensemble, the Count Basie Orchestra (1937-38), the Joe Guy Orchestra, and Lester Young. She earns mainly from frequent concerts in the USA.
On the first recordings from the mid-1930s, a lively girl's voice full of energy can be heard. Her voice gradually matured, and by the early 1940s, there was no doubt that Billie was truly unique. At that time, the songs Strange Fruit, and I Cover the Waterfront were created. At that time, her singing was said to be sweet, airy, experienced, sad, or sophisticated.
However, over the years, her love of hard drugs gradually began to take its toll. Drugs destroyed not only her personality but above all her vocal range.
The last recording session was while recording Lady in Satin in 1958. Billie lost much of her scope, but she didn't lose her sense of phrasing, quite the contrary.
In 1947, she was convicted of possession and drug use and underwent addiction treatment at a psychiatric clinic. Although she returned to singing, 12 years later, at the age of 44, she succumbed to cirrhosis of the liver. She died in New York on July 17, 1959.