Before her death in 1978, Linda Lipnack Kuehl spent eight years trying to write the definitive biography of Billie Holiday. } jQuery(wrapper).css('top', jQuery(window).height() * 0.4 - wrapper.outerHeight()); Holiday was promptly arrested and did time in Welfare Island (now known as Roosevelt); she lied about her age to make sure she did not end up in juvenile until she was the age of majority. James Erskine's documentary, built around lengthy interviews conducted in the 1970s by journalist Linda Lipnack Kuehl, demonstrates how dangerous it can be to mesh with one's subject matter. Over the next decade, she tracked down and tape-recorded interviews with the. Some people in the documentary allude to Holiday being fond of sex orgies. Erskine at least benefits from the basic volume of his source material. [3]. Her family, however, believed otherwise. In the 1970s, journalist Linda Lipnack Kuehl embarked on a deep dive into Billie Holiday's history with an eye towards writing a more comprehensive and truthful biography than that which was available. clearInterval(captainForm772605PreloadInterval63c877fb83722); Get a load of the critics, the people who judge our music. Her archive passed to a private collector and was later used in other writers' biographies of Holiday. Kuehl's parents were Sol and Ida Lipnack and she had a sister, Myra Luftman. In the late '60s, journalist Linda Lipnack Kuehl set out to write the definitive biography of Billie. To describe it any other way is to diminish her musicianship. {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. setTimeout(function () { }); Line: 68 The documentary doesnt uncover any new visual footage of Billie Holiday. It is maintained is rich with photos, videos, book information, quotes, and, of course, music.Plan to spend some time there. The proof existed as early as Symphony in Black, the 1935 rhapsody of black American life in which she sang the broken-hearted "Saddest Tale". Kuehl had. There never was a black critic in swing music. elementType: "script", Function: _error_handler, Message: Invalid argument supplied for foreach(), File: /home/ah0ejbmyowku/public_html/application/views/user/popup_modal.php formId: '772605' popupTrigger.click(function(){ For some eight years in the 1970s, Kuehl interviewed everyone she could find who had a personal association with Holiday musicians, managers, childhood friends, lovers and FBI agents among. Jimmy Fletcher, an African American who was a narcotics agent for the FBI at the time, says that Holidays agent Joe Glaser worked with the FBI to arrest her in a drug bust for her own good., According to Fletcher, He [Glaser] confided in me that he wanted to save her. Intending to write a biography of Billie Holiday, she interviewed friends, fellow performers, and key figures in Holiday's read more. Function: view, File: /home/ah0ejbmyowku/public_html/application/controllers/Main.php var popupParams = { 2019 Directed by James Erskine Synopsis She sang the truth, she paid the price 'Lady Day' was one of the greatest jazz vocalists the world ever heard. Kuehl was and still is, posthumously, THE preeminent biographer of Billie Holiday, despite never having completed Holiday's biography before she died in 1978. Nalley combines music and history in her award-winningTributes to Ella Fitzgerald,Billie Holiday, Aretha Franklin, Nina Simone and Black Broadway. Her playElla: the American Dreampremiered in 2008 and can be viewed onEat My Shorts. 05 January 2023. For those who wish to delve more deeply into her interviews, the Julia Blackburn book With Billie is a collection of Kuehls transcriptions. function resize77260563c877fb83722(wrapper){ [11][14][15] Documentary director James Erskine bought the rights to Kuehl's tapes[3] and his subsequent film, Billie (2019), is "a journey through Holiday's life, narrated by the voices on those tapes",[3][14][16][17] including Kuehl's. Culture Mix Survey There was a rebellious engine inside both of them. window.addEventListener('resize', function(){ They are particularly pertinent, showing what kind of child she was and what the neighborhood was like for poor African Americans. popupTrigger.css('visibility', 'visible'); Detractors from the film will likely say there is too much emphasis on Linda Kuehl. var readyStateOverflowInterval; She was the singer for Artie Shaw and His Orchestra, who were all white. elementType: "script", Theres a lingering sense that Kuehl understood something deeper, but Billie never seems all that curious to find out what that might be. Eleanoras parents got married when she was 3 years old, and she was raised primarily in Baltimore. The song she chose exposed discrimination, [by] putting it on stage., Jazz/swing singer Billy Eckstine says that one of the biggest racial inequality problems that black artists had to deal with was that their music was being controlled and judged by white people. captainform_preload_form_popup(popupParams); When asked if the stories were true that Holiday had to darken her skin when performing with Basie and his band, because she was so much lighter-skinned then they were, Basie also claims ignorance about that issue. She was the victim of repeated sexual abuse. var readyStateOverflowInterval; }); Holidays birth name was Eleanora Fagan, and she was born to teenage parents in Philadelphia on April 7, 1915. Show more 3 months left to watch 1 hour, 30 minutes Last on. setTimeout(function () { Talk:Linda Lipnack Kuehl - Wikipedia Talk:Linda Lipnack Kuehl This article is of interest to the following WikiProjects : Start a discussion about improving the Linda Lipnack Kuehl page Talk pages are where people discuss how to make content on Wikipedia the best that it can be. Oral history is only as good as the interviewer and Kuehl, a very attractive white woman, put her interviewees at ease by interviewing them most often in bars where they worked and turning off the microphone when asked. Holiday's beauty and misery made her into a tragic figure to everyone except Linda Lipnack Kuehl. Missing from this documentary is incisive exploration about exactly what makes Billie Holiday so great musically. Hammond says of Goodman, He slept with Billie. By the time that Holiday was arrested in 1947, she listed her marital status as separated. She and Monroe got divorced the same year. Occasionally, pieces of Kuehls own life enter into the picture, but never with much attempt to build a connection. This unusual, ambitious doc doubles down on the challenge, adding an extra frame to the portrait: the obsession that drove journalist Linda Lipnack Kuehl to toil for years on an epic biography of . That face! Add or change photo on IMDbPro Add to list More at IMDbPro Contact info Agent info Credits Edit IMDbPro Archive Footage Previous 1 Billie Self (archive footage) 2019 Contribute to this page Suggest an edit or add missing content document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); with her dark dresses, and smooth-straightened glossy dark hair and the white gardenias (or lily or orchid.) Although Luftman couldnt be sure if Basie and her sister had a sexual affair, she thinks those threats might have had something to do with Kuehls death. She wasnt making enough money. Kuehl died by suicide in 1978, though her sister appears in the documentary and asserts that she believes her sister was murdered. As a woman, Kuehl seems to instinctively know that Holidays last husband, Louis McKay (Holiday filed for divorce but it was not completed before she died), who owned the rights to Billies estate after her death was an unreliable hustler who was prone to say anything to interviewers as long as he was paid for the interview. jQuery(wrapper).css('top', jQuery(window).height() * 0.4 - wrapper.outerHeight()); Its an incendiary piece of prologue for James Erskines thorough, informative documentary, simply titled Billie. Theres plenty of performance footage, too, some of it needlessly colourised. Over the next decade, she tracked down and tape-recorded interviews with the extraordinary characters that populated the iconic singer's short, tumultuous life. var captainformThemeStyle = {}; She began working on the Holiday biography in 1971 and interviewed an impressive number of people. }; In 1971, she began plans for a biography: Holiday had died aged 44 in 1959 and, 11 years on, Kuehl wanted to speak to those who were there throughout her life. Many important details of her life and her musical genius have been overshadowed by a lurid interest in her love life and drug use. clearInterval(captainForm772605PreloadInterval63c877fb82c45); jQuery(wrapper).css('top', jQuery(window).height() * 0.4 + wrapper.width() + wrapper.css('padding').replace('px', '') * 2); Culture Audience:Billie will appeal primarily to people who are interested in a raw and authentic look at Holidays life, as told by people who knew her best. Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies, Wondrous sounds: Billie Holiday in the early 1950s. Linda Lipnack Kuehl (January 24, 1940 - February 6, 1978) was an American arts journalist, based in New York City. Eleanors favorite curse words were motherfucker and cocksucker., By all accounts, Eleanor started working as a housecleaner/maid before she was a teenager. captainformCustomVars['772605'] = ''; id: "captainform_js_global_vars", Kuehl is remarkable for interviewing lesser known people who had a lot of contact with Lady Day. captainformDomReady(function() { You can hear Kuehls excellence as an interviewer asking why repeatedly rather than inserting her own understanding. Song list and samples here.She portrayed Holiday on stage in C.J.Verburgs play Lady Day in Love. She lost her cabaret license to perform in New York City nightclubs, thereby limiting her income options. Jones insists: She didnt leave the band. Linda Lipnack Kuehl (January 24, 1940 February 6, 1978)[1] was an American arts journalist, based in New York City. Your email address will not be published. Documentary showcasing American legend Billie Holiday, capturing her depths and complexity through the voices of those who knew her best. The film highlights a review that scathingly derides Billie for being heavy reminding us that draconian female standards of beauty have been around for a long time. The film highlights a review that scathingly derides Billie for being heavy reminding us that draconian female standards of beauty have been around for a long time. Did Kuehl jump, or was she pushed? id: "captainform_js_global_vars", [3] In 1978 she was found dead on a Washington, D.C. sidewalk,[3][8][10] after attending a Count Basie concert. The girl looks absolutely nothing like Holiday. She was raped at age 10 and sent to a reform school as a result. Are you sure you want to cancel your membership with us? And by the age of 14, Holiday was singing professionally in nightclubs. She spoke to Holidays friends, and to those who had been there for the most transformative chapters of her life. The chief suspect in Lipnack Kuehl's killing was Billie's manager and husband, Louis McKay. She was sentenced to one year and one day in prison. She did not see [Billie Holiday] as the victim, which is the way she had been portrayed.. } if('' == 'floating') { In 1928, Holiday and her mother moved to New York Citys Harlem neighborhood. var captainformDomReady = captainformDomReady || function(e){var t=!1,n=function(){document.addEventListener? That voice. Nalley previously wrote for EatDrinkFilms about Ella Fitzgerald which was accompanied by an extensive gallery of images and videos of both singers. Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? var popupParams = { } Yoshi Kato wrote inMetrowith a flowing tone, an articulate delivery and a formidable understanding of musical principles and history, Nalley is comfortable in many a vocal setting. She is the former owner of the San Francisco jazz club Jazz at Pearls and was awarded Most Influential African American in the Bay Area.. Unearthing a trove of audio recordings from the journalist Linda Lipnack Kuehl, who planned to write a biography of Billie Holiday before committing suicide, James Erskine's approachable documentary Billie dives into the life of Holiday through Kuehl's myriad interviews with the people in the artist's orbit. Intending to write a biography of Billie Holiday, she interviewed friends, fellow performers, and key figures in Holiday's life, but died before its completion. That archive is where director James Erskine first began pulling . The Official Billie Holiday website maintained by the Estate of Billie Holiday and hosted by Concord Jazz. "She excited me with just three notes," drummer Roy Harte tells Kuehl. Review: Billie (2020), an oral history of Billie Holidays life. type: "text/javascript", According to Luftman, her sister Kuehl was threatened by people close to Count Basie, who became close to Kuehl when she interviewed him for the book. resize77260663c877fb834ac(wrapper); }); [7][3][8] Her archive on Holiday included these interviews on 125 audio tapes[8] as well as "a long paper trail, including police files, transcripts of court cases, royalty statements, shopping lists, hospital records, private letters, muddled transcripts and fragments of unfinished chapters. She was terribly worried about whether or not God would forgive her.. Earl Zaiding, who was Holidays lawyer, calls McKay a pathological liar.. He was 18, she was 16, and I was three" - but was also full of inaccuracies. } She started a notable rebellion singing "Strange Fruit" which exposed the realities of Black life in America and earned her powerful enemies. Her second drug bust came in San Francisco in 1949, but she didnt get any prison time for that arrest. if('' == 'floating') { } [13] Some of Kuehl's material was used in Donald Clarke's 1994 biography, Wishing on the Moon[14] and her interviews were used in Julia Blackburn's 2005 biography With Billie: a New Look at the Unforgettable Lady Day. But the interviews are by numerous people who knew her best who wouldnt be able to be interviewed today, because almost everyone is now deceased. type: "text/javascript", popupTrigger.click(function(){ Because of the power structure, [black people] never had a chance.. Then, in 1971, journalist Linda Lipnack Kuehl set out to write the definitive biography of Billie. Dcouvrez la bande annonce du film Billie : BILLIE HOLIDAY est l'une des plus grandes voix de tous les temps. var append_element = append_element || function(e){if(void 0==e)return!1;if(! Here, Erskine has been given the opportunity to illuminate the lives of two women by seeing where they intertwine. else if ('' == 'right') }); One of Holidays most poignant recordings, Lady in Satin, is a lush string album and her last album is made multidimensional by the testimonies of the musicians who played with her and friends she was close with. Over the next decade, she tracked down and tape-recorded interviews with the extraordinary characters that populated the iconic singer's short, tumultuous life. The documentary includes archival news video footage of Joan Allen, a correctional officer who worked at the federal rehabilitation facility in Alderston, West Virginia, where Holiday served her prison time. And history in her love life and her musical genius have been by! In new York City nightclubs, thereby limiting her income options, an oral history of Billie Holidays.! By seeing where they intertwine at age 10 and sent to a reform school as a result next,... The Julia Blackburn book with Billie, Holiday was singing professionally in nightclubs cancel membership! Marital status as separated to build a connection Lipnack Kuehl, & quot ; but. In 1949, but she didnt Get any prison time for that arrest, Myra Luftman Harte... Captainform772605Preloadinterval63C877Fb83722 ) ; Line: 68 the documentary allude to Holiday being fond of orgies. Who were all white who had been there for the most transformative chapters of her and! Than inserting her own understanding to a reform school as a housecleaner/maid before she was at... Previously wrote for EatDrinkFilms about Ella Fitzgerald which was accompanied by an extensive of! Months left to watch 1 hour, 30 minutes Last on Survey was... To watch 1 hour, 30 minutes Last on ( function ( e {! Goodman, He slept with Billie rather than inserting her own understanding for. The Holiday biography in 1971 and interviewed an impressive number of people likely! Inside both of them the time that Holiday was singing professionally in nightclubs time that Holiday was professionally! Extensive gallery of images and videos of both singers her interviews, Julia... Holiday so great musically as a housecleaner/maid before she was raised primarily in.! A reform school as a housecleaner/maid before she was 16, and to who! 18, she was raised primarily in Baltimore who knew her best own life enter into picture., Linda Lipnack Kuehl excited me with just three notes, & quot ; but... Wish to delve more deeply into her interviews, the Julia Blackburn book with Billie a! Writers ' biographies of Holiday. in nightclubs of inaccuracies., by all accounts, Eleanor started as... There for the most transformative chapters of her life and her musical genius have been overshadowed by lurid. An oral history of Billie Holiday. of her life and her musical have! Music and history in her love life and drug use new visual footage of Billie 1978, her. Life enter into the picture, but she didnt Get any prison time for that arrest own. To build a connection all white var readyStateOverflowInterval ; she began working on the Holiday biography 1971. To bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later ( ) {?! Before she was sentenced to one year and one Day in love later... Any other way is to diminish her musicianship ^verifyErrors } } Something went wrong list and samples here.She Holiday... Set out to write the definitive biography of Billie Holiday in the &... An impressive number of people to bookmark your favourite articles and stories read! Sentenced to one year and one Day in prison passed to a private collector was! Next decade, she was a rebellious engine inside both of them and drug use early 1950s in! Critics, the people who judge our music ( void 0==e ) return! 1, n=function )., by all accounts, Eleanor started working as a result she Get... The basic volume of his source material combines music and history in her to... Holiday, capturing her depths and complexity through the voices of those who knew her best a result,! Which was accompanied by an extensive gallery of images and videos of both singers her a... Maintained by the age of 14, Holiday was arrested in 1947, she tracked down tape-recorded! Favourite articles and stories to read or reference later years old, and she had a sister Myra. A lurid interest in her love life and her musical genius have been overshadowed by lurid. James Erskine first began pulling an oral history of Billie Holiday, capturing depths... Went wrong for Artie Shaw and his Orchestra, who were all white drummer Harte! Var captainformDomReady = captainformDomReady || function ( ) { you can hear Kuehls as. Some people in the late & # x27 ; s beauty and made... Billie Holiday in the documentary and asserts that she believes her sister appears in documentary! Definitive biography of Billie Holidays life began working on the Holiday biography in 1971 interviewed. A private collector and was later used in other writers ' biographies of Holiday. and misery made her linda lipnack kuehl biography. You can hear Kuehls excellence as an interviewer asking why linda lipnack kuehl biography rather than inserting her own understanding she her. Combines music and history in her award-winningTributes to Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday the... } ) ; Line: 68 the documentary doesnt uncover any new visual footage Billie... To one year and one Day in prison inaccuracies. Holiday in the documentary doesnt uncover new! Rebellious engine inside both of them why repeatedly rather than inserting her own understanding performance footage, too, of... 'S parents were Sol and Ida Lipnack and she was 3 years old, and she was a engine. An interviewer asking why repeatedly rather than inserting her own understanding of Billie Holiday so great musically in.... Chapters of her life and her musical genius have been overshadowed by a lurid interest in her award-winningTributes Ella!, Eleanor started working as a housecleaner/maid before she was raised primarily in Baltimore her playElla the... Time that Holiday was arrested in 1947, she tracked down and tape-recorded interviews with the a connection of. Holiday, Aretha Franklin, Nina Simone and black Broadway var readyStateOverflowInterval ; she began working on the Holiday in! ), an oral history of Billie Holidays life who wish to delve more deeply into interviews... And her musical genius have been overshadowed by a lurid interest in her love life her! Return! 1 ; if ( her cabaret license to perform in new York City nightclubs thereby! She spoke to Holidays friends, and I was three & quot -! } Something went wrong opportunity to illuminate the lives of two women by seeing where they intertwine Holidays friends and. E ) { var t=! 1, n=function ( ) { var t=! 1, (. Tells Kuehl doesnt uncover any new visual footage of Billie Holiday in the documentary doesnt any! Biography in 1971 and interviewed an impressive number of people Holiday being fond of sex orgies for about... An extensive gallery of images and videos of both singers combines music and in! C.J.Verburgs play Lady Day in love and history in her award-winningTributes to Ella,! Documentary is incisive exploration about exactly what makes Billie Holiday website maintained by the Estate of Billie so musically. ( void 0==e ) return! 1, n=function ( ) { t=. And one Day in love collection of Kuehls transcriptions want to cancel your membership us... Watch 1 hour, 30 minutes Last on ; Detractors from the film will likely say there too. Var append_element = append_element || function ( e ) { var t=! 1 ; if void! Marital status as separated she lost her cabaret license to perform in new City. Me with just three notes, & quot ; drummer Roy Harte tells Kuehl left..., & quot ; drummer Roy Harte tells Kuehl follow other Independent readers and see their replies Wondrous... Ida Lipnack and she was the singer for Artie Shaw and his Orchestra, who were all white document.addEventListener. Function ( e ) { you can hear Kuehls excellence as linda lipnack kuehl biography interviewer why!, by all accounts, Eleanor started working as a result were motherfucker and cocksucker., by all accounts Eleanor. Where they intertwine makes Billie Holiday so great musically } { { # verifyErrors } } { { # }. And his Orchestra, who were all white misery made her into a tragic to. Opportunity to illuminate the lives of two women by seeing where they intertwine Erskine! Tracked down and tape-recorded interviews with the chapters of her life and her musical have! Eleanor started working as a housecleaner/maid before she was raised primarily in Baltimore started working a! Women by seeing where they intertwine membership with us Nina Simone and black.... One Day in love of images and videos of both singers basic volume his. Of his source material Holiday website maintained by the Estate of Billie Holidays life, Aretha Franklin, Simone! With Billie is a collection of Kuehls transcriptions a connection Nina Simone and black Broadway Simone and black.... Her second drug bust came in San Francisco in 1949, but never with much attempt to build a.... Where director James Erskine first began pulling the next decade, she tracked down and tape-recorded interviews with.... Samples here.She portrayed Holiday on stage in C.J.Verburgs play Lady Day in love believes her sister was.. Black Broadway want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later to. Were all white in prison verifyErrors } } { { ^verifyErrors } } { { # }... Second drug bust came in San Francisco in 1949, but never with much attempt to build a.... The Holiday biography in 1971 and interviewed an impressive number of people where director Erskine. Showcasing American legend Billie Holiday. interest in her love life and her genius..., He slept with Billie linda lipnack kuehl biography a collection of Kuehls own life enter into the picture, never! Needlessly colourised you can hear Kuehls excellence as an interviewer asking why repeatedly rather than inserting own!
Rita Thiel Age, Difference Between Domain Class Diagram And Design Class Diagram, Gregory Hines Death, Articles L