What was Billie Holiday’s 1956 autobiography called?

Billie Holiday’s 1956 autobiography was titled Lady Sings the Blues.

The book was written with journalist William Dufty and presents an account of Holiday’s childhood, career, relationships, and struggles with addiction and the law. Its title later became closely associated with Holiday’s public image and with a 1956 album of the same name.

Holiday was one of the defining jazz and popular singers of the twentieth century. Her phrasing and emotional timing transformed songs such as “God Bless the Child” and “Strange Fruit,” making interpretation as important as vocal power.

The autobiography is not the same thing as the 1972 film Lady Sings the Blues, which starred Diana Ross as Holiday. The book also should not be confused with Holiday’s 1939 recording of “Strange Fruit,” one of her most historically significant performances.