Billie Holiday made her third appearance at Carnegie Hall on November 10 , 1956. The presentation was a 2-hour concert version of her autobiography, Lady Sings The Blues and featured narrator Gilbert Millstein with an all-star cast of musicians, including Coleman Hawkins, Roy Eldridge and Buck Clayton. The Chico Hamilton Quintet was the opening act.
Ms. Holiday first appeared in The Hall, briefly in April 1944. She was 29 years old, and one of many musicians gathered in a tribute to Fats Waller, who died a few months before. She returned on March 27, 1948 as a glamorous marquee artist, at the peak of her popularity and influence.
Ms. Holiday sang 32 songs for the sell-out audience, with more than 2,700 tickets sold in advance, a record for Carnegie Hall ticket sales at the time.
Holiday’s final performance in the Hall took place one year later in November of 1957, with the concert effectively becoming a sequel to the 1956 concert and a farewell to the venue she loved most, cementing her lofty legacy in the annals of jazz history.
The Essential Billie Holiday; Live at Carnegie Hall 1956 recording was released posthumously, in 1961. For more on the remarkable story behind the concert and recording visit this page on the Carnegie Hall website. To hear excerpts from the recording click the “Listen” button.