Billie Holiday, April 1959

We’re in the process of clearing out my late parents’ house in Boston, and in the process discovered these photos from one of Billie Holiday’s last performances, at Boston’s Storyville club on April 24, 1959. Holiday died less than three months later, on July 17, 1959.

These are scans from B&W prints. The negatives may still turn up…

Published by Oren Levine

Jazz pianist and composer from Washington, DC. Also a digital product and technology consultant currently working with nonprofit cllients

7 thoughts on “Billie Holiday, April 1959

  1. Oren – We’re over at Arno and Sandra Minkkinen’s house today. I showed him the Billie picture and he asked how many more pictures like that there are. He said that there may be an opening in the gallery schedule at U Mass Lowell for a display of Pa’s jazz pictures, if we’re interested. He may be able to get some funding from the music department to make it happen as well. What do you think?

    -n

    Sent from my iPhone

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  2. Hello- I am an avid Billie Holiday collector and would love to care for those photos. Are you selling? Please check out my new blog. I’m a blooming vinyl collector and am finishing my Holiday collection of her work from the early 1950s! 🙂 Wonderful photos. Love the living history in those photos. Amazing.

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  3. Billie Holiday’s last performance was at the Blue Moon Cafe in Lowell, Massachusetts in May 1959. Her last good performance was at Storyville in April 1959.

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