All Of Me(Eng)

Billie Holiday(1915-1959)

"All of Me" is very popular for Jazz vocal fans, and there are many "All of Me" singers among the beginners. This song is in the repertory of every Jazz vocalist. I think Billie Holiday is No. 1 singer of this song. This song suits for her singing style.

But Louis Armstrong sang this song in 1932, and it became Hit chart No. 1 song at that time.

I very often to sing "It's Only A Paper Moon" in the presence of others as well as "All of Me".

These songs look like simple and easy to sing, but they are actually difficult songs. We can say a singer who can sing perfectly these songs is the first rank singer.

Billie and Louis

Lester Young gave her the nick name "Lady Day". Her father was a guitarist of the Frecher Henderson Orchestra, but he didn't take care of his family, furthermore her mother had not been registered and she was not capable to bring up Billie. Billie had been grown up by herself. Therefore, she had inferiority complex in her early life. Guess, she was born when her parents were 15 and 13 years old.

John Hammond who is elder brother of Benny Goodman's wife found her singing in Harlem. She recorded with Goodman in 1933 for the first time, after then she recorded with Teddy Wilson and was successful one.

Many later great singers, such as Ella Fitzgerald, Carmen McRae, and Dinah Washington came to study her singing on her stages.

Trans. by Kisshi