> >I think Linda (along with most every singer in C&W) owes a lot to >Patsy. > > Linda loves Patsy but what ever you do, don't call her a C& W singer.
I didn't and didn't mean to imply that. That's why I didn't say 'most every *other* singer in C&W.' Linda is far too diverse to be pigeon-holed as country even though she can sing the hell out of a country song. > > >I'm saying that the slim, doe-eyed, Cinderella-ensnared-by-drugs >character > >that she played wasn't much like the real Billie Holiday. > > I think Billie Holiday herself has much to blame for all the inaccuracies > because she rarly told the truth about her own life. > Her autobiografy is well know to be riddled with more fantasy than fact. It > was not till really recent probing into records that we found out the truths > about her life. Some things found out about her life as a baby and small > child she may not have even been aware of herself. Very true. Her supposed 'autobiography' is where the name of the movie came from, 'Lady Sings the Blues.' I've read opinions that William Dufty was responsible for the glaring inaccuracies and I've also read that Billie herself often stretched the truth when talking about her past. It seems pretty evident that she really didn't care whether the book told the truth or not as long as it made her some money. Like Judy Garland, in spite of what she was paid, Billie seemed to be always hard up for cash. Up until not too many years ago, the date of her birth was not even known for certain. Donald Clarke managed to locate her birth certificate for his book 'Wishing on the Moon'. He also uncovered a lot of previously unknown information about her early years in Baltimore. He drew from interviews of people who knew her back then, a lot of them collected by a woman named Linda Lipnack Kuehl who unfortunately died before she could write the biography she was preparing for. She interviewed a *lot* of people - jazz musicians who worked with Billie, people who knew her from childhood - really extensive interviewing and research. Her life parralel that of > another great interpretive singer. The main difference is that Janis Joplin > wanted everything to be know(after she was dead). Buried Alive in the Blues > is a great read even if you don't like Janis. I remember cringing through > the chapters. I think Janis expected to die young. I think I read that book but it's been a few years. I love Janis. Cliched as it is, I do think of her as a fiercely bright light that burnt itself out much, much too soon. But oh what music she left us! > > >I bought a Judy Collins cd a while back called 'Maids and Golden >Apples' > > Mark, did you say you were an owner of "Maids and Golden Apples" or a PROUD > owner of "Maids and Golden Apples"? > I NEED to hear you say the right way! Please!?!? > Will Ok, ok, I am the PROUD owner of 'Maids and Golden Apples'. Many years ago I bought the vinyl 'So Early in the Spring' and my favorite songs were actually the traditional ones. It took 20 or so years and belonging to this discussion list for 5 or 6 years before I finally broke down and bought some more Judy Collins. Now I am a definite admirer. Mark E. in Seattle
