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Holiday, Billie (1915 – 1959)

The young jazz singer writes a joyful 1938 letter under the influence, detailing a ‘battle’ of the bands

A wonderful three page 1938 autograph letter signed by Billie Holiday, ‘Billie’. The singer writes on three separate pages in fountain pen ink, ‘dear Hotch’, named as Harry Ely on the accompanying original envelope, hand-addressed by Holiday, post-marked New York, 10th January 1938. [Holiday has dated her letter 20th January 1938, but it seems likely, given its content, and the date-stamp on the envelope, she, in fact, wrote it on 2nd January 1938)

She opens, ‘Just a line to say I received your letter an it really sent me to know you like me so much, and I want you to believe I like you too, and I am also hip you are very young, but you can still be young and have a lot of knowlege [sic]. What I mean is be a sender, and I’ve found you to be that, but enough about you…’ Holiday goes on, ‘Last hight it was very very cood here, in fact brutal, and of all people I met Mike Goldstein, an he was with some other fellow. Everybody was beat so I brought them to my house and I had a darlor [sic] so I got fifty cents worth of wine an four sticks [marijuana cigarettes], so we got really knocked out. I saw Milton, Monday morning at Smalls [Small’s Paradise; the after hours Harlem club]. I got two darlors [sic] worth of stuff from him, but it wasn’t the McCoy an he gave me four for a darlor [sic].’

Holiday then moves on to music matters: ‘Well, my dear, the Battle was right up to the [n]eck. Sunday, when Martin Block asked who was winning, when they bood [sic] Chick [Webb] but we didn’t get any credit for winning.’ Then she concludes, ‘We open tomorrow at Loew’s State, so I am frantic an beat, don’t even know how I am going to get down town tomorrow, but I am high and happy, if [sic] fact so much I can’t write any more, forgive all mistake [s], As ever, Billie.’

Letter folds, with a few tiny edge tears, otherwise in fine condition.

A marvellously conversational letter in which the young singer’s voice can be almost heard. At the time of this letter, Chick Webb’s band was resident at the Savoy Ballroom. ‘Battles’ often took place there against other visiting bands, as detailed here, with the crowd’s booing and cheering determining the winner. Holiday was starting to be well known on the jazz scene by January 1938, but was not yet famous — something of a rising star. She sang with the Benny Goodman orchestra from 1935 to 1936, then began performing with the Count Basie Orchestra in 1937. It is likely that Holiday was singing with Basie’s band in the ‘battle’ against Chick Webb, most probably on Sunday January 2nd 1938.