The live recordings included here
are among the very best from Billie
Holidayâ??s final years. Part of the
motivation behind the 1956 Carnegie
Hall concert was to promote Billieâ??s
autobiography, Lady Sings the Blues.
The music was attuned entirely to
Billieâ??s character part, reinforced by
readings from her book by Gilbert
Millstein. Although recorded in 1956,
the LP was issued in 1961, nearly two
years after Billieâ??s passing on July 17,
1959, at the age of 44. -