How One Strange Thing Billie Holiday Told Maya Angelou Changed Her Life (Fresh Air+) Fresh Air
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The late poet, author and activist Maya Angelou may best be known for her writing, but earlier in her life, she had a career as a night club singer, too. Through that, she came to know famous jazz singer Billie Holiday, who came to stay with Angelou and her young son, Guy, for a brief time in the late 1950s. Holiday's visit was a difficult one, but her critical read of Angelou's vocals helped turn her towards a life on the page. It's a powerful story Angelou tells in her 1981 memoir, "The Heart of a Woman," and one she relayed to host Terry Gross in a 1981 interview. Listen to the full 1981 interview: https://n.pr/47NXkfP. Listen to Angelou in 1986: https://n.pr/3uARzTT | https://n.pr/411edRB. Listen to Angelou in 1990: https://n.pr/3T4fHZ8. Hear all 40+ years of Fresh Air at https://FreshAirArchive.org. Not a Fresh Air+ supporter yet? Find out more at http://plus.npr.org.
The late poet, author and activist Maya Angelou may best be known for her writing, but earlier in her life, she had a career as a night club singer, too. Through that, she came to know famous jazz singer Billie Holiday, who came to stay with Angelou and her young son, Guy, for a brief time in the late 1950s. Holiday's visit was a difficult one, but her critical read of Angelou's vocals helped turn her towards a life on the page. It's a powerful story Angelou tells in her 1981 memoir, "The Heart of a Woman," and one she relayed to host Terry Gross in a 1981 interview. Listen to the full 1981 interview: https://n.pr/47NXkfP. Listen to Angelou in 1986: https://n.pr/3uARzTT | https://n.pr/411edRB. Listen to Angelou in 1990: https://n.pr/3T4fHZ8. Hear all 40+ years of Fresh Air at https://FreshAirArchive.org. Not a Fresh Air+ supporter yet? Find out more at http://plus.npr.org.