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She was discovered by producer John Hammond while performing in a Harlem jazz club at the age of eighteen. She made several songs some being "What a Little Moonlight Can Do" and "Miss Brown to You". That same year, Billie Holiday appeared with Duke Ellington in the Symphony in Black.
Bessie Holiday had a hit with "God Bless the Child." She later signed with Decca Records in 1944 where she then had another hit with "Lover Man." She began having issues, and began using heroin with her boyfriend. After her mothers passing, she began drinking more heavily. She was arrested and convicted for narcotics possession in 1947.
She began recording for Norman Granz, the owner of several small jazz labels, in 1952. Two years later, Holiday had a hugely successful tour of Europe. She got the worlds attention by her autobiography, Lady Sings the Blues (1956). She gave her final performance in New York City on May 25, 1959. She was then admitted into the hospital for heart and liver problems. On July 17, 1959, Holiday died from alcohol and drug related complications.