At the age of 18 and after gaining more experience than most adult musicians can claim, Holiday was spotted by John Hammond and cut her first record as part of a studio group led by Benny Goodman, who was then just on the verge of public prominence. In 1935 Holiday’s career got a big push when she recorded four sides that went on to become hits, including “What a Little Moonlight Can Do” and “Miss Brown to You.” This landed her a recording contract of her own, and then, until 1942, she recorded a number of master tracks that would ultimately become an important building block of early American jazz music.

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1. Music from the Harlem Renaissance
2. Musician Bessie Smith
3. Musician Chick Webb
4. Musician Duke Ellington
5. Musician Fats Waller
6. Musician Jelly Roll Morton
7. Musician Willie "The Lion" Smith