Preacher Boy
Encyclopedia
" Preacher Boy " is a jazz
song written by singer Billie Holiday
, and composer Jeanne Burns and published by E.B. Marks. This is one of seven songs written by or co-written by Holiday that she never recorded.
According to Holiday, she wrote the song as a tribute to her second husband, Lous McKay. It was in December 1951 when she met McKay's family: "His mother, she's eighty years old and she had this dog and she loved this dog so much. The dog died and he preached over the dog. One day, we were walking down the street (in his home town) and somebody says "Hey Preach! Hey Preach! What's the matter? You don't know me anymore, man?" Well I asked Louis what he was talking about and he said "he's talking about me," so that's how I learned the story." The song was published by E.B. Marks, but she never recorded it.
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
song written by singer Billie Holiday
Billie Holiday
Billie Holiday was an American jazz singer and songwriter. Nicknamed "Lady Day" by her friend and musical partner Lester Young, Holiday had a seminal influence on jazz and pop singing...
, and composer Jeanne Burns and published by E.B. Marks. This is one of seven songs written by or co-written by Holiday that she never recorded.
According to Holiday, she wrote the song as a tribute to her second husband, Lous McKay. It was in December 1951 when she met McKay's family: "His mother, she's eighty years old and she had this dog and she loved this dog so much. The dog died and he preached over the dog. One day, we were walking down the street (in his home town) and somebody says "Hey Preach! Hey Preach! What's the matter? You don't know me anymore, man?" Well I asked Louis what he was talking about and he said "he's talking about me," so that's how I learned the story." The song was published by E.B. Marks, but she never recorded it.