Remembering Billie Holiday on her 100th birthday

HARLEM (WABC) -- The words icon and legend are thrown about so much these days they've just about lost their meaning, but both apply when talking about the late, great Billie Holiday.

She was born April 7, 1915 in Philadelphia, but it was Harlem's Apollo Theater where she first found fame and where she performed dozens of times. It was the perfect place to mark the 100th birthday of the singer known as Lady Day.

How many are remembered a century after they were born? Only those so unique their music still resonates; only those who can truly be called legends.

"In our culture ancestors are very important, and when we elevate them, we elevate ourselves and the community as well," Grammy-winning singer Cassandra Wilson said.

The guardians of Billie Holiday's legacy came together at the Apollo Theater in Harlem where her entire career played out.

"She knew this was her home, and she knew that she could come here. The audience loved her and always supported her even when she was going through hard times," Mikki Shephard, executive producer at Apollo Theater, said.

It was hard living that killed her 'fine and mellow' sound at the age of just 44.

In the city where Lady Day died broke back in 1957, she has enjoyed a comeback of sorts lately.

Audra McDonald seemed to channel her on Broadway last year, and a new record by Cassandra Wilson, featuring Holiday's music, reminds us how deep she dug to bare her soul.

"Every feeling she had she put inside of her music. She was not afraid to show her vulnerability which was her strength," Wilson said.

Cassandra Wilson will be performing at the Apollo on Friday night. It's her first appearance in the hallowed hall where Billie Holiday first found fame by winning amateur night.

Wilson's new album is called "Coming Forth By Day" - a tribute in song by one unique artist to another.