Billie Pierce

Through the '60s and '70s, this pianist and vocalist's far-flung touring activities in the Preservation Hall Jazz Band alongside her husband, trumpeter De De Pierce, made her one of the most widely heard performers in the history of New Orleans jazz. An examination of her family background also indicates that perhaps she was one of the most stubborn: despite the fact that both her parents as well as a total of seven sisters also played piano, the performer who came to be known as Billie Pierce insisted on teaching the keyboard to herself. She was born Wilhelmina Goodson, the s...