The first recording of the Billie Holiday/Arthur Herzog, Jr. song God Bless the Child was made on May 9, 1941.  This recording, the first of three Holiday would make of her song during her life, was made at CBS Studios on 7th Avenue in New York City.  Vocalist Billie Holiday was accompanied by Eddie Heywood and his Orchestra, featuring Roy Eldridge on trumpet.  She would later record the song in 1950 for Decca Records, and in 1956 for Verve. 

One of Holiday's best-known tunes, Billie recounted the story of its inception in her autobiography "Lady Sings the Blues."  She said that the phrase "God bless the child that's got his own" was one she used while having an argument with her mother about money.  She later collaborated with songwriter Arthur Herzog, Jr. to complete the composition.

​Many musicians considered God Bless the Child to be Holiday's signature song, and therefore shied away from recording it during her lifetime.  In the ensuing years, however, there have been numerous interpretations released by artists like Harry Belafonte, Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin, Eric Dolphy, Eddie Harris, Sam Cooke and Blood, Sweat and Tears.  Sonny Rollins included the tune on his album "The Bridge," and Diana Ross sang the song in the 1972 film "Lady Sings the Blues."

Here is a link to the original 1941 Billie Holiday recording of God Bless the Child, which was released by Okeh Records in 1942:

"GOD BLESS THE CHILD"