"Strange Fruit" is a song written and composed by Abel Meeropol and recorded by Billie Holiday in 1939. The lyrics were drawn from a poem by Meeropol published in 1937. The song protests the lynching of Black Americans with lyrics that compare the victims to the fruit of trees.

When did Lewis Allen write Strange Fruit?

It was in late 1938 or early 1939, that teacher/poet Lewis Allan brought “Strange Fruit” to Billie Holiday. Though it would go on to become her most renowned song, at first, Holiday was reluctant to sing or record it.

When did Billie Holiday first record Strange Fruit?

Holiday went on to record “Strange Fruit” with the Commodore Records jazz label on April 20, 1939. The song helped raise Holiday to national prominence—at just age 23. Not all audiences appreciated Holiday's performance of the song. Among them was the director of the Federal Bureau of Narcotics, Harry Anslinger.

What does the poem Strange Fruit mean?

"Strange Fruit" is a poem about racism and hatred. Specifically, it is about the treatment of black people by white people during a period of time roughly running from the end of the American Civil War up to the time of the poem's composition in the 1930s.

Was Billie Holiday's father lynched?

In her words, the song “seemed to spell out all the things that had killed Pop.” While her father wasn't lynched, Holiday believed the denial of his care from multiple “whites-only” hospitals was, in its own way, a kind of murder.

Billie Holiday - "Strange Fruit" Live 1959 [Reelin' In The Years Archives]

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Why was the song Strange Fruit written?

Meeropol first published "Strange Fruit" as a poem titled "Bitter Fruit" in 1937, inspired in part by a harrowing photograph of a 1930 lynching in Marion, Indiana. His wife later set the poem to music, which was performed at union rallies and eventually Madison Square Garden by Black vocalist Laura Duncan.

Why did Billie Holidays refuse to record strange fruit?

Recorded by Billie Holiday and Her Orchestra

In 1939, African American jazz singer Billie Holiday (1915–1959) recorded "Strange Fruit" on the Commodore label after Capitol, her usual record label, refused to issue a song about lynching. It eventually sold one million copies.

Why was the song Strange Fruit banned from the radio?

“Strange Fruit” has been called the original protest song. In early 1939, Billie Holiday was performing in the newly-opened nightclub Café Society in lower Manhattan. ... Performance of the song was banned in some US cities for fear of provoking civil unrest. It was blocked From U.S. Radio stations.

Who owns the rights to Billie Holiday's music?

And when McKay died of a heart attack in 1981, Holiday's estate went to his heirs, including his widow, Bernice McKay, who in 2012 sold it to the independent publisher Bicycle Music — which three years later merged with Concord Music Group.

What is the strange fruit that Billie Holiday songs of?

"Strange Fruit" is a song written and composed by Abel Meeropol and recorded by Billie Holiday in 1939. The lyrics were drawn from a poem by Meeropol published in 1937. The song protests the lynching of Black Americans with lyrics that compare the victims to the fruit of trees.

Was Abel Meeropol a communist?

They had not — but, like many New York teachers in his day, Meeropol was a Communist. ... He and his older brother, Michael, were raised by Abel and his wife, Anne Meeropol, after the boys' parents — Ethel and Julius Rosenberg — were executed for espionage in 1953.

When was Billie Holiday born?

Billie Holiday, birth name Elinore Harris, byname Lady Day, (born April 7, 1915, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.—died July 17, 1959, New York City, New York), American jazz singer, one of the greatest from the 1930s to the '50s.

What really happened to Billie Holiday?

Billie Holiday died on July 17, 1959, aged 44-years-old of heart failure caused by cirrhosis of the liver.

What is strange fruit a metaphor for?

The Horror and Inhumanity of American Racism

Through an extended metaphor in which black victims' bodies are presented as the “strange fruit” dangling from “Southern trees,” the poem brings the horrors of racism to vivid and uncomfortable life, insisting that such violence is utterly grotesque and inhumane.

Why was Billie Holiday in jail?

She was arrested in 1953 after she was caught smoking marijuana in a car, and later spent time in jail on a heroin possession charge—but once she was released she worked for another 40 years and died at the age of 87. Holiday died July 17, 1959, at the age of 44 of complications from cirrhosis.

Was Billie Holiday a Catholic?

"'Mary, talk to me,'" Billie said, "'I'm Catholic too. ... The Catholicism to which she remained attached accommodated vice and forgave it; when the Paulist "jazz priest" Father Norman O'Connor assured Holiday she could enjoy herself and still be a good Catholic, she told him she wished he were pope.

Is the US vs Billie Holiday true?

Hulu's Oscar-nominated The United States vs. Billie Holiday is a fictionalized take on the life of the legendary jazz singer, played in the film by “Rise Up” singer and (now Academy Award nominated) actress Andra Day in a Golden Globe-nominated performance.

Who was Billie Holiday's piano player?

Bobby Tucker (born Robert Nathaniel Tucker; January 8, 1923 – April 12, 2008) was a pianist and arranger during the jazz era from the 1940s into the 1960s. He is most famous for being Billie Holiday's accompanist from 1946 to 1949 and Billy Eckstine's from 1950 to 1993.

Does Netflix have Billie?

Unfortunately, Billie Eilish's documentary is not streaming on Netflix. While the streaming service is home to music docs such as Ariana Grande's Excuse Me, I Love You and Travis Scott's Look Mom I Can Fly, Eilish's project was not purchased by Netflix.

What happened to David Greenglass?

David Greenglass died on July 1, 2014. He was predeceased by his wife, Ruth, who died on April 7, 2008. His death was not publicly announced by his family and was only discovered on October 14, 2014, when The New York Times called the nursing home where he had been living under an assumed name.

How much was Billie Holiday Worth when she passed away?

Holiday's estate was valued at around $1,000,000 and earned $121,212 per year.