"Strange Fruit" is a song performed most famously by Billie Holiday. It condemned American racism, particularly the lynchings of African Americans that had occurred chiefly in South for decades before this was written. Strange Fruit may refer to: The song Strange Fruit, performed by Billie Holiday A record label, Strange Fruit (record label) An Australian performing arts company, Strange Fruit (performing arts company) One of a number of movies of that title. ... A collection of various CD singles In music, a single is a short recording of one or more separate tracks. ... Billie Holiday (April 7, 1915 – July 17, 1959), born Eleanora Fagan and later nicknamed Lady Day (see Jazz royalty regarding similar nicknames), was an American jazz singer, a seminal influence on jazz and pop singers, and generally regarded as one of the greatest female jazz vocalists. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Blues music redirects here. ... In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. ... A songwriter is someone who writes the lyrics to songs, the musical composition or melody to songs, or both. ... The American writer Abel Meeropol (1903 - 1986) is best known under his pseudonym Lewis Allan, under which he wrote the anti-lynching song Strange Fruit, famously performed by Billie Holiday. ... Billie Holiday (April 7, 1915 – July 17, 1959), born Eleanora Fagan and later nicknamed Lady Day (see Jazz royalty regarding similar nicknames), was an American jazz singer, a seminal influence on jazz and pop singers, and generally regarded as one of the greatest female jazz vocalists. ... Manifestations Slavery Racial profiling Lynching Hate speech Hate crime Genocide (examples) Ethnocide Ethnic cleansing Pogrom Race war Religious persecution Gay bashing Blood libel Paternalism Police brutality Movements Policies Discriminatory Race / Religion / Sex segregation Apartheid Redlining Internment Anti-discriminatory Emancipation Civil rights Desegregation Integration Equal opportunity Counter-discriminatory Affirmative action Racial... Lynching is a form of violence, usually execution, conceived of by its perpetrators as extrajudicial punishment for offenders or as a terrorist method of enforcing social domination. ... An African American (also Afro-American, Black American, or simply black) is a member of an ethnic group in the United States whose ancestors, usually in predominant part, were indigenous to Africa. ... Historic Southern United States. ...

Author

"Strange Fruit" began as a poem about the lynching of two black men written by a Jewish schoolteacher from the Bronx, Abel Meeropol. He published under the pen name Lewis Allan (the names of his two children who died in infancy). (Years later Meeropol and his wife adopted the children of the convicted spies Ethel and Julius Rosenberg, who were executed in the 1950s.) The American writer Abel Meeropol (1903 - 1986) is best known under his pseudonym Lewis Allan, under which he wrote the anti-lynching song Strange Fruit, famously performed by Billie Holiday. ... The Rosenbergs Ethel Greenglass Rosenberg (September 28, 1915 – June 19, 1953) and Julius Rosenberg (May 12, 1918 – June 19, 1953) were American citizens and CPUSA members who were thrust into the world spotlight when they were tried, convicted, and executed for spying for the Soviet Union. ...

Meeropol wrote "Strange Fruit" to express his horror at lynchings after seeing Lawrence Beitler's photograph of the lynching of Thomas Shipp and Abram Smith in Marion, Indiana. He published the poem in 1937 in The New York Teacher, a union magazine. Though Meeropol/Allan had often asked others (notably Earl Robinson) to set his poems to music, he set Strange Fruit to music himself. The song gained a certain success as a protest song in and around New York. Meeropol, his wife, and black vocalist Laura Duncan performed it at Madison Square Garden. Thomas Shipp and Abram Smith, August 7, 1930 Lawrence Beitler was a studio photographer who, on August 7th 1930, took a photograph of the lynching of Thomas Shipp and Abram Smith. ... Thomas was lynched on August 7, 1930 in Marion, Indiana. ... The introduction of this article does not provide enough context for readers unfamiliar with the subject. ... Marion is a given name: Marion Barry Marion Zimmer Bradley Marion Jones Marion Suge Knight Marion John Wayne Morrison Marion Pat Robertson Marion Schwantes Marion may be used as a given name for both males and females, but the female form is usually Marian. ... For other uses, see Indiana (disambiguation). ... Earl Robinson Earl Robinson (1910 - 1991) was a songwriter and composer from Seattle, Washington who was probably as well known for his left-leaning political views as he was for his music. ... Madison Square Garden, often abbreviated as MSG, known colloquially simply as The Garden, has been the name of four arenas in New York City, United States. ...

Barney Josephson, the founder of Cafe Society in Greenwich Village, New York's first integrated nightclub, heard the song and introduced it to Billie Holiday. Holiday performed the song at Cafe Society in 1939. She said that singing it made her fearful of retaliation. Holiday later said that because the imagery in "Strange Fruit" reminded her of her father, she persisted in singing it. The song became a regular part of Holiday's live performances. Caf Society was a New York City nightclub opened in 1938 in Greenwich Village by Barney Josephson to showcase African American talent and to be an American version of the political cabarets he had seen in Europe before the war. ... Billie Holiday (April 7, 1915 – July 17, 1959), born Eleanora Fagan and later nicknamed Lady Day (see Jazz royalty regarding similar nicknames), was an American jazz singer, a seminal influence on jazz and pop singers, and generally regarded as one of the greatest female jazz vocalists. ...

Holiday approached her recording label, Columbia, about recording the song. Her producer John Hammond— the man credited with originally discovering her — did not support her idea. Columbia refused to record the song. Holiday then arranged to record it in 1939 with Commodore, Milt Gabler's alternative jazz label. She recorded two major sessions at Commodore, one in 1939 and one in 1944. "Strange Fruit" was highly regarded. In time it became Holiday's biggest selling record. Though the song became a staple of her live performances, Holiday's accompanist Bobby Tucker recalled that Holiday would break down every time after she sang it. John Henry Hammond (December 15, 1910–July 10, 1987) was a record producer, musician and music critic from the 1930s to the early 1980s. ... Milt Gabler (20 May 1911 - 20 July 2001) was a noted American record producer. ...

In her autobiography Lady Sings the Blues, Billie Holiday suggested that she, together with Lewis Allan, her accompanist Sonny White and arranger Danny Mendelsohn put the poem to music. David Margolick and Hilton Als dismissed that claim in their work 'Strange Fruit: The Biography of a Song. They wrote that hers was "an account that may set a record for most misinformation per column inch". When challenged, Holiday - whose autobiography had been ghost-written by William Dufty - claimed "I ain't never read that book." Lady Sings the Blues is a 1972 biographical film which tells the story of blues singer Billie Holliday. ... Billie Holiday (April 7, 1915 – July 17, 1959), born Eleanora Fagan and later nicknamed Lady Day (see Jazz royalty regarding similar nicknames), was an American jazz singer, a seminal influence on jazz and pop singers, and generally regarded as one of the greatest female jazz vocalists. ...

The photograph that was cited by the songwriter as the inspiration for the song: Thomas Shipp and Abram Smith, August 7, 1930.

Image File history File links ThomasShippAbramSmith. ... Image File history File links ThomasShippAbramSmith. ...

Meaning

The "strange fruit" referred to in the song are the bodies of African American men hanged during a lynching. They contrast the pastoral scenes of the South with the ugliness of racist violence. The lyrics were so chilling that Holiday later said "The first time I sang it, I thought it was a mistake. There wasn't even a patter of applause when I finished. Then a lone person began to clap nervously. Then suddenly everyone was clapping and cheering."

Impact

Barney Josephson recognized the impact of the song and insisted that Holiday close all her shows with it. Just as the song was about to begin, waiters would stop serving, the lights in club would be turned off, and a single pin spotlight would illuminate Holiday on stage. During the musical introduction, Holiday would stand with her eyes closed, as if she were evoking a prayer.

The song ultimately became the anthem of the anti-lynching movement. The dark imagery of the lyrics struck a chord. It also contributed to what would later become the Civil Rights movement of the 50s and 60s. Historically, various popular movements struggling for social justice and democratic rights since the Second World War were known as civil rights movement, most famously the American civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s, which struggled for equal rights for African-Americans. ...

The song became an instant success and was most identified with Holiday. Numerous other singers have performed it, including Josh White, Sting, Robert Wyatt, UB40, Tori Amos, Pete Seeger, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Cassandra Wilson, Nina Simone (on Pastel Blues), Lester Bowie, Antony and the Johnsons, Jeff Buckley, Cocteau Twins, Sounds of Blackness, This Bike is a Pipe Bomb, John Martyn, The Twilight Singers, Karate, and Tcheky Karyo (in Ce lien qui nous unit) and remixed by Tricky. In October 1939, Samuel Grafton of The New York Post described Strange Fruit: "If the anger of the exploited ever mounts high enough in the South, it now has its Marseillaise." Joshua Daniel White (February 11, 1914–-September 5, 1969),[1] best known as Josh White, was a legendary American singer, guitarist, songwriter, actor, and civil rights activist. ... This article is about the musician. ... Robert Wyatt (born Robert Wyatt-Ellidge, 28 January 1945, in Bristol) is an English musician, and a former member of the influential Canterbury scene band Soft Machine. ... UB40 are a British dub band formed in 1978 in Birmingham. ... Tori Amos (born Myra Ellen Amos on August 22, 1963) is an American pianist and singer-songwriter. ... Peter Seeger (born May 3, 1919), almost universally known as Pete Seeger, is a folk singer, political activist, and author. ... Siouxsie and the Banshees are a British gothic rock band. ... Cassandra Wilson (born December 4, 1955) is an American jazz musician, vocalist, songwriter, and producer from Jackson, Mississippi. ... Eunice Kathleen Waymon, better known by her stage name Nina Simone (February 21, 1933 – April 21, 2003), was an American singer, songwriter, pianist, arranger and civil rights activist. ... Pastel Blues is a studio album by singer/pianist/songwriter Nina Simone (1933-2003). ... Lester Bowie (11 October 1941–8 November 1999) was a jazz trumpet player and composer. ... Antony and the Johnsons is a Mercury Prize-winning music act from New York City. ... Jeff Buckley (November 17, 1966 – May 29, 1997), born Jeffrey Scott Buckley and raised as Scotty Moorhead,[1] was an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. ... Cocteau Twins were a Scottish alternative rock band active from 1982 to 1997. ... Sounds Of Blackness is a gospel music ensemble from Minneapolis Minnesota who scored several big hits on the Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart in the nineties. ... This Bike Is A Pipe Bomb is a folk-punk band from Pensacola, Florida, USA. Their first recording was released in 1997 on Ghostmeat Records. ... John Martyn (born Iain David McGeachy on September 11, 1948 in New Malden, Surrey, England) is a British singer-songwriter and guitarist. ... The Twilight Singers is an American rock band. ... For other uses, see Karate (disambiguation). ... Tchéky Karyo (born October 4, 1953) is an actor. ... For other uses, see Tricky (disambiguation). ... This article is about the anthem La Marseillaise. A sculpture popularly called La Marseillaise is part of the sculptural programme of the Arc de Triomphe. ...

In 2002, the Library of Congress honored the song as one of 50 recordings chosen that year by to be added to the National Recording Registry. Construction of the Thomas Jefferson Building, from July 8, 1888 to May 15, 1894. ... The National Recording Registry is a list of sound recordings which are culturally, historically or aesthetically important, and/or inform or reflect life in the United States. ...

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution listed the song as Number One on 100 Songs of the South. [1] The Atlanta Journal-Constitution is the only major daily newspaper of Atlanta and metro Atlanta. ... Atlanta Journal-Constitutions 100 songs of the South was a list compiled by the newspapers music critics Shane Harrison, Nick Marino and Sonia Murray in 2005. ...

Bob Dylan cited Strange Fruit as an influence in the 2005 documentary No Direction Home. The movie also had a brief clip of Holiday singing. This article is about the recording artist. ... For other uses, see No direction home (disambiguation). ...

Inspiration

The 1944 novel Strange Fruit by author Lillian Smith, was said to have been inspired by Billie Holiday's version of the song. Lillian Smith may be either Lillian Smith (author) or Lillian Smith (entertainer) Category: ...

The short film, Strange Fruit, written and directed by Christopher Browne. [2]

Seattle literary magazine the strange fruit is named after the song.

The opera "Strange Fruit" was inspired by the novel by Lillian Smith (above). A commissioned work, it premiered on June 15, 2007 at the Long Leaf Opera Festival [3]in Chapel Hill. Chandler Carter was the composer and Joan Ross Sorkin was the librettist.

Covers

The song has been covered by several artists :

• AaRON
• Twilight Singers
• Nina Simone
• Remixed by Tricky on Verve Remixed

The Adoration of the Golden Calf by Nicolas Poussin Aaron (Hebrew: , Standard  Tiberian ), or Aaron the Levite (flourished about 1200 B.C.), was, according to biblical accounts, one of two brothers who play a unique part in the history of the Hebrew people. ... The Twilight Singers is an American rock band. ... Eunice Kathleen Waymon, better known by her stage name Nina Simone (February 21, 1933 – April 21, 2003), was an American singer, songwriter, pianist, arranger and civil rights activist. ... For other uses, see Tricky (disambiguation). ... Verve Remixed is a series of albums released by Verve Records centered around the concept of classic Verve tracks, remixed by contemporary electronic music producers and DJs. ...

References

• PBS
• Strange Fruit
• Spartacus
• YouTube

Additional Reading

• Clarke, Donald: Billie Holiday. Wishing on the Moon. München, Piper 1995. ISBN 3-492-03756-9
• Davis, Angela: Blues Legacies and Black Feminism. Diverse Ausgaben, z. B. Vintage Books 1999 ISBN 0-679-77126-3
• Margolick, David and Hilton Als: Strange Fruit. Billie Holiday, Café Society and an Early Cry for Civil Rights. Running Press, 2000. ISBN 0-7624-0677-1
• Margolick, David and Hilton Als: Strange Fruit. The Biography of a Song., Ecco 2001. ISBN 0-06-095956-8
• Holiday, Billie (with William Dufty): Lady Sings the Blues, Autobiography.. Edition Nautilus, 1992. ISBN 3-89401-110-6

Angela Yvonne Davis (born January 26, 1944) is a African American radical activist, primarily working for racial and gender equality and for prison reform. ...

External links

• Lyrics
• on Youtube