Which singer recorded the jazz standard “Strange Fruit” in 1939?

Billie Holiday recorded “Strange Fruit” in 1939. The song is a powerful protest against racism and lynching in the United States, and Holiday’s recording became one of the most important vocal performances in twentieth-century music.

The lyrics originated as a poem by Abel Meeropol, who published it under the pseudonym Lewis Allan. Holiday first performed the song at Café Society in New York City, an integrated nightclub, before recording it for Commodore Records. Her restrained, mournful delivery intensified the song’s disturbing imagery.

“Strange Fruit” was not written by Holiday, although it is closely associated with her. It became a defining part of her repertoire and was later recorded by many other artists. The song’s subject and historical context explain why it is discussed as both a jazz performance and a landmark protest song.