Strange Fruit

Jazz music has always existed as a voice for black musicians and audiences. The sounds and rhythms are extremely unique and colorful. It certainly changed America in the 1920's with the swing movement and it put jazz on the map. During this time many white people started to be influenced by this infectious music, and started to enjoy it. Many white people also discriminated against blacks and treated them as less than equal. A goal for an artist named Billie Holiday was to make America listen to the cries of a black man, a black man who was just lynched. Jazz music had to be recognized with its roots. Billie Holiday believed Jazz music had to defend the black people. No better way of being heard than through the voice of Holiday. She attempted to fight for black rights through her song “ strange fruit”, a political song that struck a chord for many Americans.

Her original name was Eleanor Fagan, born April 7, 1915. Billy Holiday was an American jazz singer, one of the greatest from the 1930s to the 1950s. Also known as "Lady Day, Holiday first acquired a taste of music listening to her father, who was a traveling musician. She was fortunate not to be deprived of music during the popular

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Though he stated that these claims were not true, Armstrong was then in his sixties and primarily concerned with continuing to travel and perform. Here was a song that opened the doors for the Civil Rights movement.

At the height of her career the infamous song she sang was "strange fruit", which was a highly charged political song. Born in New Orleans on August 4, 1901, Louis "Satchmo" Armstrong was a victim of poverty and discrimination. Under Davis's teaching, Armstrong joined a band, and his talent blossomed.

Around her time jazz was being listened to by many people. The song was about blacks being lynched in the south; a horrible and abhorrent act. In Nineteen-Forty-Seven, Billie Holiday was arrested for possessing illegal drugs. Many white people were swinging to the beats of Duke Elington, who was probably one of the most famous swing composers. There was no better way at the time to reach the people of America than through a star who was loved, admired and black.

“Southern trees bear strange fruit,

Black bodies swinging in the southern breeze,

Strange fruit hanging from the poplar trees. It was unlike any other popular song, but it was a huge hit. There was no better way for the people to experience the pain than through her voice. She listened to the popular recordings of trumpet player Louis Armstrong and singer Bessie Smith . Holiday was one of the first black musicians with the guts to release such an important political message in a song.

Approximate Word count = 1412
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)

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