“Strange Fruit” Shellac Record
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.
Strange Fruit; Fine and Mellow
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- Cultural and Community Life: Entertainment
- Music & Musical Instruments
- Popular Entertainment
- 1939 exhibit
- recording date
- 1939
- ID Number
- 1996.3034.11383
- nonaccession number
- 1996.3034
- catalog number
- 1996.3034.11383
- label number
- 526
- Description (Brief)
Billy Holiday and her Orchestra. side 1: Strange Fruit; side 2: Fine and Mellow (Commodore 526)
78 rpmBillie Holiday (1915–1959,) an African American jazz singer nicknamed Lady Day, emerged on the jazz scene after a difficult and impoverished upbringing. Known for her light, rhythmic singing, Holiday performed with some of the most famous American jazz musicians throughout the 1930s and 1940s. She first performed “Strange Fruit,” a song written by a Jewish poet about the lynching of African Americans, at the Café Society club in 1939. Her performances of the song were filled with emotion, and the recording reached number 16 on the charts. Holiday went on to release a number of other hits, but “Strange Fruit” remained the best-selling record of her career.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- Credit Line
- Gift of Robert B. Campbell in memory of Dorothy and William Campbell
- recording artist
- Billie Holiday and her Orchestra
- composer
- Allan, Lewis
- manufacturer
- Commodore
- Related Publication
- Rust, Brian. Jazz Records 1897-1942, Vol. 1
- place made
- United States: New York, New York
- Physical Description
- shellac (overall material)
- Measurements
- overall: 10 in; x 25.4 cm
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
- Object Name
- sound recording
- Record ID
- nmah_1010838
