The Strange Story Of The Man Behind ‘Strange Fruit’

Click here to View: The story behind Billie Holiday‘s “Strange Fruit” on YouTube. 

Click here to read or listen to The Strange Story Of The Man Behind ‘Strange Fruit’ by Elizabeth Blair from NPR on September 5, 2012.

One of Billie Holiday’s most iconic songs is “Strange Fruit,” a haunting protest against the inhumanity of racism. Many people know that the man who wrote the song was inspired by a photograph of a lynching. But they might not realize that he’s also tied to another watershed moment in America’s history.