The famed African American jazz singer Billie Holiday is known for her signature song of protest “Strange Fruit”. She addresses many political and economical issues of the 30’s in her lyrics such as the brutality of lynching and other forms of racist acts in America.
On this day, April 20th, in 1939, “Strange Fruit” is released as the first song to highlight the horrors of the segregation era. This record brought political awareness to other artist and to the public during the rise of the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950’s and 60’s. At the time the record was released, Southern Dixiecrats that promoted segregation were prominent in the Democratic Party and banned the song from playing on the radio.
Despite the political atmosphere, Holiday insisted to perform the song in local venues even when the bartender would ring the cash register through her entire performance. In addition, the song top the pop charts at #16 before it was completely banned.