Strange Fruit (original) (raw)

Billie Holiday helped shape American popular music with her voice and unique style. But, her legacy extends way beyond music with one song in particular — "Strange Fruit." The song paints an unflinching picture of racial violence, and it was an unexpected hit. But singing it brought serious consequences.

In a special collaboration with NPR Music's Turning the Tables Series, how "Strange Fruit" turned Billie Holiday into one of the first victims of the War on Drugs.

If you would like to read more on the topic, here's a list:

• If You Can't Be Free, Be a Mystery: In Search of Billie Holiday by Farah Jasmine Griffin
• Chasing the Scream: The First and Last Days of the War on Drugs by Johann Hari
• Lady Sings the Blues by Billie Holiday and William Dufty

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