Latest news with #BillieHoliday
Yahoo
12-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Decades after Billie Holiday's death, ‘Strange Fruit' is still a searing testament to injustice – and of faithful solidarity with suffering
On July 17, 1959, Billie Holiday died at Metropolitan Hospital in New York. The 44-year-old singer arrived after being turned away from a nearby charity hospital on evidence of drug use, then lay for hours on a stretcher in the hallway, unrecognized and unattended. Her estate amounted to 70 cents in the bank and a roll of bills concealed on her person, her share of the payment for a tabloid interview she gave on her deathbed. Today, Holiday is revered as one of the most influential musical artists of all time. Time magazine named her 1939 recording of 'Strange Fruit' the song of the 20th century. 'In this sad, shadowy song about lynching in the South,' Time wrote in 1999, 'history's greatest jazz singer comes to terms with history itself.' Abel Meeropol, a New York City teacher and songwriter who used the pen name Lewis Allan, wrote 'Strange Fruit' after seeing a photograph of a lynching that shocked and haunted him: 'Black body swinging in the Southern breeze / Strange fruit hanging from the poplar trees.' Holiday's rendition of Meeropol's song remains as stunning – and searing – today as when it was first recorded. 'It hits, hard,' syndicated columnist Samuel Grafton wrote soon after the record's release in 1939. 'It is as if a game of let's pretend had ended.' I'm a scholar of American religion, literature, and the arts, and I'm interested in the ways that even powerfully secular works draw energy from religious narratives of justice, injustice, truth-telling and redemption. I find 'Strange Fruit' a resonant example. Like so many composers whose songs Holiday recorded – George and Ira Gershwin, Irving Berlin, Jerome Kern – Meeropol came from a family of Jewish immigrants to America who fled antisemitic violence in Europe. Two Great Migrations defined America in the early 1900s: rural South to industrial North, and Old World to New. Both were driven, in part, by the desire to leave racial terror behind. Together, these migrations enabled some of the most enduring musical collaborations of the 20th century. Thematically, the joint productions of Black and Jewish musical artists – Broadway productions of 'Show Boat' and 'Porgy and Bess,' Holiday's performances with Benny Goodman and Artie Shaw – tended to sidestep the brute realities of prejudice, focusing instead on the luxury of ordinary happiness and unhappiness. 'Strange Fruit' was different. The song gazes unflinchingly on the 'strange fruit' of the title: hanged, burned and mangled flesh left to rot on a tree. Well into the 20th century, white vigilante mobs murdered thousands of Black Americans with impunity: lynching then leaving their bodies on display as a terrorist spectacle. Meeropol first jotted the song's words and music on the back of a cabaret program dated Nov. 13, 1938 – four days after Kristallnacht, the night of murderous anti-Jewish rampages throughout Nazi Germany that became a tipping point for the Holocaust. For Meeropol, a labor activist and a secular Jew, Black and Jewish Americans marched shoulder to shoulder in the cause of freedom from injustice. In another poem, he connected anti-Black violence with the persecutions of Jews: I am a Jew. How may I tell? The Negro lynched Reminds me well I am a Jew. As Meeropol linked anti-Black and anti-Jewish prejudice, many Black Christians also connected their suffering with that of the Hebrew slaves in the Bible – and with Jesus' own. According to theologian James Cone, 'Black ministers preached about Jesus' death more than any other theme because they saw in Jesus' suffering and persecution a parallel to their own encounter with slavery, segregation, and the lynching tree.' In the decade Holiday recorded 'Strange Fruit,' Harlem Renaissance writers W.E.B. Du Bois, Countee Cullen and Langston Hughes all centered works around the figure of the crucified Black Christ. Most African American Christians belong to Protestant churches, but Holiday did not. As a child she was baptized Catholic at a convent reform school, Baltimore's House of the Good Shepherd for Colored Girls, where she was twice sent by the courts. She remained ambivalently Catholic for the whole of her life. Protestant churches commonly display the 'empty' cross, showing the instrument of Jesus' execution, but not his body. The message of the empty cross is resurrection and new life. According to the Christian story, Jesus was crucified, buried and rose from the dead to redeem humankind from sin. In Catholic settings, one is more likely to find the 'filled' cross: the body of Jesus with arms outstretched, hands and feet nailed to the wood. The crucifix emphasizes the agony of Jesus' death and his solidarity with all who suffer. The filled cross also communicates the message that the crucifixion of Christ – God in human form – is not a once-and-for-all event. 'When [Meeropol] showed me that poem,' Holiday said of 'Strange Fruit,' 'I dug it right off' because it 'seemed to spell out all the things that had killed Pop.' Her father, jazz guitarist Clarence Holiday, died at 39 while touring in Texas. She believed he'd been refused lifesaving care because of his race. Holiday's 'Strange Fruit' evokes the filled cross in its testament to lynching as ongoing reality. 'It still depresses me every time I sing it,' Holiday said in her autobiography. 'But I have to keep singing it … the things that killed him are still happening in the South.' Journalist Vernon Jarrett recalled seeing Holiday perform in 1947. She was 'singing this song as though this was for real, as though she had just witnessed a lynching,' Jarrett said of 'Strange Fruit.' 'There was a sense of resignation, as if 'these people are going to have power for a long time and I can't do a damn thing about it except put it in a song.'' Keeping company with brokenness, rather than transcending or overcoming it, also describes Holiday's way of relating to others in precarious circumstances. Her Harlem apartment, she said, was a 'combination YMCA, boardinghouse for broke musicians, soup kitchen for anyone with a hard-luck story, community center, and after-hours joint.' A 1943 papal encyclical described the church itself similarly, as a place of shared pain, solace and sustenance. Anyone without money 'could go there and eat,' poet and jazz vocalist Babs Gonzales recalled of Holiday's place. 'She fed everybody in New York for four years.' Holiday closed sets with 'Strange Fruit' from 1939 until the final months of her life. In making it her trademark song, she offered solidarity and faithful witness to racial violence and injustice, not the remedy for these. But her testament carried extraordinary power. Shortly after the 2020 murder of George Floyd, Bruce Springsteen, a fellow Catholic with 'misgivings,' made a playlist for America. First on his list was 'Strange Fruit.' Asked whether he was optimistic about the future, Springsteen answered in the spirit of Holiday: witness, not triumph. 'I don't think anybody truly knows where we're going from here,' he told writer David Brooks. But everyone 'can see right now that the status quo is not okay. And that's progress.' This article is republished from The Conversation, a nonprofit, independent news organization bringing you facts and trustworthy analysis to help you make sense of our complex world. It was written by: Tracy Fessenden, Arizona State University Read more: Brain scans of Philly jazz musicians reveal secrets to reaching creative flow Doc Watson at 100: The virtuoso guitarist brought Appalachian music to a worldwide audience and influenced generations of musicians Rock music has had sympathy for God as well as the devil – Kennedy Center honoree Amy Grant is just one big star who's walked the line between 'Christian' and 'secular' music Tracy Fessenden has received funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Henry Luce Foundation, and the American Council of Learned Societies.
Yahoo
25-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Iconic 2000s Singer, 57, Puts ‘Timeless' Voice on Display With Acoustic Social Media Tease
Iconic 2000s Singer, 57, Puts 'Timeless' Voice on Display With Acoustic Social Media Tease originally appeared on Parade. Macy Gray is back. The 'I Try' singer, 57, announced Saturday that fans can expect a new album from her in July. Gray, whose real name is Natalie Renee McIntyre, took to social media this weekend to share the news. In the video, Gray is seen vibing to audio of herself covering the Alicia Keys hit 'No One.' One of the most iconic singers of the early 2000s, Gray's voice sounds like no time has passed since she burst onto the scene with the release of her first album titled Oh How Life 'Coming in July,' the video also includes the message, 'Our world needs more love right now.' Fans quickly embraced Gray's effort to inspire and bring joy. The comment section filled with excitement from Gray's longtime fans who were quick to note Gray's "timeless" voice was still pitch perfect. One wrote, 'The world needs more music to drown out the noise,' while another added, 'The world needs Macy!!!' 'Yay, Macy Gray is back! The sixth-grade me is so happy,' shared another for her gravelly, jazzy voice, the quirky pop singer is often compared to a modern-day Billie Holiday. She hasn't released a studio album since Ruby in 2018, though she has stayed busy—including a 2025 appearance on the Fox competition show The Masked Singer on which she placed fourth. 🎬SIGN UP for Parade's Daily newsletter to get the latest pop culture news & celebrity interviews delivered right to your inbox🎬 Iconic 2000s Singer, 57, Puts 'Timeless' Voice on Display With Acoustic Social Media Tease first appeared on Parade on Jun 22, 2025 This story was originally reported by Parade on Jun 22, 2025, where it first appeared.
New York Times
24-06-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Lynn Hamilton, a Steady Presence on ‘Sanford and Son,' Dies at 95
Lynn Hamilton, who became a familiar presence in American living rooms in the 1970s playing Donna Harris, the elegant and unflinching girlfriend of Redd Foxx's irascible Fred Sanford, on 'Sanford and Son,' and Verdie Foster, a dignified matriarch, on 'The Waltons,' died on Thursday at her home in Chicago. She was 95. Her death was confirmed by her former manager and publicist, the Rev. Calvin Carson. Before landing her breakout television roles, Ms. Hamilton had considerable experience onstage and onscreen. She made her Broadway debut in 1959 in 'Only in America,' in a cast that also included Alan Alda. She appeared in John Cassavetes's first film as a director, 'Shadows' (1958); two films starring Sidney Poitier, 'Brother John' (1971) and 'Buck and the Preacher' (1972); and 'Lady Sings the Blues,' the 1972 Billie Holiday biopic starring Diana Ross. Still, almost no experience could have prepared her for working with Mr. Foxx, a hallowed comedian who grew up on the streets — he palled around Harlem with the young Malcolm X during their hustler days — and made his name with nightclub routines that were socially conscious and unapologetically dirty. 'Sanford and Son,' a groundbreaking NBC hit, broke racial barriers. A predominantly Black sitcom, it starred Mr. Foxx as Fred Sanford, a cantankerous and wholly unfiltered Los Angeles junk man, and Demond Wilson as Lamont, his sensible, long-suffering son. Ms. Hamilton was originally cast, as a landlady, for only one episode during the show's first season. She made enough of an impact to earn a regular role later that season as Donna, Fred's girlfriend and, eventually, fiancée. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Yahoo
22-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
I Stand On Their Shoulders: My Love Letter To Toronto's Black Jazz Musicians
On Saturday June 21st, I am co-producing a concert with Toronto Jazz Festival at Koerner Hall called 'On Their Shoulders'. Here's why I had to do it. Becoming a vocalist was a dream for me, but after attending and abruptly leaving a post-secondary institution that tried to teach me by constantly discouraging me from 'singing Black' (their words, not mine), I was dejected and demoralized. I had absolutely no idea where to turn for guidance. Until one day, when I stopped in at a jam session at a club called 'Dimples'. The musicians welcomed me on stage, where I performed Billie Holiday's 'God Bless The Child'. I don't remember my performance, but I vividly remember what happened next. When the band took a break, the singer, keyboardist and drummer all came over and crowded into my booth- boxing me in with no escape in sight: 'What's your name again? Where are you from? How long have you been singing? Whose kid are you?' The three musicians peppered me with questions and listened to each of my answers, and then, they began to critique my performance. Even though it never entered my mind to ask them for advice, it didn't really matter, because their comments on my performance started coming hard and fast: 'Don't forget to breathe. Learn what the lyrics mean! Take your time and don't forget to listen to the instruments.' I listened intently and nodded my head at each new directive, while waiting for the inevitable comment that I had been hearing over and over again from my teachers: 'Try not to sing so Black', but those words never came. Instead, they gave me words of encouragement that have stayed with me for 41 years. Left to Right: Ron Small, Shakura S'Aida, Jackie Richardson and Salome Bey Those musicians, Kingsley Éttienne, Betty Richardson and Archie Alleyne gave me the confidence to keep pushing forward. A year later, in 1985, I began working as an assistant stage manager on a play written by Salome Bey, produced by her husband, Howard Matthews, Joe Sealy and Archie Alleyne. The play, 'Madame Gertrude' starring Jackie Richardson and Ron Small and featuring Bill Sharpe on bass, Joe on piano and Archie on drums, became my new classroom and the foundation for the artist I am now. Often, I am struck by how few Black musicians I regularly see playing in clubs. It's been disappointing to see how segregated many Toronto bands are. Many of the top jazz, blues or soul bands lack colour and sometimes (in my eyes) lack soul - not because their musicians aren't amazing, but because how is it possible to not have an integrated band, when you are playing music that was created through a Black lens. So how important is race when we speak about music? Is it about race or culture; both or neither? I honestly don't know. I do know that often when I am asked to perform and I ask if the band is diverse in terms of race, gender, etc., very few bandleaders reply in the affirmative. A true irony is taking music created by Black songwriters and musicians during a time when African Americans were being oppressed and excluded and then trying to recreate that same music while excluding present-day Black musicians (intentionally or otherwise). Are you a music lover and/or a musician? Do you fancy yourself a keeper of history? Here are a few names for you to add to your database: Phyllis Marshall, Ada Lee, Cy Mclean, Eleanor Collins, Curtis Bailey, Ricky Day, Doug Salmon, Eric Mercury, Frank Wright, Wray Downes, Eugene Smith, Valeire Abbott Hunt, Jay Jackson, The Girls (Colina Phillips, Sharon Lee Williams, Shawn Jackson) and many more names that are listed on the Black Music Archives, the Canadian Music Encyclopedia and all over the interweb. A post shared via Instagram Black musicians have always been a part of the Toronto music scene - even when they faced segregation and exclusion from the Musicians' Union, many downtown clubs and by default, many of the popular bands of the time. Black musicians and vocalists being relegated to music rooms with lower union grading meant lower pay and fewer opportunities for advancement. It also meant that many underground and after-hours spots became the go-to gathering places for all musicians and music lovers in the city. Ironically, these venues became training grounds and showcase rooms for our musicians, many of whom then went on to play with top musicians like Cab Calloway, Billie Holiday, Duke Ellington, Nina Simone and Louis Armstrong. That was a long time ago, right? Well, even in this day and age, Black jazz musicians are kept out of popular jazz/funk/soul bands. It's rare to get a call from those bands when they are looking for replacements. Shakura S'Aida on stage. It's tiring being the Black singer in front of a white band every time. Non-Black musicians should notice when we are not in the room, on the stage, or part of their community. Integrated spaces should be the norm. But here we are, in 2025 and still talking about integration. So what keeps me going? Officer for the Order of Canada and my favourite jazz drummer of all time, Archie Alleyne often said, 'without the past, there is no future'. Musical mentors like him taught me to work hard, stay focused and never let go of my community. Knowing that Salome Bey was an actor, a singer, a playwright, a record producer, a band leader, a music curator and an event producer means that even though I might get scared, frustrated, discouraged and want to give up while doing any or all of these same things, I never do. Instead I stand tall, confident and grounded, because the Original Queen Bey taught me that all that I do has already been done and done well. We all - Black, Indigenous, Asian Diasporic, South Asian, Latino, white, Queer, women, men, trans, non-binary - deserve to know the names and power of our musical ancestors. We deserve to know that we are capable of greatness, because Great Ones brought us here and they stand behind, beside and in front of us, witnessing all of our good work and greatness. We stand On Their Shoulders. Gratefully. On Their Shoulders is a once-in-a-lifetime concert celebrating the African Canadian artists who have made invaluable contributions to the Toronto music community. Backed by an all-star house band led by award-winning and JUNO-nominated musical director Eddie Bullen, featuring acclaimed artists like JUNO-nominated singer-songwriter Brooke Blackburn and GRAMMY Award-winning drum phenom, Larnell Lewis, this special evening of music celebrates the foundation of Toronto's jazz scene. Get tickets at
New York Times
13-06-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
5 Minutes to Love Billie Holiday
Produced by Kate LoPresti Edited by Frannie Carr Toth Engineered by Rowan Niemisto Hosted by Elena Bergeron As a jazz vocalist, Billie Holiday was a brilliant interpreter. From her early career in Harlem nightclubs through her success as a recording artist, her unique voice and inventive phrasing brought new meaning to every performance she Bergeron, a Culture editor and writer at The New York Times, shares what she loves about Holiday's artistry and reflects on the singer's enduring legacy. Elena Bergeron is a Culture editor and writer at The Times. 5 Minutes That Will Make You Love Billie Holiday The New York Times Audio app is home to journalism and storytelling, and provides news, depth and serendipity. If you haven't already, download it here — available to Times news subscribers on iOS — and sign up for our weekly newsletter.
