"Strange Fruit" is a song written by Abel Meeropol and recorded by Billie Holiday in 1939. The song protests the lynching of Black Americans in the South and reached its peak in the early 20th century. The song has been a declaration and the beginning of the civil rights movement. Holiday's version of the song was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1978. It has been covered by a number of artists over the years including Nina Simone in 1965.
