Billie Holiday did not sing the definitive version, that would be Josh White,in my opinion. Though Billie sang the first version recorded in 1939. The lyrics & music were written by Lewis Allen in 1937, whose real name was Abel Meeropol. At various times Billie Holiday took credit for both the music and the lyrics. Her arranger Sonny White sometimes gets credit for the music, and it is generally accepted from her 'Lady Sings the Blues' biography that the three of them worked on the music together, refining it for the first recording. Diana Ross' movie & soundtrack of the same name credits Lewis Allen with both words and music. So, one sees this title credited variously as words and music by Lewis Allen, Allen/Holiday, Lewis Allen/Eleonora Fagan/Sonny White, Allen/White, Holiday, Holiday/White, etc. Abel Meerapol is also of interest for having with his wife adopted the orphaned children of Julius & Ethel Rosenberg after thier execution. For anyone that might not know Eleonora Fagan is Billie Holiday's name at birth.

BTW not too many years back, less than 10 I think, a jazz club opened in Cleveland, and two young white entrepreneur types, yuppies, we used to call them opened a little juice bar inside it, for fresh juices, non-alcoholic, etc. What do you think they called it? Strange Fruit They said they like the song, thought it was a cool name, never knew it was about lynching or anything like that, obviously never having heard the song. Which is one reason I like Josh White's version over Billie's. Her version loses the lyric in styling sometimes, one can listen melodically but not emotionally, especially as she seems so detached from everything she sings. Josh recorded it before 1944, and again in the fifties, I think 1954 on an album titled Strange Fruit. He was singing it in public fairly early, though many people tried to make him leave to to Billie for herself alone to sing.