Subject: Chords Req.: Josh White's Strange Fruit From: Uncle_DaveO Date: 23 Mar 02 - 05:29 PM I'd love to have the chords Josh White used for this classic. Can anyone help?
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Subject: RE: Chords Req.: Josh White's Strange Fruit From: masato sakurai Date: 23 Mar 02 - 07:50 PM Lyrics are in the DT (CLICK HERE). The chords given below may not be those of Josh White's version.
STRANGE FRUIT
[Cm]Southern trees bear a [G+]strange [G7]fruit,
[Cm]Pastoral [G7(D)]scenes of the [Cm]gallant South,
[Cm]Here is a [Cm7(Bb)]fruit for the [Ab9]crows to [G7b9]pluck,
(b=flat)
(From Tom Glazer, Songs of Peace, Freedom, and Protest, David McKay Co., 1970, pp. 294-296) ~Masato
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Subject: RE: Chords Req.: Josh White's Strange Fruit From: greg stephens Date: 23 Mar 02 - 08:57 PM There are several things seriously wrong with theprevious chord sequence. Afraid I havent got time to straighten it out right now, but it won't work! |
Subject: RE: Chords Req.: Josh White's Strange Fruit From: Uncle_DaveO Date: 24 Mar 02 - 10:28 AM I'm going to try it with the LP and see if I think it fits. He certainly didsn't sing the melody as others do. Greg, were you working the chords against the tune as Josh White sang it?? Dave Oesterreich |
Subject: RE: Chords Req.: Josh White's Strange Fruit From: ddw Date: 24 Mar 02 - 04:25 PM Uncle Dave —— I have Josh's songbook at home (at work right now) and I'll look this up for you. I know it's int the book. Will post it Monday night if no one else has.... cheers, david |
Subject: RE: Chords Req.: Josh White's Strange Fruit From: rangeroger Date: 24 Mar 02 - 06:28 PM Uncle_DaveO,I also have the song book,but I am not proficient in posting chords with lyrics. The ones in the book are similar to what masato posted except they are a full step lower in Bm7. If you could PM me with your snail mail address I will be happy to mail you copies of the music. rr |
Subject: RE: Chords Req.: Josh White's Strange Fruit From: GUEST,Arjay Date: 25 Mar 02 - 05:03 AM Didn't Billie Holliday also sing this song? I think that's the version I've heard. BTW, who wrote it, and when? Arjay |
Subject: RE: Chords Req.: Josh White's Strange Fruit From: BanjoRay Date: 25 Mar 02 - 06:28 AM Billie Holliday sang the definitive version of Strange Fruit - it was written buy a Jewish New Yorker who, I think, died fairly recently and whose name I can't summon up - big help! Cheers |
Subject: RE: Chords Req.: Josh White's Strange Fruit From: GUEST,melodymaker Date: 25 Mar 02 - 07:44 AM Didn't she sing it after seeing the picture of those two boys (R.I.P.) |
Subject: RE: Chords Req.: Josh White's Strange Fruit From: GUEST,Bill Kennedy Date: 25 Mar 02 - 10:51 AM 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. |
Subject: RE: Chords Req.: Josh White's Strange Fruit From: GUEST,Bill Kennedy Date: 25 Mar 02 - 11:00 AM BTW, obviously there was a furor and they quickly changed the name of the Juice Bar, the jazz club didn't last long after that. |
Subject: RE: Chords Req.: Josh White's Strange Fruit From: GUEST Date: 26 Mar 02 - 09:54 AM Amazing |
Subject: RE: Chords Req.: Josh White's Strange Fruit From: RolyH Date: 26 Mar 02 - 04:36 PM I've got a copy of the 1954 Srange Friut album.Also on it are John Henry and House of the Rising Sun.Good stuff! |
Subject: RE: Chords Req: Strange Fruit (from Josh White) From: GUEST,Teraplane 5 Date: 31 Oct 11 - 05:28 PM Here's a story Josh White told me fifty years ago--Swear to God--as best I recall. Billie H considered "Strange Fruit" HER song. While she and Josh were appearing together--I think he said in Chicago but it might well have been Cafe Society in Greenwhich Village--he was also featuring the song in his act. He said he tried not to sing the song in any of his sets that followed hers where she featured the song. One night, she cornered him on the steps outside the club and pulled a knife on him and told him he had to stop singing that song because it belonged to HER. Josh Told Billie that he would continue to sing the song as long as people were being lynched and mistreated, and she could do whatever she had to do. The subject was dropped and Josh continued to do the song in his own sets. Josh's version with chords is featured in THE JOSH WHITE SONG BOOK. |
Subject: RE: Chords Req: Strange Fruit (from Josh White) From: FreddyHeadey Date: 05 Jan 23 - 09:46 AM Two different versions by Josh White. I wouldn't like to say if the dates are accurate. https://youtu.be/kg-PuaY35tg https://youtu.be/hFnkH4H1u-4 discogs https://www.discogs.com/artist/128576-Josh-White?query=strange |
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