[Dixielandjazz] Background info on Lewis Allen-- composer of "Strange Fruit"-Steve Barbone writes

[Norman Vickers]

To:  Musicians and Jazzfans list; DJML

From: Norman Vickers, Jazz Society of Pensacola

 

Steve Barbone of Philadelphia area gives link to additional details about
Lewis Allen/

Abel Meeropol.  Thanks-was  interesting new information for me.  I"ve left
Bob Sann's original note attached in case anyone coming in on the middle of
this conversation  might need to review original comment.

 

Thanks, Bob and Steve. 

 

From: Stephen G Barbone [mailto:barbonestreet at earthlink.net] 
Sent: Wednesday, May 27, 2015 4:59 PM
To: Norman Vickers
Subject: Re: Background info on Lewis Allen-- composer of "Strange Fruit"--
from Bob Sann-- DJML

 

Dear Norm:

 

The full story is at 

 

http://www.npr.org/2012/09/05/158933012/the-strange-story-of-the-man-behind-
strange-fruit

 

It is well worth reading if folks have never done so.

 

Cheers,

Steve

 

 

On May 27, 2015, at 4:30 PM, Norman Vickers wrote:





To:  Musicians & Jazzfans list

From: Norman Vickers, Jazz Society of Pensacola

 

If you're a subscriber to DJML, then likely you've already seen this post
from Bob Sann of Clearwater, FL.  If not, this message is for you!

 

Glad to have this additional background on Abel Meeropol.  Had no idea that
he'd adopted the orphaned sons of Ethel and Julius Rosenberg.  ( for the few
who don't know, these two were convicted of spying for the Russians and were
executed.  Many years later, after collapse of USSR, records were released
indicating that they were actually spies for USSR.)

 

A couple of footnotes to jazz and US history.  Thanks. Bob.

 

 

 

Message: 2

Date: Tue, 26 May 2015 16:19:47 -0400

From: BOBOBANJOB at aol.com

To: dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com

Cc: Dixieland Jazz Mailing List <dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com>

Subject: Re: [Dixielandjazz] Strange Fruit

Message-ID: <5d869.4e0f4cff.42962f63 at aol.com>

Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"

 

Some background on Lewis Allen, the composer of "Strange Fruit."

He wrote both the words and music.

Another song, for which he wrote only the lyrics, was "The House I Live In,"

with music by Earl Robinson. The latter song was featured in a 1945 short
movie by Frank Sinatra.

Lewis Allen was a "pen name." His real name was Abel Meeropol, and he  was
an English Literature teacher at De Witt Clinton HS in The Bronx, NYC. I was
in his English class, where he was very well-liked by the students, because
of his relaxed approach to teaching the Subject.

I never found out that he was a song writer until many years later. He was
also known for his courage in adopting, along with his wife, the orphaned
sons of Ethel & Julius Rosenberg---when nobody wanted them!

Bob Sann, (bjo), (gtr), (vcl)

Clearwater, FL