Abel Meeropol
Encyclopedia
Abel Meeropol was an American
writer and song-writer, best known under his pseudonym
Lewis Allan and as the adoptive father of the young sons of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg
.
poem, "Strange Fruit
", which was first published in the Marxist
publication, The New Masses
which was subsequently set to music. The song's best known recordings and performances were by Billie Holiday
and Josh White
. Billie Holiday claimed in Lady Sings the Blues
, that she cowrote the music to the song with Meeropol and Sonny White
, but in fact, Meeropol was the sole writer of both lyrics and melody to this haunting plea for civil rights
.
Meeropol was the writer of countless poems and songs, including the Frank Sinatra
and Josh White
hit "The House I Live In
" and the libretto
of Robert Kurka
's opera "The Good Soldier Schweik
". Meeropol chose to write as "Lewis Allan" in memory of the names of his two stillborn
children. Later, he and his wife Anne adopted Julius and Ethel Rosenberg
's two sons, Michael
and Robert
, after their parents' executions. Michael and Robert took the Meeropol surname.
According to Robert Meeropol
, "Strange Fruit", "The House I Live In" and the Peggy Lee
hit "Apples, Peaches and Cherries" provided most of the royalty income of the family. The latter especially after it had been translated into French by Sacha Distel
(French singer and sometime boyfriend of Brigitte Bardot
). The resulting number one hit in France "Scoubidou
" still earns Michael and Robert Meeropol royalties; however, these only started coming in after Distel and Abel Meeropol settled a copyright infringement law suit over Distel's plagiarism
.
Meeropol died on October 30, 1986 at the Jewish Nursing Home in Longmeadow, Massachusetts
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
writer and song-writer, best known under his pseudonym
Pseudonym
A pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...
Lewis Allan and as the adoptive father of the young sons of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg
Julius and Ethel Rosenberg
Ethel Greenglass Rosenberg and Julius Rosenberg were American communists who were convicted and executed in 1953 for conspiracy to commit espionage during a time of war. The charges related to their passing information about the atomic bomb to the Soviet Union...
.
Biography
Meeropol wrote the anti-lynchingLynching
Lynching is an extrajudicial execution carried out by a mob, often by hanging, but also by burning at the stake or shooting, in order to punish an alleged transgressor, or to intimidate, control, or otherwise manipulate a population of people. It is related to other means of social control that...
poem, "Strange Fruit
Strange Fruit
"Strange Fruit" is a song performed most famously by Billie Holiday, who released her first recording of it in 1939, the year she first sang it. Written by the teacher Abel Meeropol as a poem, it exposed American racism, particularly the lynching of African Americans. Such lynchings had occurred...
", which was first published in the Marxist
Marxism
Marxism is an economic and sociopolitical worldview and method of socioeconomic inquiry that centers upon a materialist interpretation of history, a dialectical view of social change, and an analysis and critique of the development of capitalism. Marxism was pioneered in the early to mid 19th...
publication, The New Masses
The New Masses
The "New Masses" was a prominent American Marxist publication edited by Walt Carmon, briefly by Whittaker Chambers, and primarily by Michael Gold, Granville Hicks, and Joseph Freeman....
which was subsequently set to music. The song's best known recordings and performances were by Billie Holiday
Billie Holiday
Billie Holiday was an American jazz singer and songwriter. Nicknamed "Lady Day" by her friend and musical partner Lester Young, Holiday had a seminal influence on jazz and pop singing...
and Josh White
Josh White
Joshua Daniel White , better known as Josh White, was an American singer, guitarist, songwriter, actor, and civil rights activist. He also recorded under the names "Pinewood Tom" and "Tippy Barton" in the 1930s....
. Billie Holiday claimed in Lady Sings the Blues
Lady Sings the Blues (book)
Lady Sings the Blues is an autobiography novel by jazz singer Billie Holiday, it was co-authored by William Dufty.The book was the basis of the 1972 film Lady Sings the Blues starring Diana Ross.-Overview:...
, that she cowrote the music to the song with Meeropol and Sonny White
Sonny White
Ellerton Oswald, better known as Sonny White was a jazz pianist who spend most of his life in America....
, but in fact, Meeropol was the sole writer of both lyrics and melody to this haunting plea for civil rights
Civil rights
Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from unwarranted infringement by governments and private organizations, and ensure one's ability to participate in the civil and political life of the state without discrimination or repression.Civil rights include...
.
Meeropol was the writer of countless poems and songs, including the Frank Sinatra
Frank Sinatra
Francis Albert "Frank" Sinatra was an American singer and actor.Beginning his musical career in the swing era with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, Sinatra became an unprecedentedly successful solo artist in the early to mid-1940s, after being signed to Columbia Records in 1943. Being the idol of the...
and Josh White
Josh White
Joshua Daniel White , better known as Josh White, was an American singer, guitarist, songwriter, actor, and civil rights activist. He also recorded under the names "Pinewood Tom" and "Tippy Barton" in the 1930s....
hit "The House I Live In
The House I Live In
The House I Live In is a ten-minute short film written by Albert Maltz, produced by Frank Ross and Mervyn LeRoy, and starring Frank Sinatra...
" and the libretto
Libretto
A libretto is the text used in an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata, or musical. The term "libretto" is also sometimes used to refer to the text of major liturgical works, such as mass, requiem, and sacred cantata, or even the story line of a...
of Robert Kurka
Robert Kurka
Robert Frank Kurka was an American composer, who also taught and conducted his own works.Kurka was born in Cicero, Illinois. He was mostly self-taught, though he studied for short periods under Darius Milhaud and Otto Luening, receiving his M.A. degree from Columbia University in 1948...
's opera "The Good Soldier Schweik
The Good Soldier Švejk
The Good Soldier Švejk , also spelled Schweik or Schwejk, is the abbreviated title of a unfinished satirical/dark comedy novel by Jaroslav Hašek. It was illustrated by Josef Lada and George Grosz after Hašek's death...
". Meeropol chose to write as "Lewis Allan" in memory of the names of his two stillborn
Stillbirth
A stillbirth occurs when a fetus has died in the uterus. The Australian definition specifies that fetal death is termed a stillbirth after 20 weeks gestation or the fetus weighs more than . Once the fetus has died the mother still has contractions and remains undelivered. The term is often used in...
children. Later, he and his wife Anne adopted Julius and Ethel Rosenberg
Julius and Ethel Rosenberg
Ethel Greenglass Rosenberg and Julius Rosenberg were American communists who were convicted and executed in 1953 for conspiracy to commit espionage during a time of war. The charges related to their passing information about the atomic bomb to the Soviet Union...
's two sons, Michael
Michael Meeropol
Michael Meeropol is a retired professor of economics. He is the older son of Ethel and Julius Rosenberg. Born in New York City, as Michael Rosenberg, Meeropol spent his early childhood living in New York and attending local school there. His father Julius, an electrical engineer, was a member of...
and Robert
Robert Meeropol
Robert Meeropol is the younger son of Ethel and Julius Rosenberg. Meeropol was born in New York City. His father Julius was an electrical engineer and a member of the Communist Party. His mother Ethel , a union organizer, was also active in the Communist Party...
, after their parents' executions. Michael and Robert took the Meeropol surname.
According to Robert Meeropol
Robert Meeropol
Robert Meeropol is the younger son of Ethel and Julius Rosenberg. Meeropol was born in New York City. His father Julius was an electrical engineer and a member of the Communist Party. His mother Ethel , a union organizer, was also active in the Communist Party...
, "Strange Fruit", "The House I Live In" and the Peggy Lee
Peggy Lee
Peggy Lee was an American jazz and popular music singer, songwriter, composer, and actress in a career spanning six decades. From her beginning as a vocalist on local radio to singing with Benny Goodman's big band, she forged a sophisticated persona, evolving into a multi-faceted artist and...
hit "Apples, Peaches and Cherries" provided most of the royalty income of the family. The latter especially after it had been translated into French by Sacha Distel
Sacha Distel
Sacha Distel was a French singer and guitarist who had hits with a cover version of the Academy Award-winning "Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head" , "Scoubidou", and "The Good Life". He was born in Paris.-Career:Sacha Distel, born Alexandre Distel, was a son of Russian White émigré Leonid Distel...
(French singer and sometime boyfriend of Brigitte Bardot
Brigitte Bardot
Brigitte Anne-Marie Bardot is a French former fashion model, actress, singer and animal rights activist. She was one of the best-known sex-symbols of the 1960s.In her early life, Bardot was an aspiring ballet dancer...
). The resulting number one hit in France "Scoubidou
Scoubidou (song)
Scoubidou is the French translation of Abel Meeropol's "Apples, Peaches and Cherries", a Peggy Lee hit, originally written in English .It was sung by Sacha Distel, and was his first hit song...
" still earns Michael and Robert Meeropol royalties; however, these only started coming in after Distel and Abel Meeropol settled a copyright infringement law suit over Distel's plagiarism
Plagiarism
Plagiarism is defined in dictionaries as the "wrongful appropriation," "close imitation," or "purloining and publication" of another author's "language, thoughts, ideas, or expressions," and the representation of them as one's own original work, but the notion remains problematic with nebulous...
.
Meeropol died on October 30, 1986 at the Jewish Nursing Home in Longmeadow, Massachusetts
Longmeadow, Massachusetts
As of the census of 2000, there were 15,633 people, 5,734 households, and 4,432 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 5,879 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 95.42% White, 0.69% African American, 0.05% Native American, 2.90%...
.