Abel Meeropol

Abel Meeropol

Abel Meeropol (February 10, 1903 - October 30, 1986) was an American writer best known under his pseudonym Lewis Allan and as the adoptive father of the young sons of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg.

Biography

He wrote the anti-lynching poem "Strange Fruit" which he subsequently set to music. The song was performed by Billie Holiday. [David Margolick, "Strange Fruit: Billie Holiday, Café Society, and an Early Cry for Civil Rights" (Philadelphia: Running Press, 2000), pp. 16-70.] Billie Holiday (or rather her ghostwriter) 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. [Margolick, "Strange Fruit", pp. 31-33, 128-131.]

Meeropol was the writer of countless poems and songs, including the Frank Sinatra hit "The House I Live In". He taught at DeWitt Clinton High School in the Bronx, and on the side was an ardent, but closet, Communist. 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.

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 Folksinger 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. [ Robert Meeropol, "An Execution in the family. One Son's Journey" (New York: St. Martin's Griffin, 2003), pp. 47-48. ]

He died on October 30, 1986 at the Jewish Nursing Home in Longmeadow, Massachusetts. [cite news |first= |last= |authorlink= |coauthors= |title=Abel Meeropol, 83, A Songwriter, Dies |url=http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F5071EF93F5F0C728FDDA90994DE484D81 |quote=Abel Meeropol, a songwriter and composer who adopted the sons of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, died of pnuemonia yesterday at the Jewish Nursing Home in Longmeadow, Mass. He was 83 years old and had lived in South Miami, Fla., before entering the nursing home. Robert and Michael Rosenberg, the ... |work=New York Times |date=October 31, 1986 |accessdate=2008-08-11 ]

References

External links

*
* [http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/strangefruit/ PBS]
* [http://www.newsreel.org/films/strangefruit.htm News Reel]


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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Abel Meeropol — (1903 1986) plus connu sous le pseudonyme Lewis Allan, est l auteur de la chanson Strange Fruit brillamment popularisée par Billie Holidayet par le groupe pop AaRON. Abel Meeropol était un enseignant juif d’origine russe vivant dans le Bronx et… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Michael Meeropol — at the Left Forum (NYC) in 2011 Michael Meeropol (born Michael Rosenberg in 1943) 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… …   Wikipedia

  • Robert Meeropol — (born 1947) is the younger son of Ethel and Julius Rosenberg. Meeropol was born in New York City. His father Julius, an electrical engineer, was a member of the Communist Party. His mother Ethel (née Greenglass), a union organizer, was also… …   Wikipedia

  • Ivy Meeropol — (1968 ) is the director and producer of the 2004 documentary Heir to an Execution . She is the daughter of Michael Meeropol and Ann Karus Meeropol and granddaughter of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, and adoptive granddaughter of Abel Meeropol (pen… …   Wikipedia

  • Lewis Allan — Abel Meeropol Abel Meeropol (1903 1986) plus connu sous le pseudonyme Lewis Allan, est l auteur de la chanson « Strange Fruit » brillamment popularisée par Billie Holiday. Abel Meeropol était un enseignant juif d’origine russe vivant… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Strange Fruit — Les arbres du Sud portent un « étrange fruit ». Strange Fruit (en français : étrange fruit) est une chanson. La chanteuse afro américaine Billie Holiday l’interpréta pour la première fois en 1939, au Café Society à New York. Ce… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Strange fruit — Les arbres du Sud portent un « étrange fruit ». Strange Fruit (en français : étrange fruit) est une chanson. La chanteuse afro américaine Billie Holiday l’interpréta pour la première fois en 1939, au Café Society …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Julius and Ethel Rosenberg — Infobox Criminal subject name = Julius and Ethel Rosenberg image size = 200px image caption = Ethel and Julius Rosenberg after their conviction date of birth = birth date|mf=yes|1918|5|12|mf=y (Julius) birth date|mf=yes|1915|9|28|mf=y (Ethel)… …   Wikipedia

  • Strange Fruit — „Strange Fruit“ (engl. Sonderbare Frucht) ist ein Musikstück, das seit dem Auftritt der afroamerikanischen Sängerin Billie Holiday 1939 im Café Society in New York weltweit bekannt wurde. Das von Abel Meeropol komponierte und getextete Lied gilt… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Strange Fruit — ( fruta extraña ) se refiere a los ahorcamientos de negros. Strange Fruit (Fruta rara en español) es una pieza musical de 1939 de la cantante afroamericana Billie Holiday que se hizo mundialmente famosa. Compuesta y escrita por Abel Meeropol, la… …   Wikipedia Español

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