When she came out, she went on singing the song, singing "Strange Fruit, " and over and over again, wherever she went, the FBI or different members of the sort of law enforcement, would trail her, would follow her, and over and over again, apparently, she was told if she stopped singing it, she'd be let off.
NPR: 'With Billie': A Jazz Great, As Others Saw Her
She wasn't somebody who could stand up and, say, like a Paul Robeson, make a whole sort of statement, but she could sing this song, and apparently, according to letters from--that I read of William Dufty, the ghostwriting journalist who wrote "The Lady Sings the Blues, " the FBI and other peoples actually said if she stopped singing this song they would give her an easier ride.
NPR: 'With Billie': A Jazz Great, As Others Saw Her