Josh White facts for kids

For other uses, see Josh White (disambiguation).

Quick facts for kids Josh White
White at the Café Society, c. June 1946
Background information
Birth name	Joshua Daniel White
Also known as	Pinewood Tom, Tippy Barton
Born	(1914-02-11)February 11, 1914 Greenville, South Carolina, US
Died	September 5, 1969(1969-09-05) (aged 55) Manhasset, New York, US
Genres	Piedmont blues, country blues, topical songwriting Folk
Occupation(s)	Singer actor songwriter
Instruments	Vocals, guitar
Years active	1928–69
Labels	Paramount, ARC, Decca, Elektra

Joshua Daniel White (born February 11, 1914 – died September 5, 1969) was an American singer, guitarist, songwriter, actor, and civil rights activist. He was also known by the names Pinewood Tom and Tippy Barton in the 1930s.

Josh White grew up in the Southern U.S. during the 1920s and 1930s. He became a famous "race records" artist, making many recordings in styles like Piedmont blues, country blues, gospel music, and songs about social issues. In 1931, White moved to New York City. Within ten years, he became very well-known. His music included city blues, jazz, traditional folk songs, and political protest songs. He was also a popular actor on radio, Broadway, and in movies.

However, White spoke out against segregation (keeping people of different races apart) and supported human rights. This led to him being wrongly accused of being a communist during the McCarthy era. From 1947 through the mid-1960s, White's career suffered because of this Red Scare (a time when people were very afraid of communism). Despite these challenges, White's unique musical style inspired many musicians for generations.

Early Life and Music

A Young Musician's Journey

Josh White was born on February 11, 1914, in the black part of Greenville, South Carolina. He was one of four children born to Reverend Dennis and Daisy Elizabeth White. His mother taught him music, and he began singing in his church choir at age five. When Josh was seven, his father was badly hurt by white authorities and later died.

Two months later, Josh left home with Blind Man Arnold, a street singer. Josh guided Arnold and collected money after their performances. Arnold sent some money to Josh's mother. Arnold soon realized Josh was talented and rented him out to other blind singers, like Blind Blake and Blind Joe Taggart. Josh learned their guitar styles. To get more money from people, the older men kept Josh shoeless and in ragged clothes until he was sixteen. He often slept in fields or stables, while his employer stayed in a hotel.

In 1927, while guiding Taggart, Josh arrived in Chicago, Illinois. J. Mayo Williams, a producer for Paramount Records, saw Josh's talent. He began using Josh as a guitarist for other artists. Josh then recorded his first popular song, "Scandalous and a Shame," as the lead singer and guitarist. He was billed as "Blind Joe Taggart & Joshua White," making him the youngest artist of the "race records" era. He was still shoeless, and his payments went to Taggart and Arnold. After Williams left Paramount, he threatened Taggart. This led to Taggart releasing Josh from his service. For the first time, Josh was paid for his recordings and could buy proper clothes and shoes. He continued recording in Chicago for two years, saving enough money to return to Greenville to help his mother and younger siblings.

Finding His Voice and New Names

In late 1930, ARC Records in New York looked for Josh White. They found him recovering from a broken leg at his mother's home in Greenville. They convinced his mother to sign a recording contract for Josh, who was still underage. They promised to record only religious songs, not "devil's music" (the blues). Josh then moved to New York City and recorded religious songs for ARC, known as "Joshua White, the Singing Christian."

After recording his religious songs, ARC convinced Josh to record blues songs and work as a session musician for other artists. In 1932, Josh, at 18, signed a new contract using the name Pinewood Tom for his blues recordings. ARC used his birth name for gospel songs, adding "The Singing Christian." ARC also released his music under the name Tippy Barton. As a session guitarist, Josh recorded with many artists, including Leroy Carr and Lucille Bogan.

In 1936, Josh injured his left hand. Doctors suggested cutting it off, but Josh refused. His hand became immobile. He stopped recording and worked as a dock worker, elevator operator, and building superintendent. He squeezed a rubber ball to try and heal his hand. One night, his hand suddenly healed completely. He immediately started playing guitar again. He formed a group called Josh White and His Carolinians with his brother Billy and friends. They played at private parties in Harlem. At one party in 1938, Leonard De Paur, a Broadway director, was impressed by Josh's singing. DePaur and the producers of a new Broadway musical, John Henry, had been looking for a singer and guitarist to play the lead role of Blind Lemon. They realized that Pinewood Tom and The Singing Christian were both Josh White.

Becoming a Star

Broadway and Radio Success

After many rehearsals, John Henry opened on Broadway on January 10, 1940. Paul Robeson played John Henry, and Josh White played Blind Lemon Jefferson. The musical didn't run for long, but it helped Josh's career. He began working with famous folk musicians like Woody Guthrie, Lead Belly, and Burl Ives on the CBS radio show Back Where I Come From.

Josh also formed a duo with Lead Belly. They performed for six months at New York's Village Vanguard nightclub. Their shows were very popular, with sold-out crowds and great reviews. Max Gordon, the owner of the Village Vanguard, later wrote that their guitar playing together was "the greatest conversations ever heard."

Breaking Barriers in Music

Josh also teamed up with singer Libby Holman. Their pairing caused a stir because they were the first mixed-race male and female artists to perform, record, and tour together in places that used to be segregated. They performed together for six years, making an album and a film. During World War II, White and Holman wanted to perform for soldiers overseas, but they were repeatedly turned down because the U.S. Armed Forces were still segregated.

Meanwhile, Josh's album Harlem Blues featured the hit song "Careless Love." His album Joshua White & His Carolinians: Chain Gang was the first "race record" to be played on white radio stations and sold in record stores in the American South. This caused such a stir that it reached President Franklin Roosevelt. In December 1940, Josh White and the Golden Gate Quartet performed a historic concert in Washington, D.C., to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the Thirteenth Amendment, which ended slavery. A month later, they performed at President Roosevelt's inauguration.

By 1939 and 1940, Josh White had changed his music and image. He was no longer seen as a country boy from the South. Instead, he was a mature, educated, and outspoken 26-year-old. He became the first blues performer to attract a large white and middle-class African-American audience. He was also the first African-American artist to perform in previously segregated venues in the U.S., breaking racial barriers.

In the 1940s, White was an international star. He was also unique for an African American during segregation because he became friends with white society, royalty, and the Roosevelt family. One of his most popular songs was "One Meatball," about a poor man. It became the first million-selling record by a male African-American artist.

White's other hits from the 1940s included "Jelly, Jelly," "The House I Live In (What Is America to Me)" (a patriotic song he taught to Frank Sinatra), "Waltzing Matilda" (an Australian folk song), "St. James Infirmary", and "The House of the Rising Sun" (later made famous by The Animals). He also recorded the powerful anti-lynching song "Strange Fruit."

Josh White recorded in many ways, sometimes just with his guitar, and sometimes with jazz bands or gospel groups. He performed and recorded with jazz pianist Mary Lou Williams and sang duets with Billie Holiday. He also recorded protest songs with Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger, and Burl Ives in groups like the Almanac Singers.

In 1945, after the success of "One Meatball" and his radio show, Josh White became the first African-American popular music artist to tour concert halls across America. He also appeared in films like The Crimson Canary (1945) and The Walking Hills (1949). In The Walking Hills, his character was treated as an equal, which was rare for an African American in Hollywood at the time.

As a leading artist and activist, Josh White began writing and recording political protest songs as early as 1933. He often spoke and sang at human rights rallies. This activism made his politics questioned in Hollywood during the McCarthy era, and The Walking Hills was his last film role.

A Friend to the Roosevelts

White and Mary Lou Williams, ca. October 1947

Starting in 1940, Josh White became very close to the family of President Franklin D. Roosevelt and Eleanor Roosevelt. He was the closest African-American friend to the President, and the Roosevelts were the godparents of his son, Josh White, Jr. In January 1941, White performed at the President's inauguration.

Two months later, he released another album called Southern Exposure. It had six songs against segregation, with notes written by African-American writer Richard Wright. Songs like "Uncle Sam Says" and "Jim Crow Train" caused anger in the South. However, instead of making White unpopular, President Roosevelt asked him to perform at the White House in 1941. This was the first time an African-American artist gave a command performance there.

After that performance, the Roosevelts invited White into their private rooms. They talked for hours about his life growing up in the Jim Crow South and listened to his songs about those experiences. President Roosevelt was impressed by White's honesty. A friendship grew, and White performed five more times at the White House. He also appeared at the inaugurations in 1941 and 1945. The White family spent many holidays with the Roosevelts at their Hyde Park, New York home. The President sent White to give concerts overseas as a "goodwill ambassador."

White's protest songs, like "Uncle Sam Says," even made the President think about how to desegregate the U.S. armed forces. After the President's death, White's younger brother William became Eleanor Roosevelt's personal assistant.

In 1950, Eleanor Roosevelt (who was then a United Nations ambassador) and White went on a historic tour of Europe. They performed and spoke in many capital cities to cheer up countries damaged by war. In Stockholm, 50,000 people came out in the rain to hear Mrs. Roosevelt speak and White perform. During this tour, audiences often asked White to sing "Strange Fruit." But he would say he would only sing that song back home until he never had to sing it again. Instead, he would sing "The House I Live In."

Facing Challenges

The "Blacklist" Era

Josh White was at the peak of his career when he toured Europe with Eleanor Roosevelt. He had been hosted by prime ministers and royal families. But in June 1950, while in Paris, White learned that a group called Red Channels had published a magazine listing 151 artists they called communist sympathizers. White's name was on this list. This was the start of the "blacklist," which meant these artists would be prevented from working.

White immediately talked to Mrs. Roosevelt, who advised him not to go to Washington to defend himself. She explained that the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) would twist his words against him. She also said that even she was being called a "pinko" (a term for someone thought to be a communist sympathizer) by the right-wing press.

White was not a communist and was not part of any political party. However, he always spoke out for human rights, whether it was for African Americans in the South or people in other countries. Since returning from Europe in 1950, White was questioned by the FBI every week. They threatened to ruin his career and family. Under great pressure, White decided to go to Washington and speak before HUAC to clear his name.

On September 1, 1950, White, with his wife Carol, appeared before HUAC. He did not name any Communist Party members. He told his life story, including how his father was treated and how he had to leave home at age seven to support his family. He defended his right as a folk singer to highlight social injustices through his songs. He passionately read the lyrics of "Strange Fruit," which were then put into the Congressional Record. He also spoke about Paul Robeson's alleged statement about American Negroes not fighting for the U.S. against the Soviet Union.

White later said he was a "friendly witness" (someone who appeared voluntarily) and that he had a right to defend his name. He said he didn't reveal anything new or name any communists. However, his appearance before HUAC and his words about Paul Robeson angered many of his fans, especially those who supported social progress. They felt that testifying before HUAC gave the committee too much power. Many also wrongly suspected he had given the FBI names. This led to White being blacklisted by both the political Right and Left. He felt immense pressure and believed he had to appear to protect his family and career. His blacklisting lasted for many years.

With work drying up in America, White moved to London from 1950 to 1955. He hosted his own BBC radio show, My Guitar Is Old as Father Time, and continued his recording career with new hits like "On Top of Old Smoky" and "Molly Malone." He toured throughout Europe. Back in the U.S., the McCarthy anti-communist fear had already hurt White's career since 1947. He lost his record contract and national radio show and was banned from U.S. television until 1963.

Later Years and Legacy

Music Around the World

From the mid-1950s until his death in 1969, Josh White mostly performed in concert halls, nightclubs, and folk music festivals around the world, outside of America.

However, in 1955, Jac Holzman, the owner of a new American record company called Elektra Records, offered White a chance to record again in the U.S. He could only offer $100, but he promised White artistic control. They recorded the Josh White: 25th Anniversary album. This album helped establish Elektra Records and slowly began to revive White's career in America by reaching a new, younger audience.

In 1956, British guitarist Ivor Mairants worked with White to create The Josh White Guitar Method. This was the first blues guitar instruction book ever published and was very important for the growing blues and folk music scene in the UK. Guitarists like John Renbourn and Stefan Grossman said it greatly influenced their playing. In 1961, White starred in The Josh White Show for Granada Television in the United Kingdom.

White's ban from American television finally ended in 1963. President John F. Kennedy invited him to appear on the national CBS civil rights special "Dinner with the President." Kennedy told White how his records had inspired him in college. Later that year, White performed at the historic March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom at the Lincoln Memorial.

In 1964, White performed for Lester B. Pearson, the Prime Minister of Canada. In January 1965, he performed at the inauguration of President Lyndon B. Johnson. In his final years, he appeared on American TV shows like The Merv Griffin Show. He also starred in two concert specials for national Swedish television and a special for ITV in the UK.

Honored for His Music

The success of The Josh White Guitar Method led to the creation of a Zenith "Josh White" signature guitar in 1956. Later, the Guild Guitar Company in the U.S. worked with White on a signature model in 1965, but it was never mass-produced.

In 1965–1967, the Ovation Guitar Company made a signature guitar for White, which was the first made for an African American. White was the first official endorser for Ovation. An article in Music Trades magazine in 1966 mentioned White's performance at the Ovation guitar launch event. He played the "Josh White" model and impressed the crowd with its sound.

A Lasting Influence

In 1961, White's health began to decline after his first of three heart attacks. He died on September 5, 1969, at age 55, after heart valve surgery failed.

Harry Belafonte, a famous singer, said after White's death, "He had a profound influence on my style. At the time I came along, he was the only popular black folk singer, and through his artistry exposed America to a wealth of material about the life and conditions of black people that had not been sung by any other artist."

Josh White was a true pioneer. He was a popular country bluesman in the early 1930s and introduced many white audiences to folk-blues in the 1940s. He was the first black singer-guitarist to star in Hollywood films and on Broadway.

He was also the first black singer to:

Give a White House command performance (1941).
Perform in previously segregated hotels (1942).
Have a million-selling record ("One Meatball," 1944).
Make a solo concert tour of America (1945).

He was also the first folk and blues artist to perform in a nightclub and the first to tour internationally. Along with Lead Belly and Woody Guthrie, he was one of the first folk artists honored with a U.S. postage stamp.

White and Libby Holman were the first mixed-race male and female artists to perform, record, and tour together in segregated venues across the United States.

White influenced hundreds of artists from many different musical styles. These include Pete Seeger, Bob Dylan, Elvis Presley, Ry Cooder, and Robert Plant. He also paved the way for African-American artists like Lena Horne, Nat King Cole, Harry Belafonte, and Odetta to break barriers.

Song and Poetry Tributes

Folk singer Bob Gibson and Shel Silverstein wrote "Heavenly Choir" in 1979, with the first verse about White.
Peter Yarrow of Peter, Paul and Mary wrote "Goodbye Josh" in his honor.
Jack Williams wrote "A Natural Man" as a tribute to White in 2002.
Poet Leatrice Emeruwa published "Josh White Is Dead" in 1970.

Personal Life

In 1933, Josh White married Carol Carr, a gospel singer from New York. They raised six children: Blondell (Bunny), Julianne (Beverly), Josh Jr., Carolyn (Fern), Judy, and a foster daughter, Delores. They lived in the Sugar Hill area of Harlem. Josh's younger brother Billy and Carol's mother also lived with them.

Josh's mother, Daisy Elizabeth, was a strict and religious woman who lived in Greenville. She visited Josh in New York but did not allow his non-religious recordings in her home. She never saw him perform non-sacred songs after his childhood church performances. His brother Billy, Bayard Rustin, Sam Gary, and Carrington Lewis performed with White as Josh White and His Carolinians. After World War II, Billy became Eleanor Roosevelt's personal assistant and chauffeur.

Sometimes in the early 1940s, Carol White joined Josh in performing and recording with the Almanac Singers. In the late 1950s and early 1960s, Carol was a guest on Eleanor Roosevelt's television show. In 1982, she spoke at a celebration for Franklin D. Roosevelt, while her son, Josh White, Jr., performed his father's songs.

Josh White, Jr. became a successful singer-songwriter, guitarist, actor, and activist. He performed and recorded with his father from 1944 to 1961 and appeared with him in two Broadway plays. Josh White, Jr. won a Tony Award in 1949. White's daughters Beverly, Fern, and Judy also performed with him at times.

In 1964, Josh and Carol White bought a duplex in Rosedale, Queens, New York City. His daughter Beverly and her family lived upstairs, and Josh and Carol lived downstairs. Josh lived there for the rest of his life. Carol White continued to live there and worked as a social worker until her death in 1998. A week before she died, she learned that the United States Postal Service would honor White with a postage stamp. She was very happy that he would receive this recognition after the difficult McCarthy era.

Posthumous Honors

In 1983, Josh White, Jr. starred in a musical play about his father's life, Josh: The Man & His Music. The state of Michigan declared April 20, 1983, to be Josh White & Josh White, Jr. Day.
In 1987, Josh White, Jr.'s tribute album to his father, Jazz, Ballads and Blues, was nominated for a Grammy Award.
In 1996, Josh White, Jr. released another tribute album, House of the Rising Son.
On June 26, 1998, the United States Postal Service issued a 32-cent postage stamp honoring White. It was unveiled on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., followed by a concert by Josh White, Jr. In the same year, Smithsonian Folkways released an album of White's work, Free and Equal Blues.
From 2002 to 2006, the show Glory Bound toured America. It honored Josh White, Lead Belly, and Woody Guthrie, the first three folk and blues artists to be honored with U.S. postage stamps.
On February 27, 2010, a bust (a sculpture of his head and shoulders) of White was unveiled in Nashville, Tennessee. It is part of an exhibit called "Cultural Heroes" by sculptor Alan LeQuire.
August 20, 2016, was declared Josh White Day by his hometown of Greenville, South Carolina. Greenville is also planning to place a bronze sculpture honoring White downtown.

Filmography

1945: The Crimson Canary.
1947: Dreams That Money Can Buy.
1949: The Walking Hills.
1998: The Guitar of Josh White. (An instructional video by Josh White, Jr. showing his father's guitar techniques.)
2000: Josh White: Free and Equal Blues, Rare Performances. DVD.

Other films containing recordings by White

1994: Earl Robinson: Ballad of an American.
2001: Jazz, Episode Seven: "Dedicated to Chaos".
2003: Strange Fruit.
2006: Red Tailed Angels: The Story of the Tuskegee Airmen.
2006: Negroes with Guns: Rob Williams and Black Power.
2009: History Detectives. Episode: "In Search of Josh White's Guitar".
2009: American Folk. Part 3, of BBC4's five-part series.
2010: Our World War II Fathers.

Images for kids

White's custom-made Ovation guitar, 1965–66