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Josh White was the artist most responsible for
introducing black folk, blues and spiritual music to white America and
the rest of the world.
Joshua Daniel White was born in Greenville, South Carolina in 1915. He
left his home in Greenville at the age of seven to support his family
of six, and begin his career in show business, (after
witnessing white authorities beating his father nearly to death for
the late payment of a bill and sending him to an institution, where he
later died from the beatings).
Joshua spent his next nine years dressed in rags and with out
shoes. He seldom had enough to eat and he slept in fields to
hide from the Klan. He was witness to lynchings and a black man
burned at the stake, as he led 66 different old, blind, black street
singers across America (among them, Blind Lemon Jefferson,
Blind Blake and Blind Joe Taggert). During
the day he would dance, sing, play the tambourine and collect the
coins for the old men, and at night while hiding in the field, he
would practice the guitar, and begin to develop his own unique guitar
stylings and vast song repertoire. Josh began recording vocal and
guitar duets with Joe Taggert in 1928 when he was only
13 years old. Four years later he would begin his solo record career
in New York.
Josh White was the first African American artist to give a White House
Command Performance in 1941. He was also the first to perform in
previously segregated hotels and the first to earn a million selling
record "One Meatball" in 1944. In 1945 Josh
became the first Black artist to make a solo concert tour of America.
first to make a solo concert tour of America.
Josh White went on to become a star of film and
Broadway. He was a friend to Kings and Queens, and one of the closest
black confidants and advisors to President Roosevelt for black social
reforms.
However, Josh fell afoul of the anti-Communist hysteria of the
McCarthy era and was blacklisted in 1950. During the later '50s
although chronically ill, Josh was able to resurrect his career and
resumed recording his music. He was commonly billed as "Josh
White", 'The Father of American Folk Music.' Josh White
died on September 6, 1969 of heart disease and other
complications. He was 54 years old.
Josh White's recordings included, "House of
The Rising Sun," "St. James Infirmary,"
"Strange Fruit," "Waltzing Matilda,"
"Nobody Knows You When You're Down & Out," "John
Henry," "Frankie & Johnnie," "Free
& Equal Blues," "Jelly, Jelly," "House
I Live In," "Evil Hearted Man," "Lass
With A Delicate Air," "Riddle Song," "Mean
Mistreater," "Miss Otis Regrets," "Joshua
Fit The Battle of Jericho," "Careless Love,"
""Gonna Live The Life," "In My Time of
Dying," "I Believe I'll Make A Change,"
"In The Evening When The Sun Goes Down," "Red
River," "Freedom Road," "Betty &
Dupree," and "Fare Thee Well".
Sources:
Encyclopedia
Britannica
Encyclopedia
Africana
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