Black History Month: The Legendary Josh White
Early protest folk blues performer and social activist
The Legendary Josh White
MCA Records
Released 1982
Josh White was born in 1914 in Greenville, South Carolina. He learned to sing in the church choir where his father was a pastor. When Josh was seven years old, his father was severely beaten following an altercation with a white bill collector and committed to a mental institution where he died nine years later. To help his mother and siblings, Josh traveled with street singer Blind Man Arnold to lead them and collect coins after the performance. Arnold mistreated him by keeping him shoeless and in ragged clothing, forcing him to sleep in stables and fields, often unfed. Arnold also hired him out to other blind street singers including Blind Joe Taggart. These musicians taught White how to play guitar to help attract crowds. In 1927 while in Chicago with Taggart, a producer for Paramount Records signed the duo to a recording contract. White was also used as a session guitarist on other artists’ records. But Taggart and Arnold kept all of White’s payments for the recordings. Finally, the producer threatened to turn them into authorities if they didn’t stop mistreating White. For the next two years, White continued to record until he received enough money to return to Greenville. Two representatives from ARC Records came looking for White and offered a recording contract. White’s mother didn’t want her son to sing the “devil’s music” and demanded that he record only gospel music. White moved to New York and after recording many gospel songs signed a separate contract to record blues music under the name Pinewood Tom so his mother wouldn’t know. His music career seemingly came to an end in 1936 when he injured his left hand so severely that he could no longer play guitar. White exercised the hand to attempt to revive it, and one night during a card game it suddenly revived completely. White quickly put together a group with his brother and close friends. They were playing at a private party in Harlem when a Broadway choral director heard the group and offered White the part of a blues singer in a Broadway production. The musical didn’t have a long run but it revived White’s career. He joined Woody Guthrie, Leadbelly, and other folk stars in a CBS radio series. White also recorded duos with Leadbelly and white singer Libby Holman. White and Holman created publicity and controversy as the first mixed-race male and female artists to perform together. Eleanor Roosevelt was a fan of White’s music and she would have an impact on his life for many years. White performed at the inauguration of President Roosevelt in 1941. After the performance, White changed his image from a country blues musician to a more sophisticated style that emphasized his smooth vocals, handsome looks, and sexuality. He started to perform for white and middle-class black audiences. He was accepted not only by the Roosevelts but also by upper-class white society and European royalty. White’s records crossed racial barriers and his recording of “One Meatball” became the first million-selling hit by a black artist. He rewrote and recorded an old folk song titled “House of the Rising Sun.” His version was later covered by Bob Dylan, Dave Van Ronk, and the Animals. White was also an actor, appearing several times on Broadway, radio dramas, and film. His music often took an anti-segregationist stance that caused outrage in the South. In 1949, Fisk University presented White with an honorary doctorate. In 1950, White was blacklisted as a communist sympathizer. He was performing in Europe at the time and hurried back to the States to clear his name. Instead, he was held at a New York airport, interrogated, and threatened with deportation to Europe. He was released but was frequently interrogated by the FBI. Against the advice of friends, White chose to testify before the House Un-American Activities Committee. His decision to testify damaged his reputation with his progressive folk fan base and didn’t dissuade those who blacklisted him. This situation made it difficult for White to make a living in America. He relocated to London and continued to record and perform in Europe. In 1955, he returned to America, recorded for Elektra Records, and found a young, new audience in the US. The songs included on The Legendary Josh White are from those sessions. At the invitation of President John F. Kennedy, he appeared on television in 1963 on CBS’ civil rights special “Dinner with the President.” He made several other appearances on American television in the late 1960s. Progressive heart disease plagued him during the final eight years of his life. He died following unsuccessful heart surgery in 1969 at the age of 55. White is considered a pioneer in introducing folk blues to a mass white audience. He has influenced a long list of artists across many genres. He was honored with a US postage stamp issued June 26, 1998.