Josh White
| Josh White | |
|---|---|
White in 1935
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Joshua Daniel White |
| Also known as | Pinewood Tom, Tippy Barton |
| Born |
February 11, 1914 Greenville, South Carolina, US |
| Died | September 5, 1969 (aged 55) Manhasset, New York, US |
| Genres | Piedmont blues, country blues, topical songwriting |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, actor, songwriter |
| Instruments | Vocals, guitar |
| Years active | 1928-69 |
| Labels | Paramount, ARC, Decca, Elektra |
Joshua Daniel "Josh" White (February 11, 1914 – September 5, 1969) was an American singer, guitarist, songwriter, actor and civil rights activist. He also recorded under the names Pinewood Tom and Tippy Barton in the 1930s.
White grew up in the South during the 1920s and 1930s. He became a prominent race records artist, with a prolific output of recordings in genres including Piedmont blues, country blues, gospel music, and social protest songs. In 1931, White moved to New York, and within a decade his fame had spread widely. His repertoire expanded to include urban blues, jazz, traditional folk songs, and political protest songs, and he was in demand as an actor on radio, Broadway, and film.
White became the closest black friend and confidant of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. However, White's anti-segregationist and international human rights political stance presented in many of his recordings and in his speeches at rallies were subsequently used by McCarthyites as a pretext for labeling him a communist to slander and harass him. From 1947 through the mid-1960s, White was caught up in the anti-communist Red Scare, and as a consequence his career was damaged. However White's musical style would go on to influence several generations of musical artists.
White was born on February 2, 1914, in the black section of Greenville, South Carolina, one of the four children of Reverend Dennis and Daisy Elizabeth White. His father told him that he was named after the Biblical character Joshua of the Old Testament. His mother introduced him to music when he was five years old, at which age he began singing in his church's choir. White's father threw a white bill collector out of his home in 1921, for which he was beaten so badly that he nearly died, and then was locked up in a mental institution, where he died nine years later.
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