Josh White
Piedmont blues, Musical Artist
1914 – 1969
Who was Josh White?
Joshua Daniel White, known as Josh White, 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 Jim Crow 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, 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. He soon was in demand as an actor on radio, Broadway, and film.
White also became the closest African-American friend and confidant to 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 resulted in the McCarthyites assuming him to be a Communist. Accordingly, from 1947 through the mid-1960s, White became caught up in the anti-Communist Red Scare, and combined with the resulting attempt to clear his name, his career was damaged.
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- Born
- Feb 11, 1914
Greenville - Also known as
- Joshua White
- White, Josh
- Joshua Daniel White
- Pinewood Tom
- Tippy Barton
- Josh White
- Parents
- Siblings
- Spouses
- Carol Carr
(1933 - 1969/09/06)
- Carol Carr
- Children
- Ethnicity
- African American
- Nationality
- United States of America
- Profession
- Died
- Sep 6, 1969
Manhasset
Submitted
on July 23, 2013
Citation
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"Josh White." Biographies.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 26 Apr. 2024. <https://www.biographies.net/people/en/josh_white>.
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