Josh White

Joshua Daniel 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.

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 suffered. Nonetheless, White's musical style would go on to influence several generations of musical artists. In 2023, he was inducted in the Blues Hall of Fame.

Birth and Death Data: Born February 11, 1914 (Greenville), Died September 5, 1969 (Manhasset)

Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1942 - 1947

Roles Represented in DAHR: guitar, vocalist

= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.

Recordings (Results 26-38 of 38 records)

Company Matrix No. Size First Recording Date Title Primary Performer Description Role Audio
Decca 73227 10-in. 12/10/1945 Molly Malone Josh White vocalist, instrumentalist, guitar  
Decca 73228 10-in. 12/10/1945 I want you, I need you Josh White vocalist, instrumentalist, guitar  
Decca 73229 10-in. 12/10/1945 Nobody knows you when you're down and out Josh White vocalist, instrumentalist, guitar  
Decca 73466 3/26/1946 Sometime Josh White vocalist, instrumentalist, guitar  
Decca 73467 3/26/1946 The lass with the delicate air Josh White vocalist, instrumentalist, guitar  
Decca 73468 3/26/1946 I gave my love a cherry Josh White vocalist, instrumentalist, guitar  
Decca 73474 3/26/1946 I gave my love a cherry Josh White vocalist, instrumentalist, guitar  
Decca 73475 3/26/1946 Strange fruit Josh White vocalist, instrumentalist, guitar  
Decca 73902 5/6/1947 Molly Malone Josh White vocalist, instrumentalist, guitar  
Decca 73903 5/6/1947 Dip His finger in the water Josh White vocalist, instrumentalist, guitar  
Decca 73904 5/6/1947 Green grass growing all around Josh White vocalist, instrumentalist, guitar  
Decca 73905 5/6/1947 Josh and Bill's blues-1 Josh White vocalist, instrumentalist, guitar  
Decca 73906 5/6/1947 Jim Crow Josh White vocalist, instrumentalist, guitar  
(Results 26-38 of 38 records)

Citation

Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "White, Josh," accessed April 25, 2024, https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/210959.

White, Josh. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved April 25, 2024, from https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/210959.

"White, Josh." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 25 April 2024.

DAHR Persistent Identifier

URI: https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/210959

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