Joshua Daniel White (February 11, 1914 – September 5, 1969), better 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 30s, 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 right-wing
McCarthyites assuming him a
Communist. Accordingly, from 1947 through the mid 1960s, White became caught up in the
anti-Communist Red Scare, and combined...
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