Description Joshua Daniel White (February 11, 1914 – September 5, 1969), 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
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 utilizing the pretext of labelling him
Communist to slander and harass him. 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.
White's musical style influenced many future generations of musical artists, including,
Brownie McGhee,
Pete Seeger,
Lena Horne,
Dorothy Dandridge,
Nat King Cole,
Harry Belafonte,
Lonnie Donegan,
Eartha Kitt,
Alexis Korner,
Odetta,
Elvis Presley,
Tracy Chapman,
Joan Armatrading,
The Kingston Trio, the
Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem,
Merle Travis,
Dave Van Ronk,
Peter, Paul and Mary,
Bob Dylan,
Eric Weissberg,
Judy Collins,
Mike Bloomfield,
Danny Kalb,
Roger McGuinn,
David Crosby,
Richie Havens,
Don McLean,
Roy Harper,
Ry Cooder,
John Fogerty,
Eva Cassidy and
Jack White.
Susan Catherine Reed (January 11, 1926 – April 25, 2010) was an American
singer,
harpist,
zitherist and actor. A regular on the New York folk scene,
Life magazine dubbed her "the pet of
Manhattan nightclubbers" in 1945.
