WFDU-FM’s TRADITIONS Playlist for November 30, 2014

As many readers will know, I wear two hats – one as the host of WFDU-FM’s TRADITIONS and another as the President of the Hurdy Gurdy Folk Music Club in Fair Lawn, New Jersey. Today’s show involved my juggling both caps, and in keeping with FCC regulations I bring this up for full disclosure. (I do try to give equal time all venues in our area!)

I had the pleasure of speaking with Josh White Jr. on the show today to discuss this coming Saturday’s JOSH WHITE 100TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION at the Hurdy Gurdy. Josh’s appearance on my show had additional reasons to celebrate – it was Josh Jr’s 74th birthday, and his 70th anniversary as a performer!

At 8pm on Saturday December 6, Josh Jr. will take the stage at the Fair Lawn Community Center in Fair Lawn, New Jersey to host a concert featuring music that his father shared with audiences several decades before. Josh Jr. will be joined by special guest David Amram, and local blues artists Son Lewis and Rick Illowite in honoring the man and the music.

The influence of Josh White should not be underestimated, but his contribution to our folk and blues canon in this country had been neglected for a time, in large part because of the effects of the McCarthy era. The past two decades has seen a resurgence of attention in his music and life, the results of his appearance on a U.S. postage stamp, a brilliant biography by Elijah Wald, the re-issue of his recordings and the work being done by people like Josh Jr. to keep the music alive.

Josh White brought folk, blues and spirituals to the culture of white America as well as the rest of the world. His repertoire gave us such songs as “The House of the Rising Sun,” “St. James Infirmary,” “John Henry”, “One Meatball,” “Miss Otis Regrets” and the first recording of “Strange Fruit,” a song closely associated with Billie Holiday. While Josh White may not have been the only person to be associated with these songs, he arguably gave us renditions that became etched in our subconscious. His work in nightclubs and high society venues brought African-American music to a new audience. His work endeared him to the Roosevelts, and in 1941 he became the first African-American to give a command performance at the White House. He was also the first black artist to sell a million copies of a record (“One Meatball”). Josh White would appear on Broadway, in films, on radio and television.

Born in Greenville, South Carolina in 1914, he began leading blind, black street singers around his hometown. He began supporting his family with this job following the death of his father, who succumbed to injuries after being beaten by authorities for late payment of a bill, a scene that young Josh witnessed.

By the time he was 14, Josh would lead 66 different street musicians, including Blind Lemon Jefferson and Blind Blake, learning their music and joining in by singing, dancing and collecting coins from generous passersby. While traveling the country with these musicians, Josh witnessed a lynching In 1928 he started recording with Blind Joe Taggert and by 1932 he was recording as a solo artist, billed as Joshua White, The Singing Christian. His mother allowed the still underage Josh to record, as long as it was religious and not the “devil’s music”, the blues. After he recorded his religious songs, Josh managed to sneak in a few blues tune under the name “Pinewood Tom.”

Josh continued to build his career as a performer, and in 1940 he appeared on Broadway with Paul Robeson in “John Henry,” with Robeson playing the title character and Josh playing the part of Blind Lemon Jefferson in the production. The play did not run very long, but it was springboard for Josh. He would begin working on radio with Burl Ives, Woody Guthrie, Lead Belly and Alan Lomax. He began touring with Libby Holman, a white torch singer who rose to fame in the 1920s. With Josh, they became the first integrated couple to tour the country, often playing in previously segregated venues.

Josh was also recreating his image as a singer during this period. The country roots and stylings of his past gave way to a mature and sophisticated style, and his good looks and a sexual edge began attracting a new audience, white and middle class. At the same time, Josh was also singing political songs and appearing at rallies with his friends Woody Guthrie, Lee Hays, the Almanac Singers and other artists from People’s Songs. He became an activist for human rights and spoke out about conditions in the Jim Crow south. He also became a friend to Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt, a friendship that would last through their lives.

His actions as an activist and his appearances at rallies would draw the attention of the House Un-American Activities Commission(HUAC). The name of Josh White would be found in the infamous “Red Channels”, a publication of a a right-wing journal called Counterattack that was picking and choosing artist they felt were “subversive”. Against the advice of many, Josh appeared in front of the committee as a “friendly witness”, but he never named any names but told his own story about the treatment of African-Americans in the country and read the words to the anti-lynching song “Strange Fruit.” When questioned, he did speak out against Paul Robeson’s controversial statement that if a war were to occur between the U.S. and the U.S.S.R., African-Americans would not fight.

His view on Robeson’s comments coupled with a belief that he “named names” (untrue), led to a paranoia and Josh White found himself out of work. Finding himself blacklisted in the U.S., he would travel to Europe where he gained new fame. He finally “returned” to U.S. stages in 1963 when President Kennedy invited him to perform on a CBS-TV civil rights special. Josh White was also a participant in the historic March on Washington in that same year.

His health declining, Josh spent his final years living in Queens, suffering from several heart attacks, emphysema and other complications. Josh would pass away in 1969 at the age of 54.

Josh Jr. was only 4 years old when he joined his father on stage at New York’s famous Café Society. He accompanied his dad on tours for the next five years, and in 1949 he appeared in his first Broadway show, playing the role of his father’s son in “How Long Till Summer.” He would attend the famed Professional Children’s School and his classmates included Christopher Walken, Elliot Gould and Marvin Hamlish to name a few. In 1956, Josh Jr. recorded his first single, a song called “See-Saw” which was co-authored by Marvin Hamlisch.

By 1961, Josh Jr. had already recorded his first album, appeared in five Broadway plays and guest starred in over 50 television productions. Along with his sister Beverly, Josh Jr. accompanied his dad on stage and television in Great Britain. When he reached 21, he was finding fewer roles for young black actors while the folk revival was creating a number of opportunities for his talent. He focused on his music and began a long career as one of folk music’s most highly respected artists.

Josh Jr. has graced the stages of Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Madison Square Garden, the Kennedy Center,  the Berlin Philharmonic and many other respected halls around the globe. He also performs at festivals and folk venues as well, and it is estimated that Josh Jr. has performed at well over 2000 college concerts alone!

In 1980 he recorded two songs written by his old friend Ed McCurdy – “The Strangest Dream” and “The King’s Highway”, the official theme songs for the Peace Corp and VISTA. Following the tragic events of 9/11, he recorded one of his father’s songs, “The House I Live In.” This led to Josh Jr. being invited to be the first artist invited to sing a set of inspirational songs at the site where the World Trade Center once stood.

Josh Jr. continues to involve himself with numerous projects, including recordings and performances for children. We are excited to have him appear at the Hurdy Gurdy this coming Saturday, and I was honored that he spent some time with me on the radio discussing the concert and his father.

In addition to celebrating both Josh White Sr. and Jr. on the show, I spent some time sharing new recordings that I picked up at the recent Northeast Regional Folk Alliance Conference (more on that next week – stay tuned to this blog!!!)

(For more information on the JOSH WHITE 100TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION
at the Hurdy Gurdy on Dec. 6, please visit www.hurdygurdyfolk.org)

The show ended with a couple of inspirational songs. As this was the weekend following Thanksgiving, many of us were dismayed at the greed exhibited by various box stores and malls across the country who opened early with so-called “bargains” to entice shoppers. I would hope that a holiday like Thanksgiving gives us pause to be thankful for what we have, not for what we can gain cheaply. I chose David Roth’s song “May the Light of Love” and a beautiful version of “Simple Gifts” performed by Acoustic Eidolon and Thomas Loefke to hopefully remind us what is truly important in our lives.

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(Tune in to TRADITIONS every Sunday from 2pm to 5pm Eastern Time over WFDU-FM 89.1 in the NYC/Northern New Jersey area, or on the web at www.wfdu.fm or iHeartRadio.com. On-demand streams of shows, including this one, are archived for two weeks by clicking HERE. A Sing Out! Radio Partner.)

ARTIST “Tune / Song”
ALBUM Label Website
2PM
Theme: HARVEY REID “Dirty Dish Rag”
Solo Guitar Sketchbook   Woodpecker Records – www.woodpecker.com
JOSH WHITE JR. “Say A Prayer for a Stranger”
Josh White Jr. Live   Silverwolf Records – www.joshwhitejr.com

CHRISTINE LAVIN “Are We All Hardwired?”
If You’re Drunk You Cannot Buy a Puppy self – www.christinelavin.com

ROB LYTLE “Oh Dying”
A Hypocrite of Heart and Hope   Heart and Hope Music – www.roblytle.com
NANCY BEAUDETTE “Silence Tonight”
sampler self – www.nancybeaudette.com

RICHARD BERMAN “A Father and A Daughter”
You’re Home Now self – www.richardberman.com
RICHARD DURST “Cycle Song of Life”
Wish I Were Here World Wind – www.worldwindcd.com,  www.jamesdurst.com
JOHN DENVER “This Old Guitar”
All of My Memories: The John Denver Collection Legacy – www.legacyrecordings.com ,www.johndenver.com

THE CUPCAKES “Every Little Thing”
Trouble and Joy self – www.3cupcakes3.com
CLAUDIA JACOBS BAND “Martha’s Song”
Rally On! self – www.claudiajacobs.com
THE FOLK GODDESSES “I Am Oak”
I Am Oak self – www.thefolkgoddesses.com

LIVINGSTON TAYLOR “Sleepy is Good”
Blue Sky Whistling Dog – www.livingstontaylor.com

3PM
JOSH WHITE “Betty and Dupree”
Free and Equal Blues Smithsonian Folkways – www.si.edu/folkways

GUEST: Josh White Jr. – appearing on Saturday December 6 at the Hurdy Gurdy Folk Music Club, located at the Fair Lawn Community Center.  The Hurdy Gurdy will present a “Josh White 100th Anniversary Celebration” featuring Josh White Jr. with special guest David Amram and local artists Son Lewis and Rick Illowite.  For more information visit www.hurdygurdyfolk.org .

JOSH WHITE JR. “Strange Fruit”
House of the Rising Son Silverwolf Records – www.joshwhitejr.com
JOSH WHITE JR. “Gonna Live the Life”
House of the Rising Son Silverwolf Records – www.joshwhitejr.com
JOSH WHITE & JOSH WHITE JR. “One Meatball”
House of the Rising Son Silverwolf Records – www.joshwhitejr.com

PETER, PAUL & MARY “Give Yourself to Love”
Discovered Live in Concert Rhino/Warner Brothers – www.rhino.com

PHIL OCHS “Pleasures of the Harbor”
Live Again Rockbeat Records – www.rockbeatrecords.com
HARPETH RISING “Norwegian Wood”
Live at the Dreaming Tree self – www.harpethrising.com
SUE SLEZAK “Leather Winged Bat”
Watching the Nighttime Come Mark of the Leopard – www.davidwaxmuseum.com

4PM
JULIE GOLD “I Miss Being Young”
Love Is Love Is Love self – www.juliegold.com

MIKE LAUREANNO “Little Red-Winged Blackbirds”
Pushing Back Wintertime self – www.michael.laureanno.com
JOHNSMITH “This Field”
The Longing Road self – www.johnsmithmusic.com
C.DANIEL BOLING “Someday”
Sleeping Dogs Berkalin Records – www.berkalinrecords.com , www.danielboling.com

MYA BRYNE “Forgotten Dreams”
As I Am self – www.myabyrne.com
BEAUCOUP BLUE “Broken Dreams”
4 Stories self – www.beaucoupblue.com
BROTHERS MCANN “Stereo Road”
sampler self – www.brothersmcann.com
ELAINE ROMANELLI “Real”
sampler self – www.elaineromaelli.net

MIKE AGRANOFF “The Kid With the Comic Book”
Straight Lines self – www.mikeagranoff.com
SCOTT AINSLIE “Let the Mermaids Flirt with Me”
The Laste Shot Got Him Cattail Music – www.cattailmusic.com
DAVID HAWKINS “Gypsy Davy”
Everything That You Brought Here self – www.hawkmanmusic.com

RONSTADT GENERATIONS “This Land Is Your Land”
America, Our Home self – www.ronstadtgenerations.com
DAVID ROTH “May the Light of Love”
Rising In Love Wind River www.folkera.com/windriver, www.davidrothmusic.com
ACOUSTIC EIDOLON & THOMAS LOEFKE “Simple Gifts”
Friends Across the Ocean Acoustic Woods Records – www.acousticeidolon.com

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Ron Olesko
WFDU-FM
1000 River Road
Teaneck, NJ 07666

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