↓
 
 →Ron Olesko→Folk Music Notebook→WHERE IS JOSH WHITE’S GUITAR??

WHERE IS JOSH WHITE’S GUITAR??

Sing Out! Posted on by

Monday night, Monday, February 23rd at 10:00 pm Eastern Standard time, The History Detectives go in search of the guitar of the legendary blues singer/guitarist Josh White (PBS.WNET-TV Channel 13 in New York). During the investigation, they show footage of Josh White and tell the story of his life and career. They also bring Josh White, Jr. back to stage of the famed Cafe Society nightclub in Greenwich Village (now an off-Broadway theatre) where he began performing with his father in 1944, and have him sing and play some his father’s classics.

JOSH WHITE GUITAR
AIRING: Season 6, Episode 11
THE DETECTIVE: Elyse Luray
THE PLACE: New York City and New Jersey
THE CASE:A Michigan man owns a Guild brand acoustic guitar that he says once belonged to legendary African-American folksinger Josh White, who is credited with introducing black folk, gospel and blues music to a world audience in the 1940s.

Our contributor met White after a concert when he was a kid, and the guitar reminds him of a confidence White had shared with him: the Guild Company was talking to White about making a signature guitar built to his specifications and to be marketed under his name.

If this is the guitar White had spoken of, it would be the first signature guitar ever created for an African American musician in the United States.

History Detectives explores the crossover appeal of Josh White’s music and his ability to win over a racially polarized music industry.

Related posts:

  1. Celebrating Josh White – Father & Son
  2. “Betty and Dupree” – A Digital Compendium, Part 2 – The Classics
  3. Delia / Delia’s Gone: A Digital Compendium, 1900 – 1992
  4. This story has no moral
Posted in Folk Music Notebook, Ron Olesko Tagged permalink

About Ron Olesko

For over 40 years, Ron has been a radio programmer with WFDU-FM in Teaneck, New Jersey. In 2019 he created www.FolkMusicNotebook.com - a 24/7 Internet radio channel devoted to folk music and is available worldwide. Ron created WFDU-FM's TRADITIONS in 1980, a show that he continues to host and produce every Sunday afternoon from 3 to 6pm Eastern Time. He's the president of and booker for the Hurdy Gurdy Folk Music Club in Fair Lawn, New Jersey, and is a regular contributor to Sing Out! as well as the host of the Folk Music Notebook blog on this site. Ron can also be found emceeing concerts and festivals around the NYC/NJ area.

Comments

WHERE IS JOSH WHITE’S GUITAR?? — 2 Comments

  2. I'm looking forward to this show tonight. History Detectives is a fun show anytime, but with Josh White and Guild guitars involved, it will be especially interesting. I note they say a "Michigan man" owns the guitar, yet place the story in NY & NJ. Of course my friend Josh Jr. is a longtime favorite son of Michigan, especially the Detroit area where he lives and has raised his

↑