Audio Antiques - Josh White: The People's Troubadour

Josh White was a rock star, before there were rock stars. Joshua Daniel White was born in 1914, and overcame tremendous odds to become a world famous musical powerhouse. By mastering the guitar, he took the world of folk, blues, and pop music by storm. Growing up as a young African-American child prodigy, he was forced to perform under involuntary servitude. As a young man, White was able to break free, becoming a cabaret, radio, and recording artist. He even appeared in movies, and was welcomed into the White House. But because Josh White was a tireless advocate for racial justice and civil rights, he was blacklisted, and banned from performing in the U.S. in the 1950s. White then went to Europe, where he was in demand to perform frequently, and was even given his own TV show and radio program in England. The blacklisting of White in America was finally broken in 1963. You will to hear the story of his early life in a 1949 episode of the radio drama Destination Freedom. Then Josh White performs on a 1947 edition of the radio variety show Jubilee. More at KRobCollection.com