Josh White: Society Blues. - book review

African American Review, Spring, 2002 by Emmett G. III Price

Elijah Wald. Josh White: Society Blues. Amherst: U of Massachusetts P, 2000. 336 pp. $32.50.

Musician/journalist Elijah Wald explores the road less traveled in his alluring biography of forgotten legend Joshua Daniel White (1914-1969). Josh White: Society Blues recalls for some and presents to most the rousing life and music of an artist of grand stature and tremendous influence. Wald traces the steps of White from his birth in Greenville, South Carolina, through his adventures as a guide and tambourine player for blind guitarists, including John Henry Arnold, Joe Taggart, and others, to his days of prominence in the highsociety world of Sugar Hill (Harlem), his late travels to Europe, and his unexpected death. Cleverly, Wald relates the daily life of White to ongoing social, political, and historical occurrences, such as the post-World War I United States, the Black renaissance of the '20s and '30s, World War II, and the Black liberation movements of the '50s, and '60s. In unique fashion, Wald presents White as possessing a dual persona; on the one hand, he was a compassionate and dedicated father a nd husband, while on the other hand, he was a womanizing playboy who was often the life of the party.

White was a major performer in just about every major form of music in the United States. Under the pseudonym Pinewood Tom, he maintained a gospel career as well as a simultaneous career in folk and Blues, often referred to by his nicknames (The Singing Christian, Presidential Minstrel, Benefit Kid, Mr. Folk Music, and Mr. Folksinger). White was an innovator who was never pigeonholed in one specific genre. Beyond gospel, Blues, and folk, White also recorded and performed jazz and European ballads, and appeared on Broadway and in film. Displaying versatility and endurance in a racist and unforgiving entertainment industry, White became a mentor to renowned legends Josephine Premice, Eartha Kitt, Harry Belafonte, and a host of others. As a true testament to his flexibility, as well as the respect and admiration shown to him by other artists in the industry, White performed and recorded with talent as diverse as Sidney Bechet, Leadbelly, Mary Lou Williams, Brownie McGhee, Sonny Terry, Jerome Richardson, Pete See ger, and Woodie Guthrie.

Throughout the text Wald engages the reader with tangential discussion on related subjects that accentuate the biography with a greater view of the society that influenced the choices and decisions White made. Examination of the history of the early recording industry with focus on the race record market is included as well as an exploration of the relationship between leftist political organizations and musicians, particularly during White's longstanding relationship with Cafe Society. Discussion of the blacklisting in the Hollywood film and the entertainment industry is also extremely captivating to read and an asset to the chronicle. Further, Wald weaves an historical study of Blues and gospel as they relate to White and his influence.

As in many biographies, there are many gaps in information due to the lack of available sources or informants. Although Wald's efforts are the product of numerous interviews, hundreds of collected clippings, and numerous hours of research, the gaps in information are very apparent. He attempts to camouflage these holes with unproven conjecture. To the reader interested in the unique musical stylistics of White, more descriptive musical analysis might have been more helpful, particularly in discussing the characteristics that made White stand out as a legendary performer in more than one genre. The greatest challenge of the text, however, is the lack of in-text reference to citations and notes. Wald collects all of the notes and citations in the appendix without any indication in the body of the work how such notes and citations interface the subject matter. This procedure breaks the flow of the reading for any reader who correctly approaches this text as non-fiction.

Written for the general audience, this book could captivate any reader. Wald's intimate approach to relating the life of one of his "first heroes" aids in the presentation of a legend that the reader will find intriguing. This text brings another perspective on the trials and tribulations of glamorous superstars who on the surface appear to be on top of the world, while simultaneously reinserting White into the selective history of each genre in which he was involved, and ultimately into the history of music in the United States. Josh White: Society Blues is great reading for anyone interested in a new perspective on the entertainment industry in the United States through the chronicle and revitalization of the life and music of a praiseworthy legend.