Josh White — who was born on February 11, 1914 — had one of the more interesting American lives during the twentieth century, even though he died at the young age of 55 on September 5, 1969. He was a folk singer, guitarist, songwriter, civil rights activist, actor, friend to President Franklin D. Roosevelt and much more.
He was an important figure in the century, although many people born in the last fifty years may not have heard of him. His music influenced many of the major performers who came after him. Allmusic calls him “one of the unquestioned linchpins of the first stirrings of the folk revival.”
His work for civil rights and social justice made him a target of the anti-communist hysteria of the 1950s. He testified before the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC), where he read the lyrics to one of his recordings, the anti-lynching song “Strange Fruit” that was written by Abel Meeropol. Many twisted his words, so that for a period he was blacklisted by both the Right and the Left.
White lived such a full life that I can’t even begin to summarize it here in a short blog post. I encourage you to read more about him, including the long Wikipedia post about his life and this video of his son Josh White Jr. telling stories at The Bohemian Cafe in Greenville, South Carolina on August 20, 2016.
The House I Live In (What Is America to Me?)
White was among the first to record many songs we know today. He had the first hit recording of “The House I Live In (What Is America to Me?).” The song, which was written during World War II by Earl Robinson and Lewis Allan (a pen name for Meeropol), captured a dream for what a post-war America might be.
The children in the playground,
The faces that I see,
All races and religions,
That’s America to me.
You know the song, even though you may not have been around when White’s version was a hit. But the reason you know the song is because of White.
It was White who taught “The House I Live In” to Frank Sinatra, who became identified with the song. After White taught it to Sinatra, Ol’ Blue Eyes sang the song in an honorary Academy Award winning short for MGM. The short was made to oppose anti-Semitism.
As for White, I don’t know, but it seems that through all of the problems, he loved this country. Otherwise, he would not have done so much for it.
The blacklisting by the music industry ended in 1955, and he began performing in various venues around the world. The TV blacklisting ended later in 1963, when President John F. Kennedy asked White to perform on a national civil rights program, “Dinner with the President.”
Subsequently in that same year, he performed on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial during the March on Washington. And in January 1965, he performed at Lyndon B. Johnson’s inauguration.
Today, the lyrics of “The House I Live In” may seem a little naive. Some might find them cheesy. I suppose, though, that most people no matter what their political party, would agree that it was a nice dream. And while White never saw the accomplishment of the dream, he reminded us that it is one still worth fighting for.
Leave your two cents in the comments.
(Some related Chimesfreedom posts.)
. As in the case of baseball player Jackie Robinson, one may see that standing up to racism is not easy.
As was the case with many lynchings of African-Americans during the early twentieth century, photos of the lynching were taken and sent as postcards. The photo features Elmer Jackson and Isaac McGhie, both shirtless, hanging from the street light with Elias Clayton’s body on the sidewalk,. Members of the mob lean in to be part of the photo. Part of the photo is at the top of this post, but you may see the entire photo postcard 
.
Below is an early live version from 1965.
, Oliver Trager describes the song as “science fiction noir where mythology and history’s heroes and heels lurk in the shadows of every alleyway.” He concludes that the song “is perhaps the the most nightmarish vision in Dylan’s canon.”
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