Josh White special on WFDU

Subject: Josh White special on WFDU
From: WFDU - Ron Olesko
Date: 04 Apr 01 - 01:47 PM

This Sunday, April 8, I will be airing a tribute to JOSH WHITE. My guest will be Elijah Wald who is the author of "Josh White: Society Blues". We will talk about the live of one of the early pioneers of Folk music, certainly an artist who became one of the nations first recognized folk artists.

My program, TRADITIONS, airs on WFDU-FM at 89.1 in the New York City metro area. You can also listen in via the internet at www.wfdu.fm. TRADITIONS airs from 3 to 6pm Eastern Time.

Sorry for using the forum to plug my show, but I think many of you will find it very interesting. I certainly learned a great deal about Josh through the book and the interview.

Ron Olesko Producer/Host WFDU-FM's TRADITIONS

Subject: RE: Josh White special on WFDU
From: GUEST,AparentDefense
Date: 04 Apr 01 - 05:27 PM

For those of us who knew Josh White, Sr. in the 1960's, I can only say that he was a unique, difficult, gentle, funny, consummate performer. I have memories of Sr. playing the old Blue DOg Cellar in Baltimore, an extemely intimate setting, late night and he killed just killed us all with Strange Fruit, Miss Oatis Regrets, Jelly, Jelly, Jelly and so many more...a memoryphoto of him holding my then baby daughter in one giant hand above his head after a concert at Towson State...his funeral in New York in the late sixties when The Chamber Brothers performed a cappela before the casket.

A chilling moment.

Sorry I can't get WFDU in Alabama. WOuld like to hear the show.

Reallyyyy....trulyyy...

Subject: RE: Josh White special on WFDU
From: Wendy_
Date: 04 Apr 01 - 06:14 PM

I think you should be able to listen over the internet. Click here for www.wfdu.fm.

You need a windows media player, which is a free download.

Also, it only works when they're on air, which seems to be only until 4pm or so Eastern Time on weekdays, much more time on weekends. There are schedules at the site.

Sorry if I am repeating info you already know.

Also, I found this page Key Points from Josh White: Society Blues .

Wendy

Subject: RE: Josh White special on WFDU
From: GUEST,ApparentDefense
Date: 04 Apr 01 - 08:20 PM

Wendy...

Thanks for the info. I'll try to tune in. Does Josh White, Jr. know of the broadcast?

AD

Subject: RE: Josh White special on WFDU
From: WFDU - Ron Olesko
Date: 04 Apr 01 - 10:41 PM

WFDU is on 24 hours on weekends and you can hear it through our website at www.wfdu.fm. It is so interesting to hear from listeners around the globe. I've received e-mails from people who tuned in from Spain, Austria, England, and Australia. Hope you can tune in too! You gotta love technology!

You can also click on "TRADITIONS" from our main page to find our more about the show, and also check out our "What's On" page for highlights of other upcoming shows.

One of the other posts mentioned Josh White, Jr. He is aware, and he even appears on this program - through a clip from a 1940's radio broadcast with his dad. Josh Jr. was a guest on my show last fall - and check out his amazing new CD!!!

Ron Olesko

Subject: RE: Josh White special on WFDU
From: CRANKY YANKEE
Date: 05 Apr 01 - 06:19 AM

I LEARNED "wALTZING mATILDA" from Josh white. He sang it just like he sang everything else. This one thoug, was rather rhythmless. So That's the way I sand it until .................oNE fATEFULL DAY IN 1967, AT THE BLACK PEARL TAVERN IN nEWPORT. (keep your smart remarks to yourself)The America's Cup challenger this time was the Australian, "Dame Patty" ( or Damn Pity ) To make a long story even more extensive, Dame Patty's crew. hung out at the Black Pearl . One of them requested (surprise, surprise) Waltzing Matilda" (T^his is one of the greatest songs ever written) Anyway, I sang Waltzing Matilda, for the first time to an Australian Audience, the only way I'd ever heard it, Josh White style. Looks of dis be;ief and horrorslowly appeared on one Australian face after another./ When I had finished, The all arose from their chairs,AND IN ONE VOICE shouted, 'IT DON'T GO LIKE THAT , MATE!!!. Being as how each one of them was a good 3 inches or more taller than I and immesurably in better physical condition, and, at the moment extre,mely annoyed, I asked them to instruct me on the proper method of performing this song. All together, Mate, one two three. They sang the most well known vesion. After they werer finished One of them asked, What about the other one? and then they sang trhe version that has a tune very similar to "Haul on the Bowline? The chorus of which goes, Wal;ltzin' Matilda, Matilda you'r me darlin'. You' l;l go a- waltzin'M atilda with me.
Waltzin'matilda and totin' a waterbag, you'll go a waltzin Matilda with me.
so there

Subject: RE: Josh White special on WFDU
From: GUEST,ApparentDefense
Date: 05 Apr 01 - 09:47 AM

Ron...

I worked with Donnie White in late '69 thru summer of 1970 when he was trying out a club act. Played piano and fronted the band, summer tour of Sweden, Vegas of all places...Don's a very engaging man and an old and dear friend. He'll be doing yet another cd soon, so the grapevine tells me.

Subject: RE: Josh White special on WFDU
From: Bluesman and kde
Date: 05 Apr 01 - 11:19 PM

Thanks, Ron, for posting the above messages. I idolize Josh White and love to play and sing his music....Jim

Subject: RE: Josh White special on WFDU
From: GUEST,ApparentDefense
Date: 06 Apr 01 - 12:09 PM

Jim...

I'm surprised to find someone who's such a fan of Josh Sr.'s music. While B.B and Muddy and Robert Johnson get so much visibility in the media, Josh is still a bit of an underground figure. Might be a remnant of the old Blacklist Thing as he was lumped into that whole left wing thing because of the gigs at Cafe Society in the Forties. Glad to see he got the stamp though. I was sorry to have missed that celebration in DC. So many old friends where there and it would have been great to see them.

I watched a zillion Josh White Shows back in the sixties...Turbo Attenborough was his bass player for many of those gigs...Sr. always had sore fingers from the National picks he wore while playing...how he required his chair to be just the right type with a certain number of towels folded and taped to the seat so that when he laid his leg over the back and tapped the seat with his foot the sound wouldn't bleed into the mikes...when he broke a string in performance, he'd finish on five strings, sing 'Tobacco Road' acappela (the audience always had to provide the two pickup clap-beats at the end of each bar) and change the string at the same time, tune it up and finish with full guitar accompanyment. Terrific performer.

What amazed me most though, was his ability to do that same show night after night after night, same songs, same order, and still make it look and sound like he was doing it for the first time.

One of the best I ever saw.

Subject: RE: Josh White special on WFDU
From: WFDU - Ron Olesko
Date: 06 Apr 01 - 06:08 PM

Whenever I post a note here on Mudcat about an upcoming guest, I am always touched to see how many people feel the same way as I do about these artists. Josh White Sr. certainly is long overdue for his recognition. It is a shame that only a handful of his recordings are available on CD - and those usually need a good search to find. The notable exceptions are the Smithsonian collection and the Traditions CD. I would love some forward thinking record company to start re-releasing! Perfect time in conjunction with Elijah's brilliant biography!

A.D.'s mention of the stamp reminded me of Arlo's comment about Woody's stamp - I'm paraphrasing - "I'm not surprised to see Woody's picture in a postoffice, I'm just surprised that is it on a stamp!".

Hope some of you have a chance to hear the special this Sunday between 3 and 6pm. In addition, we are also going to be re-airing an interview with the late Brother Theodore that my co-host Bill Hahn did a few years ago. If you haven't heard, Brother Theodore passed away this week at the age of 93. Not exactly a folk singer, but someone who was appreciated by a similar audience.

Ron Olesko WFDU-FM www.wfdu.fm

Subject: RE: Josh White special on WFDU
From: Mike Regenstreif
Date: 06 Apr 01 - 06:22 PM

Ron,

There's actually a lot of Josh White's material available on CD. A quick check at CDNow lists 19 different CDs. I think that virtually everything he recorded in the 1930s and 1940s is available. What seems to be unavailable are his later recordings on Elektra.

BTW, I've had both Elijah Wald and Josh, Jr. as guests on my show. Both are great guests. I've read Elijah's book and its very good.

Mike Regenstreif

Subject: RE: Josh White special on WFDU
From: WFDU - Ron Olesko
Date: 06 Apr 01 - 06:36 PM

Mike - you are right. I should have been more specific about the later years.

Most of his early recordings can be found on the small budget and foreign labels - if you look hard enough. I have been sampling the local stores- Barnes & Noble, Borders, and Tower Records. You would be hard pressed to find most of those recordings in their racks. Artists like Woody Guthrie or Lead Belly have been re-issued on larger labels and can be easily found. Josh's recordings don't have the same luxury.

Ron

Subject: RE: Josh White special on WFDU
From: Mike Regenstreif
Date: 06 Apr 01 - 06:44 PM

Ron,

Sony has a very good set of Josh White's early recordings: Blues Singer 1932-1936 (Columbia/Legacy CK-67001).

Mike Regenstreif

Subject: RE: Josh White special on WFDU
From: WFDU - Ron Olesko
Date: 06 Apr 01 - 09:16 PM

Yes Mike, but again - retailers do not seem to stock it. Maybe it is just something to do with the NYC area. It is a shame because it is so good.

We still need someone to re-release the later material

Ron

Subject: RE: Josh White special on WFDU
From: GUEST
Date: 08 Apr 01 - 08:31 AM

Subject: RE: Josh White special on WFDU
From: Bluesman and kde
Date: 08 Apr 01 - 11:17 AM

Hi, Apparent Defense, for the Josh White info. My dad bought a Josh album for me in the late 50's, with chain gang songs and spirituals on it. He bought it because of the photo of Josh on the back cover playing his guitar. (I owe so much to my dad for supporting my music) I recently obtained some words to some of the songs from the great people on Mudcat. I try to play the music on the guitar from memory, though I did find some CD's that have some of the songs on them. If not for my dad having picked up that album, I may have never known anything about Josh and his great music, along with his great career. It would be fantastic if someone could start a forum or something just for Josh. (Sorry I didn't reply sooner but I don't get on the computer very often) If Josh went to Heaven, I know that he's probably God's favorite musician and singer.........Jim

Subject: RE: Josh White special on WFDU
From: GUEST,ApparentDefense
Date: 09 Apr 01 - 10:21 AM

Jim...

Sorry I'm late in thanking you for the reply. The kids had a soccer tournament in Birmingham ( I now live in Alabama ).

I actually knew Josh White, Jr.-known as Donnie White to his friends-better than I knew the Old Man. I worked with and for Don in the late sixties, our personal managers were the same, a guy named Chuck Ramsey, who apprenticed with Len Rosenfeld, who was Josh Sr.'s manager for years.

I grew up in Baltimore, worked at the old Blue Dog Cellar in the early sixties, where I met and hung out with a number of the "folk stars" of that time, one of whom was Josh White, Sr. I recall a very late invite-only midnight set he did at the Blue Dog after a concert at the Lyric. Very intimate, very close, just him and Turbo Attenborough on that tiny, tiny stage doin' all the chestnuts. It was very impressive. In early '65 I joined a less than notable folk group called The Just IV and headed for NYC. The first gig I ever played with them was at the old Swan Dinner Theater in Milwaukee, opening for Josh Sr.

The Old Man was quite a character. Loved his Chivas Regal, his Continental, and the ladies. He used Black Diamond Strings and broke one every night I'm sure, just so he could do Tobacco Road. He passed away on the operating table in New York during open heart surgery in 1968 or thereabouts. He was only 54, I think, but had led a hell of a life.

My friendship continues to this day with Donnie White although I haven't seen him for many years. He is a charming, sensitive, funny, very talented man who recently did a cd of his father's songs. He does them almost, almost dead on like Sr. did. Look for it.

Hope these tidbits will help fill out your appreciation of Josh's life. He was truly an original, a polished, performin' blues man.

Skip Brooks

Subject: RE: Josh White special on WFDU
From: GUEST,ApparentDefense
Date: 09 Apr 01 - 10:25 AM

Jim...

Sorry I'm late in thanking you for the reply. The kids had a soccer tournament in Birmingham ( I now live in Alabama ).

I actually knew Josh White, Jr.-known as Donnie White to his friends-better than I knew the Old Man. I worked with and for Don in the late sixties, our personal managers were the same, a guy named Chuck Ramsey, who apprenticed with Len Rosenfeld, who was Josh Sr.'s manager for years.

I grew up in Baltimore, worked at the old Blue Dog Cellar in the early sixties, where I met and hung out with a number of the "folk stars" of that time, one of whom was Josh White, Sr. I recall a very late invite-only midnight set he did at the Blue Dog after a concert at the Lyric. Very intimate, very close, just him and Turbo Attenborough on that tiny, tiny stage doin' all the chestnuts. It was very impressive. In early '65 I joined a less than notable folk group called The Just IV and headed for NYC. The first gig I ever played with them was at the old Swan Dinner Theater in Milwaukee, opening for Josh Sr.

The Old Man was quite a character. Loved his Chivas Regal, his Continental, and the ladies. He used Black Diamond Strings and broke one every night I'm sure, just so he could do Tobacco Road. He passed away on the operating table in New York during open heart surgery in 1968 or thereabouts. He was only 54, I think, but had led a hell of a life.

My friendship continues to this day with Donnie White although I haven't seen him for many years. He is a charming, sensitive, funny, very talented man who recently did a cd of his father's songs. He does them almost, almost dead on like Sr. did. Look for it.

Hope these tidbits will help fill out your appreciation of Josh's life. He was truly an original, a polished, performin' blues man.

Skip Brooks

Subject: RE: Josh White special on WFDU
From: Peter T.
Date: 09 Apr 01 - 02:21 PM

Do any of you experts know if there is a site (or a reference) that has a discography for Josh White. I have a 2CD set of his stuff from the 1930's, but absolutely no liner notes. I hate that. Not even the dates of the songs.
yours, Peter T.