Josh White: Free and Equal Blues, Rare Performances

Josh White: Free and Equal Blues, Rare Performancesby Josh WhiteJosh White was a key figure in the evolution of the folk and blues music revivals, a brilliant guitarist and dashingly sexy cabaret star who for three decades was the world's most popular acoustic blues performer. After a childhood leading blind street singers through the South, Josh was a popular recording artist in the 1930s golden age of acoustic blues; then in the 1940s he became the first bluesman to capture a large mainstream audience. Though his smooth, polished style is quite unlike the harder-edged approach that many people now consider basic to blues, his unique, lyrical guitar work and soulful singing made him a formative influence on the international folk scene. This video begins with a rare filmed snippet from the 1940s, then includes a range of European performances from the 1960s, showing the breadth and variety of Josh's repertoire, from traditional blues and gospel to folk revival standards and cabaret ma