Blind boy fuller biography of abraham lincoln

by Ellen Harold and Peter Stone

Josh White overcame seemingly insurmountable obstacles in the course of his lifetime. He experienced almost Dickensian privation as a child musician on the open road. Yet before he was twenty this child prodigy significantly influenced the Piedmont musical scene. When the Great Depression crippled the mainstream recording industry, White's early "race" recordings nevertheless sold briskly. Then, at the peak of his powers, he injured his hand and had to completely reinvent his style of guitar picking. Despite this, he went on to become an actor, radio, and cabaret star, a ground-breaking performer of powerful protest songs, and an intimate of Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt. Countless performers covered signature versions (including guitar arrangements) of his repertoire such as "The House of the Rising Sun," "Saint James Infirmary," and "Careless Love." On stage White pioneered a casual, intimate, yet serious persona, wearing attire that resolved the dichotomy between the tuxedo-clad night-club act and the overalls of the "country" singer. Harry Belafonte, among other acolytes, copied White's trademark casual slacks and a shirt with its top buttons opened.

The red scare of the 1950s marginalized folk music from mainstream broadcasting and drove a wedge between him and many of his former fans, seriously hurting his career (though he continued to star in Europe). But Josh doubtless could also have overcome this in the following decade had not bad health, perhaps a legacy of childhood hardships, intervened. Sadly, he died in 1969 before he could re-establish his rapport with audiences. Still undeservedly neglected, Josh White is increasingly acknowledged as an innovative and influential major artist. His importance as a civil rights activist in song has yet to be recognized.

Joshua Daniel "Josh" White was born on Feb 11, 1914, one of five brothers and sisters, in Greenville, South Carolina. His father Dennis was a tailor by profes

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inArtist Storyon April 20, 2016

Earlier this week beloved Music Maker artist passed away. Boo Hanks, a descendant of Abraham Lincoln on his mother’s side, is the greatest Piedmont Blues rediscovery in many years. He sings and plays guitar in the style of the legendary Blind Boy Fuller. At the age of 79, he made his first recording and at 82 he has enjoyed performances around home as well as Lincoln Center and Belgium.

I met Boo in the summer of 2006. I came into the music maker studio as a session musician for an undiscovered talent. I met Boo Hanks that day. He came with Tony Young and his grandson Poo. From the moment that we sat down and played “Trouble in Mind” and Keep on Truckin’ Mama” we became the best of friends. To fully describe how Boo affected my life would be impossible. That’s how it goes when you meet someone older than you. The ways an elder affect your life, don’t present themselves until after they are gone.

Yet, the reason I feel great joy in being able to write this eulogy is that in the 10 years I knew Boo, I got to see him perform all over the country and the world with his music. To say that it brought him great joy would be the biggest understatement I could ever write.

Not only did he get to perform in front of numerous audiences, he got to teach his music to a variety of younger musicians and enthusiasts, who desired no more than to sit at his feet and learn.

I’m going to miss him so much! Though I will miss him, I know that he is with me whenever I play the songs he taught me. And… The jokes he might have told me in passing. I know he has found his peace. I can see him now jitterbugging in the clouds because he stood by the banks of the river and his captain had gone on before.

Dom Flemons
The American Songster
April 19, 2016