The Original Soul Man: Josh White

WHEN ELIJAH WALD first mentioned Josh White to his parents, their memories clashed. His father recalled an earthy laborer, sweating soulfully; his mother, a sleek entertainer who changed his silk shirt twice during a performance. The greatest strength of Wald's Josh White: Society Blues is its recognition that this division was intrinsic to White's career and that its balance of folk art and show business was singular, inspired and even heroic.