Josh White Jr. was an American blues and folk singer, guitarist, actor, and social activist, born on November 30, 1940, in New York City. He was the son of the renowned blues musician Josh White and gospel singer Carol Carr White. Growing up in the culturally rich Sugar Hill area of Harlem, White Jr. was immersed in music from an early age. He made his professional debut at the age of four alongside his father at New York's Café Society, America's first integrated nightclub.

White Jr. attended the Professional Children's School in Manhattan, where he was classmates with notable figures such as Elliott Gould and Marvin Hamlisch. His early career was marked by a successful stint on Broadway, where he co-starred with his father in "How Long Til Summer?" in 1949, earning a special Tony Award for Best Child Actor.

Throughout the 1960s, White Jr. became a prominent figure in the folk music revival, performing extensively on the college circuit and recording albums that blended blues with pop influences. His solo recording debut came in 1956 with the song "See Saw," co-written with Marvin Hamlisch. White Jr. continued to honor his father's legacy while carving out his own unique path in the music world, receiving a Grammy nomination in 1987 for his album "Jazz, Ballads and Blues."

Tragedy struck in 1971 when his first wife, Jackie Harris, was murdered during a robbery in their New York apartment. Following this, White Jr. moved to upstate New York with his two children and later remarried in 1978. He continued to perform and record music, releasing "Tuning for the Blues" in 2011.

Josh White Jr. passed away on December 28, 2024, in Rochester, Michigan, at the age of 84, leaving behind a rich legacy that celebrated the blues tradition and his father's influential work.