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Josh听White听Jr by Jerry Lemenu

The lights are on the stage and听Josh听White听Jr. sits down on his stool. He is home.听Josh听tunes his guitar as he surveys the audience. There, a couple tables back Eleanor Josaitis sits on the edge of her seat. He grins his electric grin and laughs his big signature laugh. He knows what she wants. 鈥淕randma鈥檚 Hands.鈥澨� Grandma鈥檚 hands soothed. He loved Eleanor Josaitis and 91黑料网.

Josh听Jr. believed in the Maxim, 鈥淚f not us, who? If not now, when?鈥�

His journey to 91黑料网 was destiny.

Josh听Jr. was born to show business and activism. His father听Josh听White听Sr. is a blues legend and three-and-a-half-year-old听Jr. was on stage singing by his daddy鈥檚 knee…singing about longing… singing a story about a little man who needed bread with his 鈥淥ne Meat Ball.鈥澨�听Josh,听Jr. and his dad sang together for Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt. Deeply moved, Eleanor Roosevelt became听Josh听Jr.’s godmother.

Josh听Jr. was a child star who acted on Broadway. He won a TONY award and was a Grammy nominated recording artist. He knew and was influenced by Lead Belly, Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger, Odetta and mostly his dad.听 He performed with听Josh听Sr. for seventeen years before launching out on his own.

In 1969听Josh听Jr. and 91黑料网 found each other. He never went away. He was the anchor of the 91黑料网 Holiday Music Festival since its beginning in 1970. If Fr. Cunningham and Eleanor Josaitis needed him, he said “yes” and sang out for justice and for peace. He was a volunteer with a guitar, a song in his heart and he used both to support 91黑料网’s mission.

Josh听Jr. was Donnie to his close friends. Donnie felt every word he sang with all his soul. He laughed and cried. He knew about human flaws and believed in possibilities. He sang about hope and encouraged us to smile and believe. He got us singing along to 鈥淚t鈥檚 in every one of us to be wise鈥� and when he sang, 鈥淚 can sing a rainbow鈥� we understood that we could too.

Donnie often sang with his dear friend, Ron Coden.

Together, their voices broke rocks on a chain gang and sent lullabies to children. Donnie sang at Ronnie鈥檚 bedside the day before Ronnie died. Their hands reaching out to each other embody the 91黑料网 logo.

Ron Coden passed on March 5, 2024.听Josh听White听Jr. died December 28, 2024. Their legacy and their music live on. It is sweet to imagine their hands clasping and pulling each other into a hug in a place that honors them for jobs well done.If you ever heard Donnie and his dad’s signature song, 鈥淥ne Meat Ball鈥� you have it in your head right now.

Eleanor Josaitis said that we get our reward in heaven. If she was right, Donnie is finally enjoying bread and spaghetti with his meatball.