Performing Identity

josh white album cover — *Josh White, Complete Recorded Works 1940-1941 in Chronological Order.* Document Records, 1995. Full item record.

Publishing, recording, and broadcasting beyond state and local borders allowed African American Tennesseans to make their mark on national audiences. Artists, composers, musicians, actors, and writers proclaimed their presence and voiced their aspirations through their creative output. The efforts of radio and television station owners, record producers, newspaper editors, and book and music publishers invented new categories of American popular culture. Their efforts paralleled that of ministers, political activists, and grass-roots organizations in a cavalcade of public events and activities aimed toward advancement of the race.