ABSTRACT
Though political pressures certainly played a part in Josh’s decision to quit Cafe Society, they were not his only reason. By 1947 he was regularly telling interviewers that he had had his fill of nightclub work. He was getting more concert bookings, and their advantages were obvious: “No waiters, no dishes, no sweat — more bread.” He was also ready to capitalize on his success by branching out beyond the music world. He had become a celebrity, with the press covering him not only in reviews and feature interviews but also in puff pieces such as the Our World cover story in which a popular model listed “the ten most handsome American Negro men.”
