ABSTRACT

While Josh’s career was monopolizing much of his attention, there was also plenty happening at home. The White family remembers the Cafe Society years as something of a golden age. When he started there in 1943, he was reportedly earning $75 a week, but by 1946 he was getting $500 weekly, plus whatever he made from concerts, radio, and recordings. There were no financial worries, and during this period, unlike the later years when he would be touring heavily, he was at home. A third daughter, Fern, was born on March 3,1944, and the following year the family moved into a bigger apartment at 539 West 150th Street.