D. Ray White
| D. Ray White | |
|---|---|
| Born | Donald Ray White April 17, 1927 Boone County, West Virginia |
| Died | Script error: The function "death_date_and_age" does not exist. Prenter, West Virginia |
| Other names | D. Ray White |
| Occupation | Mountain dancer, entertainer |
| Years active | 1940s –1985 |
| Spouse(s) | Bertie Mae White |
| Children | 13 |
Donald Ray White, more commonly known as D. Ray White, (April 17, 1927 – July 2, 1985) was an American mountain dancer and entertainer, and the patriarch of the White family. He has been featured in several American documentary films that detail the White family, and the Hank Williams III song "D. Ray White" His style was a subtle mix of tap and clog dancing that is native to the Appalachian Mountains and Appalachia. D. Ray rose to regional stardom before his murder in 1985 and became known as one of the greatest mountain dancers of his time.[1] His son, Jesco White, or "The Dancing Outlaw," who has also been the subject of several documentaries, has carried on his style and continues to perform.
Contents
In media
D. Ray was profiled as a famous mountain dancer on a PBS special titled Talking Feet: Solo Southern Dance - Flatfoot, Buck and Tap.,[1] and has been referenced in "The Wild and Wonderful Whites of West Virginia",[2] the 1991 PBS Special film The Dancing Outlaw which chronicled son Jesco's abilities as a mountain dancer, the 2009 film It Came from Trafalgar, and the 2009 docudrama White Lightnin' was inspired by both D. Ray and Jesco. He is also the subject of the Hank Williams III song D. Ray White, off his album Straight to Hell.
Death
Steve Allen Rowe, 30, also of Prenter, located in Boone County, West Virginia, home of the White family, shot D. Ray and sons Jesco and Dorsey White with a 12-gauge shotgun outside D. Ray's home on July 2, 1985, stemming from an argument between White and his sons and Rowe. Jesco and Dorsey were injured, and D. Ray was killed by a shotgun wound to the chest.[3]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Talking Feet: Solo Southern Dance - Flatfoot, Buck and Tap documentary film by Mike Seeger and others, 1 hour and 27 minutes, color, Smithsonian Folkways, Smithsonian Institution 3/4 tape (1987); DVD region 1 (U.S. and Canada only) (April 24, 2007)
- ↑ The Wild and Wonderful Whites of West Virginia, a documentary film directed by Julien Nitzberg, 2009
- ↑ http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4055/4675760570_1fbd0b9ac9.jpg
External links
- Donald Ray White at Findagrave.com
- The Murder of D Ray White
- Talking Feet: Solo Southern Dance: Buck, Flatfoot and Tap
- Mike Seeger and Ruth Pershing, Talking Feet: Solo Southern Dance of the Appalachian, Piedmont and Blue Ridge Mountain Regions, North Atlantic Books (January 29, 1993), paperback: 152 pages ISBN 978-1-55643-080-0
- Official website of The Wild and Wonderful Whites of West Virginia
- Order the "Dancing Outlaw" DVDs
- Official website for the Community of Bandytown, West Virginia
