Jesco White

From Infogalactic: the planetary knowledge core
(Redirected from Donald Ray White)
Jump to: navigation, search
Jesco White
Jesco-White-2011-Cropped.jpg
Born Jesco "Jesse" White
(1956-07-30) July 30, 1956 (age 67)
Bandytown, West Virginia, U.S.
Other names "The Dancing Outlaw"
Occupation Mountain Dancer, Entertainer
Years active 1980s –present
Spouse(s) Norma Jean White (1974–2009 (her death))
Alida Raquel Darvill (2011-present)

Jesco White, also known as the "Dancing Outlaw" (born July 30, 1956) is an American mountain West Virginia dancer and entertainer. He is best known as the subject of three American documentary films that detail his desire to follow in his famous father's footsteps, while trying to overcome depression, drug addiction and the poverty that persistently afflicts rural Appalachia.

Personal life

Jesco White was born in Bandytown, a tiny community located in the Appalachian Mountains of Boone County, West Virginia, to Donald Ray White (1927–1985), also known as D. Ray White, and Bertie Mae White. White's father, D. Ray, was profiled in the Smithsonian Folkways documentary Talking Feet: Solo Southern Dance: Buck, Flatfoot and Tap (1987) as one of the greatest mountain dancers in the United States.[1] Following in the footsteps of his father, Jesco's dance style is a subtle mix of tap and clog dancing that is native to Appalachia. After the death of his father, Jesco attained D. Ray's tapping shoes which he wears while performing. Jesco White's dancing has been featured in at least three documentaries.

White was married to Norma Jean White (1939-2009)[2] [3] and married Alida Darvill in 2011.[4]

Shooting Incident

In 1985, while finalizing the film Talking Feet, D. Ray, Jesco, and his younger brother Dorsey were involved in a domestic dispute. Steve Allen Rowe used his 12-gauge shotgun to shoot D. Ray once in the chest, Jesco received one neck wound, and Dorsey a single gunshot to the eye. D. Ray was the only fatality of the disturbance, who was reportedly protecting his youngest son during a drunken disagreement.[5]

2009 arrest

In April 2009, White was featured in the documentary The Wild and Wonderful Whites of West Virginia, produced by Storm Taylor and MTV's Johnny Knoxville and Jeff Tremaine. The film was premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York. White has claimed that his portrayal in the documentary was an act and is not an accurate depiction of the White family.[6][7]

The week after the release of Wild and Wonderful, White and his sister, Sue Bob White, were arrested in West Virginia on suspicion of drug-related crimes.[8] White gave an on-camera interview while in jail and stated that he had been drug-free for 30 years. White said that he is not a bad person and that he was "embarrassed" and "hurt" by the arrest.[9] Shortly after his arrest, White was bonded out of jail by the MTV producers of the newly released documentary about the White family.[10][11] A month after his arrest, the charges against White were dismissed due to lack of evidence.[12][13]

Depictions in media

Dancing Outlaw

White was first profiled on the Public Broadcasting Service's Different Drummer series. The first of these documentaries was Dancing Outlaw (1991),[14] directed by Jacob Young, which featured him at home in West Virginia and gave audiences a glimpse into his troubled life. Young originally came to Boone County in search of D. Ray who had been murdered years prior. The TV series aimed to showcase "the unsung geniuses and charismatic madmen of Appalachian county.".[15][16] The director used this opportunity to unveil Jesco's talent and introduce America to the Dancing Outlaw. Viewers are acquainted with Jesco's three distinct personalities. "The gentle and loving Jesse, the violent and dangerous Jesco, and the extremely strange Elvis."[17] This is the first of many mentions he makes regarding his lifelong struggle with his personality disorder. His admiration of Elvis is apparent in his stage attire and Elvis room within his home which White claims "saved his life from certain doom".[18] The film won an American Film Institute Award and an Emmy for Best Documentary, was screened at the Museum of Modern Art, and was named best public television program in 1992.[19]

Dancing Outlaw II: Jesco Goes to Hollywood

Dancing Outlaw II (1999)[20] (also directed by Jacob Young) chronicles White's trip to Los Angeles to appear in the episode "I Pray the Lord My Stove to Keep" of the sitcom Roseanne as the Elvis impersonating "Dan's Clog-Dancing Cousin".[21]

The Wild and Wonderful Whites of West Virginia

<templatestyles src="Module:Hatnote/styles.css"></templatestyles>

Main article: The Wild and Wonderful Whites of West Virginia

The documentary The Wild and Wonderful Whites of West Virginia (2009) directed by Julien Nitzberg follows the White Family for one year and primarily consists of first person interviews detailing the poverty, crime, addiction and the ramifications of the coal-mining industry on Appalachian society.[22][23]

Grand Theft Auto V

Jesco White provides his voice as the DJ of Rebel Radio in the video game Grand Theft Auto V.[24][25][26] He also makes a cameo in-game as an Easter egg, where you can find a character depiction of Jesco doing his mountain dance. The easter egg is found in the Alamo Sea region of San Andreas, dancing to an Ozark Mountain Daredevils song being played on a small boombox behind him. Motion capture technology was used to help depict Jesco's unique style of dancing.

Other depictions

  • It Came from Trafalgar (2009) directed by Solomon Mortamur[27]
  • The film White Lightnin' (2009) directed by Dominic Murphy is very loosely based on the life of Jesco White.[28][29]
  • Appeared in the Beck video "Loser".
  • Voiced Ga-Ga-Pee-Pap Cuyler in several episodes of the animated television series Squidbillies.

Numerous musicians have made tribute songs for Jesco White and the White family. These include:

Jesco has also been sampled or referenced by numerous musicians, including the bands Ministry, Mastodon, Live, Big & Rich, Əkoostik hookah, Jim Shelley, The Atomic Bitchwax, Headcrash and Tanner Flowers.

References

  1. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  2. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. ↑ Rootsweb Social Security Death Index search for Norma Jean White. Retrieved on 28 April 2013.
  4. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  5. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  6. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  7. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  8. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  9. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  10. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  11. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  12. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  13. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  14. ↑ Lua error in Module:WikidataCheck at line 28: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value). Dancing Outlaw at IMDb
  15. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  16. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  17. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  18. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  19. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  20. ↑ Lua error in Module:WikidataCheck at line 28: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value). Dancing Outlaw II: Jesco Goes to Hollywood at IMDb
  21. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  22. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  23. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  24. ↑ http://www.mxdwn.com/2013/10/03/news/full-tracklist-for-grand-theft-auto-v-revealed/
  25. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  26. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  27. ↑ Lua error in Module:WikidataCheck at line 28: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value). It Came from Trafalgar at IMDb
  28. ↑ Lua error in Module:WikidataCheck at line 28: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value). White Lightnin at IMDb
  29. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

External links

Retrieved from "https://infogalactic.com/w/index.php?title=Jesco_White&oldid=3971294"