D. Ray White
Encyclopedia
D. Ray White, was a American
mountain dancer
and entertainer, and the patriarch of the White family
. He has been featured in several American documentary film
s that detail the White family
, and the Hank Williams III
song "The Legend of 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. 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.
was inspired by both D. Ray and Jesco. He is also the subject of the Hank Williams III
song The Legend of D. Ray White.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
mountain dancer
Clogging
Clogging is a type of folk dance with roots in traditional European dancing, early African-American dance, and traditional Cherokee dance in which the dancer's footwear is used musically by striking the heel, the toe, or both in unison against a floor or each other to create audible percussive...
and entertainer, and the patriarch of the White family
The White family
The White family is a family living in rural Boone County, West Virginia. The family has a reputation for anti-social behavior, and, indeed, some members of the family are quite proud of it. The family, especially Jesco, is infamous in Boone County, but celebrated by some...
. He has been featured in several American documentary film
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
s that detail the White family
The White family
The White family is a family living in rural Boone County, West Virginia. The family has a reputation for anti-social behavior, and, indeed, some members of the family are quite proud of it. The family, especially Jesco, is infamous in Boone County, but celebrated by some...
, and the Hank Williams III
Hank Williams III
Shelton Hank Williams, known as Hank 3 , is a neotraditional country and punk metal singer, drummer, bassist, and guitarist. In addition to his honky tonk recordings, Williams' style alternates among country, punk and metal...
song "The Legend of D. Ray White." His style was a subtle mix of tap and clog dancing
Clogging
Clogging is a type of folk dance with roots in traditional European dancing, early African-American dance, and traditional Cherokee dance in which the dancer's footwear is used musically by striking the heel, the toe, or both in unison against a floor or each other to create audible percussive...
that is native to the Appalachian Mountains
Appalachian Mountains
The Appalachian Mountains #Whether the stressed vowel is or ,#Whether the "ch" is pronounced as a fricative or an affricate , and#Whether the final vowel is the monophthong or the diphthong .), often called the Appalachians, are a system of mountains in eastern North America. The Appalachians...
and Appalachia
Appalachia
Appalachia is a term used to describe a cultural region in the eastern United States that stretches from the Southern Tier of New York state to northern Alabama, Mississippi, and Georgia. While the Appalachian Mountains stretch from Belle Isle in Canada to Cheaha Mountain in the U.S...
. D. Ray rose to regional stardom before his murder in 1985 and became known as one of the greatest mountain dancers of his time. His son, Jesco White
Jesco White
Jesco White, the "Dancing Outlaw", is an American mountain 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...
, or "The Dancing Outlaw," who has also been the subject of several documentaries, has carried on his style and continues to perform.
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., and has been referenced in "The Wild and Wonderful Whites of West Virginia", 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'White Lightnin'
White Lightnin' is a 2009 dramatic thriller film directed by Dominic Murphy and written by Eddy Moretti and Shane Smith.White Lightnin' was inspired by the life of Jesco White, an Appalachian mountain dancer. It was shown at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival.-Plot:Jesco White is the last of the West...
was inspired by both D. Ray and Jesco. He is also the subject of the Hank Williams III
Hank Williams III
Shelton Hank Williams, known as Hank 3 , is a neotraditional country and punk metal singer, drummer, bassist, and guitarist. In addition to his honky tonk recordings, Williams' style alternates among country, punk and metal...
song The Legend of D. Ray White.
Death
Steve Allen Rowe, 30, also of Prenter, located in Boone County, West Virgina, 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.External links
- The Murder of D Ray White
- Talking Feet: Solo Southern Dance: Buck, Flatfoot and Tap
- Mike SeegerMike SeegerMike Seeger was an American folk musician and folklorist. He was a distinctive singer and an accomplished musician who played autoharp, banjo, fiddle, dulcimer, guitar, mouth harp, mandolin, dobro, jaw harp, and pan pipes. Seeger, a half-brother of Pete Seeger, produced more than 30 documentary...
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 978-1556430800 - Official website of The Wild and Wonderful Whites of West Virginia
- Order the "Dancing Outlaw" DVDs
- Official website for the Community of Bandytown, West Virgnia
