Detroit guitarist Jack White has returned home to help restore a baseball part he played in as a child.
Jack White grew up in a relatively poor part of Detroit. The seventh son in a Catholic family he grew up surrounded by Hispanic immigrants, accepting and absorbing various elements of their music and culture.
The songwriter’s childhood plays a vital part in his music. The White Stripes album ‘White Blood Cells’ contain many songs that look back to his childhood, as Jack White reflects on a life now lost to him.
Since then, the guitarist has launched The Raconteurs and more recently The Dead Weather. Relocating to Nashville, Jack White showed recently that home is where the heart is by returning to Detroit.
The musician donated $170,000 to aid the restoration of Clark Park in south west Detroit recently, reports Detroit News.
The guitarist played there as a child, and the place obviously holds some powerful memories for the songwriter. Jack White’s childhood coach describes how the Dead Weather star had a natural aptitude for the game.
“He was good,” says Morris (Mo) Blackwell Jr., “smooth left-handed swing.”
Volunteer Deb Sumner recalled that Jack White has occasionally visited the park, sometimes bringing friends with him – “Rene Wellzinger, or however you say it.”
Jack White even suggested a benefit concert for the park, but it seems has decided to give the area the money himself. Coach Blackwell recalled that children in the area had nothing but the park.
“We didn’t have air conditioning, video games or a cottage up north. We had nothing but the park.”
